Khagmara Fort is a 16th century fort located in Almora which has now been converted into a temple. Khagmara Fort is now known as Khagmara Temple and Satyanarayan Kot Temple.
Construction Khagmara Kila Almora
Khagmara fort was built between year 1559 and 1560 by King Bhishma Chand of the Chand dynasty. Khagmara Fort, This is the first such fort of Almora which was built by Chand dynasty. Raja Bhishma Chand established his authority here by winning over the Katyuri kings from 1559 to 1560.
Regarding the Khagmara fort, some historians believe that it was built by the Katyuri kings and later the Chand dynasty established its authority over it. It is also believed that the rule of Chand dynasty in Almora started from here.
History of Khagmara Kila Almora
.jpg "Khagmara Fort Almora | Khagmara Temple or Satynarayan Kot Temple") |
| Khagmara Fort Almora | Khagmara Temple or Satynarayan Kot Temple |
The Khagmara Fort, established in 1555 - 1560, was an important construction from the point of view of security. The structure of Khagmara fort is such that from this fort one could keep an eye on the attackers from all sides. King Bhishma Chand wanted to make it his capital but it could not be possible during his lifetime. At that time, there were continuous attacks from outside invaders and Khas rulers and that is why security was a priority. King Bhishma Chand had become old by that time. Due to continuous attacks, the construction of Khagmara Fort remained incomplete.
Khagmara Kila to Almora
Raja Bhishma Chand had no children of his own. After him, his adopted son Balokalyan Chand was made the king and he tried to get the Khagmara fort built. At that time there was a Sardar named Gaj Godia, who killed Raja Bhishma Chand. Before that Chand Raja's capital was Champawat but after this incident Balokalyan Chand decided to make Khagmara a new capital considering it safeer than Champawat. Raja Balokalyan Chand killed Gajgodia, the assassin of Raja Bhishma Chand, and shifted his capital to Almora. At that time the name of Almora was Alam Nagar. which later became Almora.
Khagmara Mandir or Satynarayan Kot Mandir
Today, Khagmara Fort is known as a temple. This temple is dedicated to Lord Satyanarayan / Lord Vishnu and hence it is also named as Satyanarayan Kot. There are stairs to enter Khagmara Fort. The temple is entered inside by stairs and carrying slippers, shoes, sticks, dogs etc. is prohibited there. The whole area has been converted into a temple, downstream a river used to flow which is known as the Suyal river. The beauty of Almora is phenomenal when viewed from this fort.
Morning and evening (7 -11) time has been fixed to enter the temple. It remains locked during the day. There is a big tree in the middle of the temple and there are different temples around it. Apart from the temples of Lord Satyanarayan, Lord Shiva and Goddess Bhagwati, today there are also temples of Ram Sita, Lakshminarayan, Radha Krishna and Hanuman ji. The local people come here to worship and pray to the god for their wishes.
There is one such palace known as Malla Mahal built by Chand dynesty in 16th century which is also known as heritage of Kumaon.
Know about Chandpur Garhi Fort Chamoli !
How to reach Almora
Khagmara Fort is situated at a distance of 5 km from Almora on Police Line Road near Dugalkhola.
If you are traveling by flight, you can reach Delhi's domestic or international airport and travel to Almora by road. The nearest airport to Almora is Pant Nagar Airport in Uttarakhand. From here Almora is at a distance of about 115 kms which can be covered by taxi or bus.
The nearest railway station to reach Almora by train is Kathgodam, from where the distance to Almora is approximately 80 kms.
Almora is well connected by road and you can drive yourself, take a taxi or even take a bike to reach Almora.
Khagmara Kila Almora Hindi | खगमरा किला सत्यनारायण कोट अल्मोड़ा
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