Uparkot Fort

Uparkot Fort Latest News

During the festival season, Junagadh’s Uparkot Fort has remained closed to visitors for the third consecutive day after a leopard was spotted inside the historic premises.

About Uparkot Fort

• It is an ancient fort located in the city of Junagadh in Gujarat. 
• It is strategically perched at the foothills of Girnar Hill.

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Uparkot Fort History

• This ancient fort is believed to have been built in 319 BC by the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta, though it has been extended many times.  
• It has been inhabited continuously for over 2,000 years. 
• The fort was known previously as the Revath Nagri. 
• It’s been besieged 16 times, and legend has it that the fort once withstood a 12-year siege. 

Uparkot Fort Architecture

• The fort covers an area of around 70 acres and is surrounded by a wall that is over 20 meters high in some places. 
• The Indo-Gothic-designed fort has three entries that give way to an ancient Torana. This is a pedestal of sorts, used for auspicious Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist ceremonies. 
• One of the most famous attractions of Uparkot Fort is the Buddhist caves, which were carved out of the rock by Buddhist monks around the 2nd century BCE. 
• These caves are adorned with beautiful carvings and inscriptions and are considered to be some of the oldest surviving Buddhist caves in India. 
• There is also an ancient mosque, a 15th-century Jama Masjid, which also houses the tomb of Nuri Shah in proximity.
• The fort also encloses a couple of temples and even two stepwells called Adi Chadi, or the Adi Kavi Wav, and the Navghan Kuvo. 
• A huge cannon of more than fifteen feet is located on the grounds. This is said to have been made in Egypt in 1531.  
• Uparkot Fort also has a square lake in its premises, called the Nawabi Lake.
• Besides, this vast fort also houses a moat that is at least 300 feet deep. 

News: BE