Kalinjar Fort

Kalinjar Fort Latest News

The hill region surrounding the Kalinjar Fort in Banda was officially declared a National Geo-Heritage Site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) recently.

About Kalinjar Fort

• It is located in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh.
• It is situated on an isolated hilltop, surrounded by the Vindhya Mountains and the Ken River.
• It is one of the oldest and most impressive forts in the country.
• Many decisive battles were fought for the possession of this strategically located fort in ancient, medieval, and modern times.
• History:
  • The history of Kalinjar Fort is more than 1500 years old. 
  • Historical documents and inscriptions indicate that a strategic fort was established during the Gupta period (4th-6th century). 
  • Later, Kalinjar came under the Chandela dynasty (9th-13th century) and became one of their capitals.
  • During the rule of the Chandela kings, the fort developed into a military fort on one side and a religious centre on the other. 
  • Mahmud Ghaznavi, Qutubuddin Aibak, and Humayun attacked it and wanted to win it but could not succeed. 
  • Finally, in 1569 AD, Akbar won this fort and gifted it to Birbal. After Birbal, this fort came under the Bundel king Chhatrasal. 
  • After them, the fort was occupied by Hardev Shah of Panna. 
  • In 1812, this fort became under the British.
• The fort also houses mosques, temples, palaces, and stepwells.
• One of the main attractions of Kalinjar is the Neelkanth Temple. 
  • It was built by Chandela ruler Paramaditya Dev. 
  • The Shiva lingam is of blue stone in addition to the giant 18-arm statue in the temple.

Source: TOI

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