Asirgarh Fort

Asirgarh Fort is an Indian fortress (qila) situated in the Satpura Range about Template:Convert north of the city of Burhanpur, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The fort is said to date to the early 15th-century and commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important routes from northern India to the Deccan, it was known as the "key to the Deccan".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

File:Map Asirgarh MP India.jpg

Fort map and image of gold coins issued by Akbar when he captured it.

The Asirgarh fort is said to have been built by a certain Asa Ahir in the early 15th-century.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was murdered by Sultan Nasir Khan of Khandesh and was considered as one of the seven unconquerable forts of India. Faroqis ruled over Khandesh from Asirgarh for more than two centuries.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Nasir Khan's descendant Sultan Bahadur Shah (1596–1600) declared his independence and refused to pay homage to the Mughal emperor Akbar and his son Daniyal. Akbar marched towards Burhanpur in 1599 and occupied the city. Akbar then besieged Asirgarh fort and captured it on 17 January 1601 by tricking Bahadur Shah.<ref name="sen2">Template:Cite book</ref>

During the Second Anglo-Maratha War, on 18Template:NbspOctober 1803, Company forces took the pettah of Asigarh with a loss of two killed and five wounded. The fort's garrison subsequently surrendered on the 21st after the attackers had erected a battery.<ref name="RG_Burton">Template:Cite book</ref>

Toward the end of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in early 1819, most Maratha forts had been captured by the British, with the lone holdout being Asirgarh Fort, which was under the command of qiladar Jeswant Rao Lar. In March of that year, a massive British contingent laid siege to Asirgarh, capturing and occupying the town next to the fort to serve as a temporary base of operations. The 1,200-strong garrison was subject to constant artillery bombardments before the British launched an assault, which led to the fort's capture on 9 April. With the capture of Asirgarh Fort, the British victory in the conflict was complete and all military operations ceased.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="mapw">Template:Cite book</ref>

In March 2025, mass diggings were conducted at the site by locals after the Bollywood film Chhava fictionally depicted the Mughal armies of Aurangzeb burying large amount of gold looted from Shambhaji's camp within the fort promises during the Mughal-Maratha wars.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Architecture

The architecture of the fort is mainly influenced by the Indian architecture, some parts also show Faroqi and Mughal architecture, an amalgamation of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian styles. There are three man made ponds to provide a water supply.

There is a temple known as Gupteshwar Mahadev Mandir, dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. There is a local legend that Ashwatthama, a character in the Indian epic Mahābhārata, used to come to this temple to worship and offer flowers each morning to Lord Shiva.

There is a ruined mosque of faroqi era with minarets known as Asir Masjid inside the Fort. Apart from the Hindu and Muslim architecture, some ruins are of British origin and there are also British graves. This fort has been deserted following the departure of the British.

External links

• Haunted Fort of Asirgarh – Truth Revealed (video on YouTube)
• Asirgarh Fort. Template:Webarchive.
• असीरगढ किला, खंडवा Template:In lang