Raisen Fort is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Located about 48 kilometers from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Rai Sen Fort is situated on a high hill in the Vindhyachal mountain range. Rai Sen Fort is situated at an altitude of about 1500 feet above sea level. Raisen Fort is a historical monument of national importance which is now under the care of the Archaeological Department.
History – Raisen Fort
It is believed that Raisen Fort was built in 1200 AD. It is said that Raisen Fort was built by Raja Raisen. Rai Sen Fort, spread over 10 square kilometers, is considered an important fort in history.
रायसेन किला | RaiSen Kila Hindi
Rai Sen Fort was attacked a total of 14 times by different rulers to take control of it. In the 15th century, Raisen was ruled by Raja Baz Bahadur Shah of Mandu and after that this fort came under the control of Rajputs. In 1543, Sher Shah Suri had fraudulently captured this fort from Gaur king Puranmal Shah. It is said that Sher Shah Suri could not capture the fort even after four months of continuous efforts and then he fraudulently captured the fort from Gaur king Puranmal Shah.
To capture the fort, Sher Shah Suri made cannons by melting copper coins in front of the fort and used them in war. During this war, King Puranmal, seeing his defeat coming, himself cut off the head of his queen Ratnavali with a sword to save her. Residual signs of that war can still be seen in the ruins of the fort.
Inside – Raisen Fort
Raisen Fort is constructed from sandstone. Raisen Fort, situated on a 1500 feet high hill, has many ponds, palaces and temples. This fort is considered to be about 1000 years old. This fort is surrounded by a large rock with nine gateways. There are four big ponds and 84 ponds or small ponds with 9 gateways and 13 bastions which are the attractions of Raisen Fort.
Kose Minar – RaiSen Fort
To enter Raisen Fort one has to climb stairs from the main gate. As soon as you go inside, there is a Kos Minar which is also called Vijay Stambh. In ancient times, there were no scales to measure distances, so it was used to provide information to the public. Whatever message had to be given to the public was posted on this Kos Minar and then all the people could come here and read that message.
Ponds – Raisen Fort
The main four ponds of the fort are Motiya Tal, Madagan Tal, Malenga Tal and Ranital.
Motiya Tal was used for drinking water for the people of the royal family. This pond was constructed very beautifully.
The second pond is Madagan Tal. This pond is near the temple which is a huge pond. Its specialty is that even though it is centuries old, the water in this pond does not dry up.
Malenga Lake is situated in the northern part. This pond is a completely dry pond today.
The fourth pond is known as Rani Pond. Which was used by queens at that time for bathing.
Pemiya Mandir – Raisen Fort
The main temple of the fort is the Pemiya Temple. Pemiya temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva remains closed throughout the year but the temple opens only 1 day in a year on the day of Mahashivratri. At that time a fair is also organized here. Earlier this temple was closed but on the demand of the residents, this temple was opened by the administration and since then this temple is opened only for one day in the whole year, on the day of Shivratri festival, for worship, prayer etc.
Itradan Smarak – Raisen Fort
In the upper part of the fort there is a perfume donation monument which can also be called adornment chamber. Queens used to do their makeup here. Itra Daan’s Echo Sound System displays a high technology. If anything is said in the niche present here, it can be heard at a far away place, but this voice cannot be heard in any other place present there, which is called the special echo sound system here.
Masjid – Raisen Fort
There is also a mosque located in the fort. It is said that in the mosque there is a shrine of Muslim saint Hazrat Peer Fatehullah Shah Baba, where people come and make their wishes.
Mahal / Palace – Raisen Fort
The main attractions of the fort are its four palaces namely Badal Mahal, Rohini Mahal, Itr Daan Mahal and Hawa Mahal. On entering the fort, there is Badal Mahal on the right side at a distance of 200 meters in front of the temple of Lord Shiva. Badal Mahal is situated in approximately 200 square feet. Old pillars can be seen in the main wall in front of it. In the fort, one can also see cannons made by melting copper coins in front of the Queen’s Palace.
Water Harvesting – Raisen Fort
When the fort was situated on a high hill, the biggest problem there was water. Raisen Fort shows an example of water harvesting, revealing the foresight of the kings of that time to solve the water problem. There are many ponds in the fort in which rain water was collected and the water requirement was met.
Itra Daan’s Echo Sound System displays very high technology. If anything is said in the niche present here, it can be heard at a very distant place. But this sound cannot be heard at any other place, which is called the special echo sound system present there. There is also a museum inside the fort.
Paras Stone Stories
King Raisen is believed to have a philosopher’s stone. Whatever object Paras touched the stone with, that object would turn into gold. The fort was attacked many times to get this stone but no one could get that philosopher’s stone.
King Raisen, seeing himself defeated in a battle, threw the Philosopher’s Stone into the Madagan pond. Since then it is said that many kings and many other people tried hard to find the Philosopher’s Stone in Madagan Tal but no one could succeed in it. People say that some people even brought Tantrikas here at night to get the Philosopher’s Stone but no one could get success. In fact, it is even said that some people lost their mental balance while trying to find the Philosopher’s Stone. The people there believe that this happens because a jinn protects that philosopher’s stone.
Best time to visit Riasen Fort
Although one can go to see Raisen Fort anytime, but on Shivratri, the doors of the temple are opened here and a grand fair is also organized at that time, so the time of Shivratri is the best time to see Raisen Fort.
How to reach Raisen Fort
The nearest airport to Raisen is Bhopal Airport at a distance of about 60 kilometers. Raisen can be easily reached from Bhopal by taxi or train.
To reach Raisen Fort by rail, one can go from Vidisha Railway Station, from here the distance of Raisen Fort is about 35 kilometers.
Raisen Fort Timings
The time fixed for visiting the fort is from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Here no fee of any kind is charged to enter the fort but fees have to be paid for car parking and bike parking.
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