Monuments In India

Deogarh Fort

Location	Deogarh, Uttranchal
Built in	1057
Built by	Chandela King Kirtivarman
Main Attraction	Dashavatara Temple, Jain Temples
Architecture	Jain Architecture
Nearest Metro Station	No Metro Services

The fort is located on the hill some hundred yards towards eastern part of Deogarh village. This fort, when constructed originally, was called as 'Karnali'. Further, it was called as "Kirtigiridurga" when it was constructed in the year 1057 during the Chandela King Kirtivarman reign. Though some people have a belief that fort was formed earlier by the Pratihara kings of Kannauj in the 9th century, then it changed from the hands of Bundelas and Chandelas before its control coming to the hands of the Scindias of Gwalior.

History

The fort, was called as 'Karnali' when it had its origin. Then further it came to be known as "Kirtigiridurga" when it was constructed in 1057 (samvat 1154) at the times of Chandela King Kirtivarman. Though some people have a belief that fort was constructed earlier by the rulers of Pratihara of Kannauj in the 9th century, and got changed from hands of builders to the Bundelas and the Chandelas before falling under the control of Gwalior's Scindias.

Architecture

The fort comprise of an outer wall mostly, except the stretches where there is steep hill slopes directing towards the river Betwa. It is also partitioned by several internal walls. There is a circular structure, and the east gate, west gate of the monument are quite notable. Besides this, there are two gates meant for the entrance in the fort, the "Hathi Darvaja" which means "Elephant gate", and "Delhi Darvaja" which refers to the "Delhi gate".

One can approach the edge of river Betwa with the help of three ghats which have archaeological importance. These ghats are being named as Nahar Ghat, the Ghat and the Rajghat, along with the Siddi ki Ghufa (i.e. Saints cave).

The Nahar Ghat ("nahar" meaning boat) at the eastern end of the fort, comprise of steep steps which go down from the fort's plateau to the river Betwa. The ghat is found parallel to the cliff wall and the river. The "Siddhi ki Ghufa" is an archaeological finding, situated on the cliff wall towards the left, along the Nehar Ghat. When descending via the Rajghat, this cliff wall is towards the right. It is a kind of plain cave having an image of Mahishasuramardini goddess.

The cliffs found above the ghats are carved with Gupta sculptures and have inscriptions which date back to different periods. The Nahar Ghat consist of a dozen niches, that has lingas and several deities. Archaeologically, this ghat is regarded as the richest of the 3 flights of steps. The Rajghat also accommodates over a dozen niches having statues and lingas, but the sculptures are pretty small in an incomplete state.

Matrika statues (being seated) are also major archaeological findings at the Rajght and the Nehar Ghat sections, establishing ancient sculptural activity during 6th century. There are sculpted figurines showing large breasts, small waists along with broad hips.

The Varaha temple is also located in the southeastern part of the fort. But it has been ruined except for some architectural parts.

How to Reach

By Air

The closest airport is at Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): 235 km.

By Rail

The closest railway station is Jakhlaun i.e.13 km, which is accessible by Jhansi-Babina Passenger train, while Lalitpur has been the most convenient railhead, (23 km).

By Road

Deogarh is connected through buses to all major centers in the region.

Nearby Places to Visit

Dashavatara Temple

This Vishnu Temple is a fabulous example of art and architecture belonging to Gupta Period. It was named by Cunnigham, the renowned archeologist, and is regarded among the Panchyatna temples in the North India. The most amazing feature of the temple of Deogarh is shikhara (tower), a feature which is not present in other temples of Northern India. While entering the premises, one can see large pedestal. There are carved figures of several deities present over the path which leads to sanctum sanctorum.

Jain Temples

The Jain temples of Deogarh have a plethora of Iconographic Jain figures. One can find depictions from mythological stories of Jain, the carved pillars and multitudinous figures of Tirthankars are also there. One would notice that the path from the entry gate is idolized with Jain sculptures. The popular Manstambha has images of the 24 Tirthankars as well as pictorial representation of birds and animals. Among the famous Jain temples, Cantina is the most known.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

Summer 43°C to 30°C,
Winter 25 °C to 5 °C.
Best time for visiting Deogarh Fort is October-March.

Accomodation

There are options varying from Tourist Bungalow to the Dharamshalas, it depends upon the person that what kind of accommodation he prefers, depending upon the choice and as well as how deep the pocket is.

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