Chandpur Garhi Fort is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Chandpur Garhi Fort is situated between Karnprayag and Gairsain. Chandpur Garhi Fort, situated on a mound on the banks of the Atagadh River, tells the story of the Panwar rulers and Garhwal. This Chandpur Garhi fort is a historical tourist attraction situated amidst the beautiful hills of Chamoli.
Chandpur Garhi Fort - Gadhwal History
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| Chandpur Garhi Fort Chamoli |
The beginning of the history of Garhwal is believed to be from the Katyuri kings. The Katyuri kings ruled in Joshimath till the 10th century and then shifted their capital to Almora around the 11th century. When the Katyuri kings left Garhwal and made Almora their capital, many small forts emerged here, of which Chandpur Garhi was one of the main ones.
Chandpur Garhi has been considered a very powerful stronghold. Based on the information received from the ancient records found here and the evidence of the Archaeological Department, it is said that King Kanak Pal, who was a powerful king of Garhwal, came to Garhwal from Malwa (which is in modern Madhya Pradesh) in Samvat 755 and declared himself as the successor of King Sonpal. King Kanakpal established Chandpur Garhi as his capital.
Historians do not have a single opinion regarding the history of Chandpur Garhi. Historians have not yet been able to say clearly when exactly Chandpur Garhi became a capital. Some historians believe that Kanak Pal came here from Dhara Nagri of Malwa in 699 and some believe that he came from Gujjar Desh (modern Gujarat).
Chandpur Garhi Fort History
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| Chandpur Garhi Fort Chamoli |
The history of Chandpur Garhi Fort is about 1300 years old. It is believed that in the 8th-9th century, the Garhwal region was divided into many small states. At the same time, a ruler named Bhanu Pratap used to rule in Chandpur Garhi. He set an allied marriage between his daughter to a prince named Kanak Pal who came from Dharanagar in Gujarat and then gave the kingdom of Chandpur to Kanak Pal. This same Kanak Pal established the Panwar dynasty in Garhwal. Garhwal means group of 52 forts. There are fifty two forts in Uttarakhand. Chandpur Garhi Fort is one of those forts.
The last king of Panwar dynasty was King Ajay Pal. The 37th king Ajay Pal consolidated the 52 strongholds here and later named the region as Garhwal. It was from here that King Ajay Pal did his governance work on Garhwal. King Ajay Pal later changed his capital from Chandpur Garhi to Devalgarh and after that the capital was changed from Devalgarh to Srinagar, because at that time there were frequent external attacks, due to which King Ajay Pal took such a decision to keep his kingdom safe. Devalgarh is located in present day Pauri district.
Chandpur Garhi Fort Architecture
Archeological Findings - Chandpur Garhi Fort
Chandpur Garhi fort is particularly important in the history of Garhwal. King Kanakpal established his Pawar dynasty at Chandpur near Adi Badri and later it became famous as Chandpur Garh or Chandpur Garhi. This fort is spread over an area of about 1.5 acres.
In the year 2003-2004, more information was found about the Panwar dynasty and Chandpur Garhi Fort when the Archaeological Department excavated the site here. Inside the Chandpur Garhi Fort, the remains of many ancient artifacts and evidence of handcrafts (made by hand) are found. The temple of Lord Vishnu is established in Chandpur Garhi Fort.
Architecture - Chandpur Garhi Fort
It is estimated from the remains of the structure of the fort that there were bathrooms, worship houses, soldiers' rooms, kitchens etc. Local people believe that there is a tunnel under the palace which is about 500 feet below and joins the river flowing near Chandpur Garhi Fort.
The outer wall of the fort would have been about 30 inches thick and the thickness between its chambers would have been about 22 inches, which were built for the soldiers there at that time. Chandpur Garhi Fort is surrounded by hill and due to this, there must be water issues in past. Wells were also arranged to supply water to the fort. The door frames of the Chandpur Garhi Fort were also made of stone. It is believed that this fort might have been two levels or three levels. Stair-shaped stones have been found in the remains found here, from which it is estimated that the fort must have been two-storey or three-storey at that time.
Sora & Bhora - Chandpur Garhi Fort
It is popular among the local people that Sora and Bhora, the two heroes living in the village, single-handedly lifted the stones used in constructing this fort and carried them to the top of the hill. The two brothers are still remembered for this heroic act.
Special Interlocking System - Chandpur Garhi Fort
The artefacts preserved in the Chandpur Garhi Fort are worth seeing. At that time the art and culture here must have been at its peak. The carving work on the stones used in the construction of the fort has been done with great skill and beauty. The work of connecting the stones together was done by nails. The stones were made in such a way that the stones could stand interlocked and form a wall. Due to the interlocking arrangement in the stones, the enemies would not be able to harm that wall in any way. The windows of the fort are wide on the inside and narrow on the outside so that the outside can be easily seen from inside and cannot be seen from outside which would have been made in such a way for security.
Chandpur Garhi Fort Mandir
How to reach Chandpur Garhi Kila
Chandpur Garhi Fort is located in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. This place is situated between Karanprayag and Gairsain. Its distance is about two and a half kilometers from Adibadri and can be reached by an easy route of 15 minutes and on foot by climbing 500 meters. The fort of Chandpur Garhi is situated on a mound on the banks of Atagadh river. Karnprayag situated in Chamoli is a famous tourist place and Chandpur Garhi is only 12 kilometers away from there.
If you are traveling by train then the nearest station to reach Chandpur Garhi is Rishikesh. The distance from Rishikesh to Karnprayag is about 172 km and from that to Chandpur Garhi is 12 km. Tourists can go from Rishikesh to Karnprayag by state transport bus or by taxi.
If you are traveling by flight, Dehradun's Jollygrant Airport is the nearest to Karnprayag, about 185 km. This journey can be done by bus or taxi.
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