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Rohtas Fort
Rohtas Fort (Punjabi: روہتاس قلعہ, romanized: Rohtās Qillā; Urdu: قلعہِ روہتاس, romanized: Qilā-e-Rohtās) is a 16th-century fortress located near the city of Dina in Jhelum district of the Punjab province, Pakistan. Commissioned by Sur emperor Sher Shah Suri, its construction was supervised by Raja Todar Mal and is now one of the largest and most formidable forts in Punjab.
The fort remains remarkably intact and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. UNESCO called it an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia." Over one-third of the fortress area is occupied by the Rohtas village, inhabited continuously since the times of Islam Shah Suri, making Rohtas one of the few living forts in the world.
Rohtas Fort is approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest of Jhelum near the city of Dina. The fort is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Khukha and Gaggar Khurd and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest roads. The historic Badshahi Road once passed along the northern outer wall of the fort.
Rohtas Fort is situated on a hill in the Tilla Jogian Range, overlooking a gorge where the Kahān River meets a seasonal stream called Parnal Khas. The fort is positioned 91.5 metres (300 ft) above its surroundings. It is 819 metres (2,687 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres).
Located at the northern edge of the Rohtas Fort, near the fort's Talaqi gate, is Gurdwara Chowa Sahib.
Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Sur Empire, commissioned the Rohtas Fort on the advice of his finance minister Todar Mal, and adopted a scorched earth strategy to defeat the rebellious warring Gakhar, a local tribe who were providing bold resistance to the Surs, near the Salt Range region in Punjab. Thus the idea of the Rohtas Fort was conceived, with Sher Shah laying down the foundation of the fort. The fort occupied a strategic position between the mountains of Pothohar and the plains of Punjab, preventing Humayun from returning to India from his exile in Persia. Its name celebrated the Sher Shah Suri's 1539 capture of the Rohtas Fort in the Shahabad district of Bihar from a local Hindu prince.
The construction of Rohtas Fort started in 1541 under the supervision of Todar Mal, himself a Punjabi from Lahore. However, its construction soon stopped when the local Gakhar population was unwilling to work on the construction due to all the male tribesmen taking a vow to not cooperate with the Surs lest be threatened with excommunication or expulsion. Thus Todar Mal was not able to find even one labourer to help him in the construction of the fort. This was the case until he under the orders of Sher Shah raised the workers' wages to such a degree that many of the Gakhars became willing to help with the fort's construction. Sher Shah Suri did not live to see its completion as he died in 1545 before the fort was completed.
With Sher Shah Suri's death, Humayun returned to regain his rule of the Punjab region. Rohtas Fort was ceded to Humayun in 1555. As a result, the fort lost much of its defensive significance. It was never popular with the Mughals because of its plain military style and lack of gardens. In the 1580s, Emperor Akbar constructed the nearby Attock Fort that was a better fit to Mughal interests.
Rohtas Fort
Rohtas Fort (Punjabi: روہتاس قلعہ, romanized: Rohtās Qillā; Urdu: قلعہِ روہتاس, romanized: Qilā-e-Rohtās) is a 16th-century fortress located near the city of Dina in Jhelum district of the Punjab province, Pakistan. Commissioned by Sur emperor Sher Shah Suri, its construction was supervised by Raja Todar Mal and is now one of the largest and most formidable forts in Punjab.
The fort remains remarkably intact and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. UNESCO called it an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia." Over one-third of the fortress area is occupied by the Rohtas village, inhabited continuously since the times of Islam Shah Suri, making Rohtas one of the few living forts in the world.
Rohtas Fort is approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest of Jhelum near the city of Dina. The fort is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Khukha and Gaggar Khurd and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) south of the Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest roads. The historic Badshahi Road once passed along the northern outer wall of the fort.
Rohtas Fort is situated on a hill in the Tilla Jogian Range, overlooking a gorge where the Kahān River meets a seasonal stream called Parnal Khas. The fort is positioned 91.5 metres (300 ft) above its surroundings. It is 819 metres (2,687 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres).
Located at the northern edge of the Rohtas Fort, near the fort's Talaqi gate, is Gurdwara Chowa Sahib.
Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Sur Empire, commissioned the Rohtas Fort on the advice of his finance minister Todar Mal, and adopted a scorched earth strategy to defeat the rebellious warring Gakhar, a local tribe who were providing bold resistance to the Surs, near the Salt Range region in Punjab. Thus the idea of the Rohtas Fort was conceived, with Sher Shah laying down the foundation of the fort. The fort occupied a strategic position between the mountains of Pothohar and the plains of Punjab, preventing Humayun from returning to India from his exile in Persia. Its name celebrated the Sher Shah Suri's 1539 capture of the Rohtas Fort in the Shahabad district of Bihar from a local Hindu prince.
The construction of Rohtas Fort started in 1541 under the supervision of Todar Mal, himself a Punjabi from Lahore. However, its construction soon stopped when the local Gakhar population was unwilling to work on the construction due to all the male tribesmen taking a vow to not cooperate with the Surs lest be threatened with excommunication or expulsion. Thus Todar Mal was not able to find even one labourer to help him in the construction of the fort. This was the case until he under the orders of Sher Shah raised the workers' wages to such a degree that many of the Gakhars became willing to help with the fort's construction. Sher Shah Suri did not live to see its completion as he died in 1545 before the fort was completed.
With Sher Shah Suri's death, Humayun returned to regain his rule of the Punjab region. Rohtas Fort was ceded to Humayun in 1555. As a result, the fort lost much of its defensive significance. It was never popular with the Mughals because of its plain military style and lack of gardens. In the 1580s, Emperor Akbar constructed the nearby Attock Fort that was a better fit to Mughal interests.
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