Navratan Garh Fort is located in Gumla district of Jharkhand state. This is a historical place where Nagvanshi kings once ruled. Navratan, Gumla has been known as the capital of Nagvanshi rulers. Navratna Garh area is situated near Nagar village of Sisai block at a distance of about 70 kilometers from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state. Navratna Garh Fort has been given the status of the first well-furnished royal palace built by the Nagvanshi rulers. In the year 2009, the fort of Navratan Garh was declared a national heritage.
नवरतन गढ़ किला झारखंड | Navratan Garh Jharkhand in Hindi
Nagvanshi Rulers – Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
According to historians, earlier in the sixth-seventh century, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa were ruled by Nagvanshi kings. At that time, there was the rule of Pal rulers in Bengal and Bhoj dynasty rulers in Madhya Pradesh. There were often considerable differences of opinion between all these neighboring states. Nagvanshi were originally called Shaivites and Nagvanshi rulers kept changing their capitals from time to time to protect themselves. This is the reason why their evidence is visible scattered in many areas of Jharkhand.
Tax Policy of Nagvanshi Rulers
Historians believe that the Nagavanshi rulers did not collect any tax of any kind from their subjects and that is why they never lived in luxurious palaces and forts. He believed that if he wanted to make his place among the people and get respect from the people, then he should live like the people. Nagvanshi rulers used to come as kings at the same time when they had to do justice work and that is why before this no Nagvanshi ruler had built any palace for himself.
History – Navratan Garh Jharkhand
Nagvanshi ruler Barisal changed his capital from Khukhragarh to Navratangarh. Navratangarh was a place which was suitable for making it the capital at that time from security and strategy point of view. Navratangarh, surrounded by forests, hills and rivers, could have been a secure fort.
Navratan Garh Fort was built by the 46th Nagavanshi king Durjan. Navratan Garh fort is also called Doysa Garh because it is in Doysa village. There is a popular story related to the construction of this fort.
It is said that at the time when Nagvanshi ruler Raja Durjan was ruling here, at the same time Jahangir was also ruling in Agra. Due to non-payment of taxes at that time, Jahangir sent his Mughal governor Ibrahim Khan to attack Doysa, the kingdom of Naga rulers. Ibrahim Khan had captured Durjan and kept him in the jail of Gwalior. King Durjan was kept in prison for 12 years.
Raja Durjan Shah
King Durjan had good knowledge of diamonds. Due to this knowledge, he was also freed from Jahangir’s imprisonment. Whenever Jahangir had to identify real and fake diamonds, he used to get them tested by King Durjan Sal. King Durjan had tied the real and fake diamonds to the horns of sheep and made them fight among themselves so that the fake diamond was broken and the real diamond remained safe. After testing the diamond in this way, Jahangir became very happy and released King Durjan. At the same time, Jahangir had also freed 9 other kings at the behest of King Durjan.
Jahangir gave him the title of Shah. When Raja Durjan Shah was released from jail, he came face to face with the grandeur and splendor of palaces and forts for the first time. For the first time, he had experienced the royal splendor while in the captivity of the Mughals and at the same time he had made up his mind to get the palace constructed for himself. In this sequence, he decided to come to the village and build a royal palace for himself and got this five-storey building constructed. Navratan Garh Fort was built in the 17th century between 1636 – 1639.
Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
Navratangarh Fort complex consists of the Main Fort, Raj Darbar, Rani Mahal, Rani Ka Talab, Durga Temple, Hide and Seek Monastery and Jagannath Temple.
Lime, Surkhi and Lahori bricks were used in the construction work of the fort, which also reflects the architecture of the Mughal period. The artwork of the Nagavanshi rulers was similar to the artwork of the Pala period rulers. In this artwork, along with Ramayana and Mahabharata, other gods and goddesses are also depicted. Dashavatar was also seen in these artefacts.
Entrance – Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
The main entrance gate is on the north side of Navratan Garh, which is made by carving huge stones without any spices and by joining iron forms together. For the security of this fort, a moat was constructed on the outside and several ponds were also constructed. After seeing this palace of King Durjan Sal, other Nagvanshi kings also built palaces for themselves.
Main Mahal – Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
King Durjan Sal had built a five-storey palace for himself in Doysa village. Secret chambers for soldiers were also constructed around Navratan Garh. A separate palace was built for the queen, which is today called Rani Mahal. Huge ponds were also built adjacent to the palace. To reach there a tunnel was also constructed. Construction work of many temples was also done on the banks of the ponds.
In the northern part of Navratan Garh, small units were built for the army to live. There was also a stepwell built in the north-west of this fort, in which there were stairs leading down to the surface. Today, 1 storey of this fort has sunk into the ground, only 4 storeys are visible here.
In Nagvanshi tradition, counting of nine was considered very auspicious. Considering it auspicious, the fort was named Navratna Garh. There used to be nine rooms on each floor. A large room was also constructed among the nine rooms in the palace.
At Present – Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
Although Navratan Garh Fort was a huge surviving fort about 350 years ago, today it is only in the form of ruins. Most of the fort has been broken and sunken but still these ruins tell a lot about its good times.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit Navratan Garh Fort is from October to February. During this period the weather here remains pleasant.
How to reach – Navratan Garh Fort Jharkhand
If you are traveling by flight to see Navratan Garh and its surrounding places, then Birsa Munda Airport of Ranchi is the nearest airport. The distance from Ranchi Airport to here can be covered by taxi in about 2 hours.
If you are traveling by train, then know that you can reach Navratan Garh Fort by road from Ranchi Railway Station.
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