The
Golden Fort of
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Faces Threats
Nidhu Bhusan Das
Jaisalmer Fort, also known as Sonar
Quila or Golden Fort, now
is a World Heritage Site.It is in the city of Jaisalmer,Rahasthan.Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal built the Fort in 1156 A.D.The
world Heritage Committee declared it a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the
group of Hill Forts of rajasthan. The fort stands amidst the sandy expanse of the great Thar Desert on Trikut Hell.It has been the scene
of many battles. Its massive
yellow sandstone walls have a tawny lion colour during the day, fading to
honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert.
For this reason, it is also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort. This is one of the largest
fortifications in the world.
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| Jaisalmer Fort Pix: Indrani Kundu |
Jaisal conspired with the Sultan of Gaur to dispose his nephew
Bhojdev from his territory. The other important event of the fort was during
1276 when King Jetsi strengthened the fort against the invading Sultan of
Delhi. the 56 bastions were manned by 3,700 soldiers. After eight years of
invasion, the Sultan's army destroyed the castle. Bhatis took control of the
fort, but had no means to strengthen it. In 1306, Dodoo was elected the Rawal
for his bravery for ejecting the Rathors. He subsequently started building the
fort. The Rawals could not stand the invasion of Mughal emperor Babur and subsequently ceded to Akbar in 1570 and also got his daughter
married to him.
The fort contains 3 layers of walls. The outer or the lower
layer is made out of solid stone blocks and it reinforces the loose rubble of
Trikuta Hill. The second, or middle, wall snakes around the fort. From the
innermost, or third, wall, the Rajput warriors
once hurled boiling oil and water as well as massive blocks of rock at their
enemies, who would become entrapped between the second and third walls. This
defences of the fort include 99 bastions, of which 92 were built between the
period of 1633-47.
Ala-ud-din Khilji attacked
and captured the fort in the 13th century and managed to hold it for
9 years. During the siege of the fort the Rajput women committed Jauhar. The second battle at the fort took
place in 1541, when Mughal emperor Humayun attacked the fort
city.
The fort was under the control of Mughals until 1762 when
Maharawal Mulraj took control of the fort. Due to its isolated location, the
fort escaped the ravages of the Marathas.
The treaty between the British East
India Company and Mulraj in 12 December 1818 allowed the king to have succession of
the fort and provided protection from invasion. After the death of Mulraj in
1820, his grandson Gaj Singh took reigns of the fort.
With the advent of British Rule, the emergence of maritime trade
and the growth of the port of Bombay
The Jaisalmer Fort today faces manifold threats that are a
result of the increasing population pressure on it. Water seepage, inadequate
civic amenities, derelict houses and seismic activity around the Teikuta Hill are
some of the major concerns impacting the Fort. Unlike most other forts, the
Jaisalmer Fort has been built over a weak sedimentary rock foothill which makes
its foundations especially vulnerable to seepage. Over the years this has led
to the collapse of significant portions of the Fort such as the Queen’s Palace
or Rani Ka Mahal and parts of the outer boundary wall and the lower pitching
walls.
A major restoration work has been undertaken by
the World Monuments Fund and UK
