Bandhavgarh Fort, Bandhavgarh – The Fort Complex

Bandhavgarh Fort, Bandhavgarh – The Fort Complex

The fort is situated on the Bandhavgarh hill at an elevation of 811 meters above sea level in the Vindhyan mountain range. The Bandhavgarh hill is surrounded by several smaller hills separated by gently sloping valleys. These valleys end in small, swampy meadows, locally known as bohera. The fort is situated on a plateau of 4 sq kms at the top of the Bandhavgarh hill. The fort, other monuments the man-made waterholes are situated in this plateau. The fort covers an area of about 582 acres. The fort lies in the Bandhavgarh National Park and is visible from almost all the corners of the forest.

The fort is enclosed by massive sandstone walls with imposing gates. The gates are adorned with intricate carvings. The main entrance to the fort is through the Karn Pol. There are rock cut ancient caves situated around the fort. These caves are 2000 years old and has inscriptions in Brahmi script. The notable monuments and structures found in the fort are Moti Mahal, Rani Mahal, Shiva Temple, Kabir Temple, Dharam Das Temple, Ghudsaal (Stable), Treasury Building, Store house, Kachahri (Court), Sesh Shaiya, stable, Kabir Chaura, Kabir Math, and Bandhavadeesh Temple.

Most of the temples in the fort are dedicated to Lord Vishnu and these temples are dated to 10^th century CE. A sculpture of Vamana can be seen on the way to the fort. Sculptures of incarnations of Lord Vishnu (Kurma, Matsya, Varaha & Narasimha) can be seen at the hill top. There used to be twelve ponds during ancient time. Out of twelve ponds, eight ponds were big and four were small. One of them is Rani Talab. Rani Mahal and a temple is situated on the banks of Rani Talab.

The other notable pond is Baba Talab. There used to be a Gurukul on the banks of this pond. This gurukul is now situated in the lap of a Labhed tree. It has been created in a unique way by cutting rocks in a rectangular shape. It is said that immense wealth is buried between Rani and Baba ponds. The third pond is Kabir Talab. The Kabir Math is situated on the banks of this pond. It is the venue of the annual Kabir Utsav. There is man-made pond called Raja Talab situated at the hill top.