Rohtas Fort (Punjabi: روہتاس قلعہ; Urdu: قلعہِ روہتاس) is a fortress built in the 16th century near the city of Dina in the Jhelum district of Punjab province, Pakistan. It was ordered to be built by Sur emperor Sher Shah Suri, and Raja Todar Mal helped oversee its construction. Today, it is one of the largest and strongest forts in Punjab.
The fort is still in good condition and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. UNESCO described it as an "outstanding example of Muslim military architecture in Central and South Asia." More than one-third of the fortress area is home to the Rohtas village, which has been continuously inhabited since the time of Islam Shah Suri. This makes Rohtas one of the few forts in the world that still have people living inside them.
Location
Rohtas Fort is about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) northwest of Jhelum, near the city of Dina. It is 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from Khukha and Gaggar Khurd and 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) south of the Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia's oldest roads. The historic Badshahi Road once ran along the northern outer wall of the fort.
Rohtas Fort is located on a hill in the Tilla Jogian Range, looking down on a deep valley where the Kahān River meets a seasonal stream called Parnal Khas. The fort is 91.5 meters (300 feet) above the land around it and 819 meters (2,687 feet) above sea level. It covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres).
Near the northern edge of the fort, close to the Talaqi gate, is Gurdwara Chowa Sahib.
History
Sher Shah Suri, who started the Sur Empire, ordered the building of Rohtas Fort after advice from his finance minister, Todar Mal. He used a strategy to destroy resources in the area to stop the Gakhar, a local tribe that resisted the Surs near the Salt Range in Punjab. This led to the idea of Rohtas Fort, which Sher Shah began constructing. The fort was placed in a strong location between the Pothohar mountains and the Punjab plains, blocking Humayun’s return to India from his time in Persia. The name honored Sher Shah Suri’s capture of Rohtas Fort in Bihar in 1539 from a local Hindu ruler.
Construction of the fort began in 1541 under Todar Mal’s supervision. Todar Mal was from Lahore, Punjab. However, the project stopped because the Gakhar people refused to work on it. They had taken a vow not to help the Surs, fearing punishment. Todar Mal could not find workers until Sher Shah raised wages, which encouraged the Gakhar to join the work. Sher Shah Suri died in 1545 before the fort was completed.
After Sher Shah’s death, Humayun returned to take control of Punjab. In 1555, Rohtas Fort was given back to Humayun, reducing its importance as a defense. The Mughals did not favor the fort because of its simple design and lack of gardens. In the 1580s, Emperor Akbar built the nearby Attock Fort, which better suited Mughal needs.
Akbar stayed at Rohtas Fort for one night. Emperor Jahangir also stayed there for one night during his journey to Kashmir. He wrote, “This fort was built in a narrow place, and its strength is hard to imagine.” Later, after returning from exile in Kabul, Jahangir held court at Rohtas Fort briefly.
During the Mughal period, the fort was used regularly until 1707. Nader Shah, an Afsharid ruler, stayed at the fort during his invasion of the Mughal Empire. Later, the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani used the fort during his attacks on Punjab.
In 1767, Charat Singh, the grandfather of Ranjit Singh, captured the fort from its Durrani governor. He gave it to a Gakhar leader named Raja Ghias-ud-Din. Ghias-ud-Din was later replaced by his cousin, Raja Nur Khan, who held the position for 30 years. In 1825, Gurmukh Singh Lamba took control of the fort from Raja Nur Khan. Raja Fazal Din Khan was the last to use the fort for military purposes during a rebellion led by Sher Singh in the late 1830s. The fort was not used in any battles. The Sikh Empire used it for administrative tasks until the British took control of the region in 1849.
Architecture
The designers of Rohtas Fort focused more on usefulness than on appearance. The style of the fort combines elements from Turkish, Middle Eastern, and South Asian art.
Rohtas Fort covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres) and is surrounded by 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of walls. It has bastion towers and twelve large gates that allow entry into the inner part of the fort. The fort is shaped like an irregular triangle and follows the natural shape of the hill it sits on. A 533-metre-long (1,749-foot) wall separates the northwest corner of the fort from the rest of the structure. This section was used as a citadel for important people and could hold up to 30,000 soldiers.
The walls of the fort are made of sandstone laid with lime mortar mixed with bricks. The outer walls range in height from 10 to 18 metres (33 to 59 feet) and are between 10 and 13 metres (33 to 43 feet) thick. There are 68 bastion towers placed at uneven intervals along the walls. The walls follow the shape of the hilltop.
The fort’s walls had up to three levels of terraces connected by staircases. The highest terrace has merlon-shaped battlements where soldiers could fire muskets and pour molten lead. The fort also has hundreds of machicolations, each decorated with geometric patterns. These small openings allowed soldiers to pour hot liquids on attackers trying to climb the walls.
Rohtas Fort has 14 gates made of grey ashlar stone.
The Sohail Gate is known for its excellent masonry work from the Sur Empire and was likely the main ceremonial entrance. It is named after Sohail Bukhari, a local saint buried near the gate’s southwestern side. This rectangular gate is 21.34 metres (70 feet) high, 20.73 metres (68 feet) wide, and 15 metres (49 feet) deep. Its central archway is 4.72 metres (15.5 feet) wide and maintains its shape throughout the gate. The outer side has floral decorations, and seven battlements are visible. A room on the upper floor has windows facing the interior of the fort, and a small window is located in the middle of the inner arch.
The Shah Chandwali Gate connects the citadel to the main fort. The outer gate is an entrance from the citadel and measures 13.3 metres (44 feet) wide and 8.23 metres (27 feet) deep. The inner gate is a simple archway 3.66 metres (12 feet) wide. It is named after Shah Chandwali, a saint who refused payment for working on the gate. He died during construction and is buried nearby. His shrine still stands.
The Kabuli Gate faces northwest toward Kabul, Afghanistan, and is named after it. It now houses a visitor center and museum operated by the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation. The gate may have been built in two stages and includes an inner and outer gate enclosing a stepwell. Its opening is 3.15 metres (10.3 feet) wide and is flanked by two bastions. Five battlements are on top, with stairs leading up the outer wall. The Shahi Mosque is located south of the gate, leading some to call it the Shahi Darwaza.
The Shishi Gate is named for the blue glazed tiles on its outer arch. These tiles are among the earliest known examples of this technique, later used in Lahore. A carved Persian inscription near the gate gives the fort’s construction date.
The Langar Khani Gate leads directly into the citadel but was designed as a trap for attackers. It is a double gate with a central arch 15.25 metres (50 feet) high and 3.5 metres (11 feet) wide. A small window on the outer arch is similar to the one on the Sohail Gate. The outer part of the gate opens to a Langar Khana (kitchen). Two bastions on either side of the gate contain kitchens, storage areas, and a water well. The gate’s opening is L-shaped, requiring a right turn after entering. It is decorated with carved calligraphy.
The Talaqi Gate has two bastions on each side and is 15.25 metres (50 feet) high and 13.8 metres (45 feet) wide. It has a carved calligraphy inscription similar to the one on the Shishi Gate. The origin of its name is unclear. Some believe it comes from the word “Talaq,” meaning divorce. Others say it is named after Prince Sabir Suri, who died of fever after entering the gate, which was seen as a bad omen.
The Mori Gate opens to the north and faces Kashmir, earning it the name Kashmiri Gate. It leads into one chamber that opens into another.
The Khwas Khani Gate is a double gate named after Khawas Khan Marwat, one of Sher Shah Suri’s top generals. It was the original main entrance from the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road). The outer gate is 12.8 metres (42 feet) wide and 8 metres (26 feet) deep. It has a bastion, five battlements, and defensive walls with cannons. All battlements have loopholes and machicolations. The inner and outer gates are nearly identical. Both have calligraphy and sunflower motifs, like the Sohail Gate. The inner gate has a room with windows facing both inside and outside. It is accessible through only one gate and has a stepwell, suggesting it was used by the royal family.
Legacy and conservation
Rohtas Fort was named a World Heritage Site in 1997 because it meets these requirements:
- Criterion (ii): Rohtas Fort combines styles and art from Turkey and the Indian subcontinent to create a model for Mughal architecture and later changes to it.
- Criterion (iv): Rohtas Fort is a rare example of Muslim military buildings in central and south Asia from the 16th century.
The fort remains well-preserved and true to its original appearance. The central archway of Chandwali gate was recently fixed and is the only new part of the fort. However, in early 2005, the left inner side of Talaqi gate fell apart because of water seepage, heavy rain, and lack of care. At the same time, the right side and base of Talaqi gate separated from the original structure. Over time, the right tower and support wall of Gatali gate also collapsed due to rainwater and erosion of its base.
The Himalayan Wildlife Foundation started the Rohtas Fort Conservation Programme in 2000 to protect the fort and turn it into a heritage site. The foundation is working with the Royal Norwegian Embassy on projects such as finishing the restoration of Shah Chandwali gate and preserving Haveli Man Singh, Talaqi gate, and Gatali gate. The project also included building the Sher Shah Suri Museum in the upper level of Sohail gate.
Rohtas village
The inside of Rohtas Fort has been lived in since the time of Islam Shah Suri. In the 1840s, a British spy named Shahamat Ali estimated that Rohtas village had a population of about 1,200 people (mostly Muslims) living in 350 homes. A 2016 estimate showed that about 4,000 people live inside the fortress, in 450 homes. Today, the town has a government high school (built in 1853), a government primary school, a post office, a market, 17 mosques, 3 imambargahs, and access to electricity and water. Officials consider the settlement illegal. In 1992, the government of Pakistan ordered people living inside the fort to move outside, promising to build homes for them there. This order is still active, but no government has carried it out, and residents continue to live inside the fort. About 40% of the population is Shia, and the rest are Sunni. International author Ghulam Abbas Saghar was also born in Rohtas Fort.
See. also
- A list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Pakistan
- A list of forts located in Pakistan
- A list of museums found in Pakistan