An overview of Jhansi fort

Since, the early times, the Jhansi fort holds the strategic importance in the country. It was built on the hill top of a rocky hill by the Emperor Bir Singh (1606-27). You may feel quite shocked when you will come to now that the fort has 10 different gates which provide entrance to the fort. During India Tours you can see many more Forts and Palaces like Mehran garh Fort, Jaisalmer Fort and Red Fort etc. The Jhansi fort is the living example which reflects the contribution and sacrifice made by Rani Laxmi Bai during the freedom movement as the freedom fighter. The fort is divided into three different parts and the sights which may attract your attention are Ganesha Mandir, Bhawani Shankar, Baradari, Execution Tower, Kadak Bijli and many more.

The fort was under the control of the Bundellas for about 25 years and after the Mughals took over the control and maintenance of the Jhansi fort for the next 110 years. Then, in the year 1729 to 1730, the fort was under the supervision of Maratha Emperors. They made some modifications and the renovations in the fort and after that the fort was popularly known as the “Shankargarh”. The reason it became popular with this name is due to the presence of the famous Shiva Temple inside the temple. The Marathas also rules this fort for 10 decades or so. On 14 February 1858, Rani Laxmi Bai started to convey the message among the people about the importance of unity and how the Hindus and Muslims together can play a vital role to force the Britishers to leave the country. Rani Laxmi Bai made an army consisting of large number of soldiers to fight against the British Rule. It is believed that during the night time, the soldiers used to stay in the Jhansi fort to get some rest.

The Jhansi fort is spread over the land of 15 acres and it has the dimension of 310 m of length and the width of this fort comprises of 225 m. In all, the fort consists of approximately 22 bastions and the huge wall surrounding the fort is used to protect the fort against the attack by an enemy. During the British rule, the bastion which was constructed towards the eastern side of fort was damaged by the Britishers and later on the Britishers only built a floor on that place which is known as the “Panch Mahal”. The fort also contains many archeological structures of the great importance.