Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh : Bandhavgarh Fort is located inside the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Area located in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh state. Bandhavgarh Fort contains a complete history in itself. This fort, which is about 2000 years old, is related to the Ramayana period. Description of this fort is also found in the ancient religious texts Narada Panch Ratna and Shiv Purana.

Bandhavgarh Fort has witnessed the changing regimes of power in Central India during different periods of time. Madhya Pradesh is very famous for its ancient forts. Bandhavgarh fort also comes in the same category of forts. Bandhavgarh Fort is situated on a hill 811 meters above sea level. The fort is surrounded by small hills, separated by gently sloping valleys.

बांधवगढ़ का किला | Bandhav Gadh Kila Hindi

National Park – Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

Bandhavgarh Fort is situated in the Bandhavgarh National Park area. Often tourists coming to Bandhavgarh National Park also come here to see the fort. This place is considered one of the most popular tourist places of Madhya Pradesh. Many types of wild animals can be seen in the National Park located here.

Stories – Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

Many stories of the construction of Bandhavgarh Fort can be heard here. This fort is said to be related to the Ramayana period and hence stories related to Lord Ram and his younger brother Lakshman are also told here.

According to a story related to this fort, this fort was built by two monkeys. It is said that when Lord Rama was returning after conquering Lanka, this fort was built by two monkeys of his army to welcome him and for his comfort. Later, Lord Rama gifted this fort to Lakshman.

The word Bandhavgarh is made up of two words – Bandhav means brother and the word Garh means fort. That is why this place must have been named Bandhavgarh.

History – Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

According to the Archeology Department, during the exploration, many caves have been found here, most of which are artificial caves. The inscriptions found in these caves are written in Brahmo script. So that we get information about the history of the fort.

Changing powers in Central India: According to these inscriptions, the Magha dynasty ruled here during the second and third centuries. Apart from this, other dynasties also ruled here including Maurya dynasty, Vakataka dynasty, then Sengar dynasty from the fifth century and Kalachuri dynasty in the 10th century. After that the Baghel dynasty also ruled here.

Baghel rulers ruled here from the 13th century to the 17th century. Baghel dynasty is considered to be originally from Gujarat. Karan Dev first made Bandhavgarh his capital and from that time it became the main center of the Baghel Empire. King Maharaja Vyaghra Dev of the Baghel dynasty later shifted his capital from Bandhavgarh to Rewa. He abandoned this fort in 1635. After that the condition of the fort kept deteriorating but he had completely banned the local people from cutting trees in the forest, due to which the forest could remain safe. It is believed that Tipu Sultan also attacked this fort and tried to capture it but he could not succeed.

In the year 1602, Baghel king Vikramaditya had control over it. It is believed that for some time after Vikramaditya, Marathas also had control over it. And in the 18th century it went to the British. Bandhavgarh National Park is an important place in Central India.

Reaching Bandhavgarh Fort is a challenge in itself, because the road to the fort passes through a forest, where tigers keep their camp.

Attractions – Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

Lord Vishnu Statues

The main attraction of this fort is the idol of Lord Vishnu found here in which Lord Vishnu is shown lying on the bed of Sheshnag. Apart from this special idol, the idols of 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu can also be seen here in which there are many idols of Lord Vishnu like Kurma avatar (Tortoise avatar), Matsya avatar, Varaha avatar, Vaman avatar.

Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh – Tunnel

It is believed that the last king of Rewa was Maharaja Martand Singh Judev. A huge tunnel emerges from Bandhavgarh Fort which leads to the palace of Rewa. Maharaja Martand Singh Judev and his father Gulab Singh Judev used this tunnel to make strategies for war and it was a way to go from one state to another.

Charan Ganga

The resting statue of Lord Vishnu present in the Bandhavgarh Fort is considered to be about 2000 years old. In this statue, river Ganga flows from the feet of Lord Vishnu which is known as Charan Ganga. This statue of Lord Vishnu is 12 meters tall which was made by carving a single stone. The head of this idol is towards the east and the feet of the Lord are towards the west where the river named Charan Ganga flows through the feet of the Lord. At this stage Ganga river is also called life for Bandhavgarh. It is said that there are 7 ponds inside the Bandhavgarh Fort, the water of which never dries up even in the scorching heat.

Tiger Project – Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

It is believed that this fort was in good condition till 1935, after which it was declared a National Park in 1938 and in 1972 it was known as Tiger Project. Bandhavgarh National Park located in Umaria, Madhya Pradesh is today a tiger reserve where the highest number of tigers are found. The forest of Bandhavgarh used to be the hunting ground of the Baghel kings of the princely state of Rewa, although nowadays tourists are not allowed to roam around the entire fort.

Best time to visit Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

Bandhavgarh Fort can be visited anytime from morning to evening. To see the fort, tickets are taken at only Rs 25 per person.

There is also a temple of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Sita in the Bandhavgarh Fort complex. The temple of the fort is opened on the celebration of Janmashtami. This temple opens only once a year. On this occasion, a large number of devotees come here to have darshan of the Lord.

How to reach Bandhavgarh Fort Madhya Pradesh

The nearest airport to Bandhavgarh is Jabalpur Airport. The distance from here to Bandhavgarh is 190 kilometers which can be reached by taxi or car. The nearest railway station to Bandhavgarh is Katni. The distance from Bandhavgarh to Katni is about 100 kilometers. Bandhavgarh can also be easily reached by road.

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