M S Nazki
Indeed Poonch fort is special and I have plenty of reasons for saying so. For now somehow I will contain myself with ‘Poonch Fort’ to highlight its history. Indeed once strong and powerful, but still a signature sign of Poonch. ‘A fort doesn’t fall unless its towers are weakened. Everybody is equally weak on the inside, just that some present their ruins as new castles and become kings. It is nothing but a nightmarish sacrifice but history matters and so does the Poonch Fort!’‘Poonch Fort’ is an important landmark in Indian history and in present day Poonch city. Built in 1179, this fort stands on a small hilltop covering a magnificent area of 7, 500 sq m. This fort has been a bystander for many political and historical events of Poonch. This exquisite structure not only adds beauty to the city but it’s also an example of a living era in the course of time. But what is it now as people call it the Poonch Qila! Once upon a time it was simply awesome but now? It was for everyone’s imagination and correlated it to the pictures of the past!’ But what matters is that it is still a legend! Now it is nothing but a place where the administration rules the district Poonch as perhaps in the olden time the kings did! This fort has witnessed partition and beholds significant secretive stories of Muslim rulers, Dogras and Sikh rulers. Even now the Poonch Fort bears typical Mughal architectural influence (just a few reminiscences remain). Though the foundation was laid by Raja Abdul Razak Khan in 1701 A.D, this fort was completed by Raja Rustam Khan. Poonch district was initially named Rustam Nagar after him. This fort was under the rule of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh from 1850- 1947 which is also coined as the golden period by historians. Sikh rule was from 1819 – 1846 which reflects the style of construction of a central block. Front block design is reflective of Raja Moti Singh’s compassion towards style and ethnicity. He engaged a European architect in 1850-1892 to reconstruct it. By the way this fort has more than 80 rooms that are elegantly designed. There is also a small mosque, a temple and a Gurudwara in the fort premises.Poonch Fort of Jammu which is also known as Poonch Qila is one of the historical fort of Jammu and Kashmir. Poonch Fort is situated in the district Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir. It was built by Raja Rustam Khan in the years between 1760 and 1787. The architect who built this huge fort was very fond of Mughal’s architecture and Raja Moti Singh was impressed by the design of the architecture so he kept renovating this fort for 40 continuous years.Poonch Fort adds more glory to the historic city of Jammu and Kashmir. This fort is authentic and documented and records a history of district Poonch. Poonch Fort is one of the historic monuments of Jammu and Kashmir to visit. This fort covers an area of 7,535 sq.m. Poonch fort of Jammu and Kashmir records the historical stories of Dogras, Muslims and Sikhs.Raja Rustam Khan was the son of Raja Abdul Razaq Khan so basically the foundation was laid by Raja Abdul Razaq Khan around 1713 AD. So after this he died and further the fort was built by his on Raja Rustam Khan. Raja Moti Singh years after the renovation of Poonch fort hired a European architect and constructed it in European style. This Fort has now become one of the tourist destinations in district Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir.Perhaps there never was a monument more characteristic of an age and people than the Poonch Fort; a rugged fortress without, a voluptuous palace within; war frowning from its battlements; poetry breathing throughout the fairy architecture of its halls. The people of Poonch love it and in this part of the country it is indeed special’!The Light and the Darkness both flow into Poonch from this fort. Full of things that the modern world forgets all about old stone buildings and Muslims. You may have heard that the Poonch market pavements are remarkable, and the smell of fried food mingles with the famous Poonchi fragrance! The main market takes off from the magnificent fort itself!’Some history which the readers would like to go through, a part is it I did mention in the introductory passages but I will add on!In ancient times, Poonch was part of the Abhisara region and formed part of Alexander the Great’s conquests. In later sources, the region is called Paranotsa, but also known by its capital city, Lohara, which gave rise to the Lohara dynasty of Kashmir (c. 1003–1320 CE).Afterwards Poonch came under the control of the Mughal Empire, then the Durrani Empire and finally the Sikh Empire. The Sikh monarch, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave Poonch to the Dogra noble, Raja Dhyan Singh, as a fief.After the death of Ranjit Singh, Dhyan Singh was murdered in Sikh intrigues, and the region was transferred to Gulab Singh as part of the Jammu and Kashmir state under British suzerainty.Poonch was earlier named after him as Rustam Nagar. Originally the fort was planned as a composite structure for the fortification of the town and for housing the royal palace.
Witness to many historic events and change of hands, the fort reflects the cultural and architectural ethos of the Mughal, Dogra and Sikh rulers. It is, however, the Mughal style of architecture that dominates.
During the Sikh rule in 1819-1846, the central block was added which bears the distinct influence of Sikh architectural style. But it goes to the credit of Raja Moti Singh who took a lot of interest in giving a new look to the fort and continued renovating it for almost four decades.
The fort building complex was converted into a secretariat of the kingdom after shifting the palace to Moti Mahal during Raja Baldev Singh’s reign.
I will conclude by saying that when you enter this fort, the walls will say, will you come inside and live with us? This is because this fort is the guardian of the hearts of people in district Poonch. People here realize that there is only one fort and they cannot create it again because this is their cherished monument! It always was!
– The writer is Bureau Chief of Srinagar-based news agency Global News Service (GNS) and Daily Kashmir Glory and the write-up has been written as part of ‘Tourism Special‘
