Do you know which fort is famous as The 'Unconquered' One despite having been lost in the battle no less than 3 times? That would be Asirgarh - 320 Km from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. The legend has it that it is named after a person called 'Asa Ahir' who built it at the turn of the 14th century. It is also possible that the name has its origin in the word 'Asir' which in Farsi means 'Fort'.
Its first ruler was Malik Farooqui. His son, Nasir Khan, a very ambitious guy, wanted to take this fort at any cost. He sent a message to 'Asa Ahir' that his family is under attack and he wants to find a safe place for his womenfolk. 'Asa Ahir' allowed him to use the fort for the purpose. But it were not the women but Nasir Khan's soldiers who came to the fort in the Palkhis. As soon as they got inside they killed 'Asa Ahir' along with his soldiers and conquered the fort. Yes, this story sounds eerily similar to that of Troy, isn't it?
Nasir Khan built houses inside the fort for the soldiers and common men alike. This fort has a unique architectural feature - there is an underground floor. So the ditches that can be seen on the floor of the fort are actually openings that are meant to provide light for this underground facility. Of course, no one is allowed to go there now. Actually this fort is built over about 60 acres and consists of 3 forts on 3 different levels. But I couldn't quite catch their names. This meant that anyone attacking the fort would have had to fight the army stationed at 3 different locations. There is a mosque in the fort and 3 reservoirs with facility to harvest rain water.
A part of the fort was used for punishing criminals and contained deep ditches with rods inside them into which these criminals would be hurled. The lucky ones would die immediately but the unlucky ones would get their bodies torn and be condemned to a slow and painful death.
The fort also contains a Shiva temple. People say that Ashwathhama who was condemned to roam the Earth forever for killing Draupadi's sons and her brother comes to this temple early every morning to offer white flowers to make amends for his sins.
The Farooqui clan ruled the fort for 200 years. Mughal King Akbar had to come himself to conquer it. He wanted to make this fort a base for his attacks on Deccan. But the then ruler Bahadur Khan refused to help him. Enraged, Akbar decided to teach him a lesson but knew that the fort cannot be conquered in a straightforward battle. He came to know of a tunnel inside the fort and used it to conquer the fort.
Another version of the same incident goes like this - Akbar invited Bahadur Khan for talks and had him arrested. When his commander Yakub Khan came to know of it he sent his son Mukarrab to get him released. But Akbar killed Mukarrab. Grief-stricken, Yakub commented that this fort will not be conquered easily by anyone. God Himself will have to descend to earth to capture it or it will happen because of a betrayal. Truer words were never spoken. The Asirgarh never saw any battle after this. The Nizams ruled the fort later but that happened because he agreed to pay 2 years' worth salary to his soldiers and bribed other officers. After the Maratha-British battle, the British came into the possession of this fort in 1818. The fort still contains the graves of the British who died here. The British turned this fort into their governance center and built structures like court house and jail. This jail was later used to house Indian freedom fighters. Though the British described the fort as one of the strongest Indian forts, they didn't hesitate to demolish many of its security features.
In 1947, the last of the British left after India became independent and the fort was deserted.
Its first ruler was Malik Farooqui. His son, Nasir Khan, a very ambitious guy, wanted to take this fort at any cost. He sent a message to 'Asa Ahir' that his family is under attack and he wants to find a safe place for his womenfolk. 'Asa Ahir' allowed him to use the fort for the purpose. But it were not the women but Nasir Khan's soldiers who came to the fort in the Palkhis. As soon as they got inside they killed 'Asa Ahir' along with his soldiers and conquered the fort. Yes, this story sounds eerily similar to that of Troy, isn't it?
Nasir Khan built houses inside the fort for the soldiers and common men alike. This fort has a unique architectural feature - there is an underground floor. So the ditches that can be seen on the floor of the fort are actually openings that are meant to provide light for this underground facility. Of course, no one is allowed to go there now. Actually this fort is built over about 60 acres and consists of 3 forts on 3 different levels. But I couldn't quite catch their names. This meant that anyone attacking the fort would have had to fight the army stationed at 3 different locations. There is a mosque in the fort and 3 reservoirs with facility to harvest rain water.
A part of the fort was used for punishing criminals and contained deep ditches with rods inside them into which these criminals would be hurled. The lucky ones would die immediately but the unlucky ones would get their bodies torn and be condemned to a slow and painful death.
The fort also contains a Shiva temple. People say that Ashwathhama who was condemned to roam the Earth forever for killing Draupadi's sons and her brother comes to this temple early every morning to offer white flowers to make amends for his sins.
The Farooqui clan ruled the fort for 200 years. Mughal King Akbar had to come himself to conquer it. He wanted to make this fort a base for his attacks on Deccan. But the then ruler Bahadur Khan refused to help him. Enraged, Akbar decided to teach him a lesson but knew that the fort cannot be conquered in a straightforward battle. He came to know of a tunnel inside the fort and used it to conquer the fort.
Another version of the same incident goes like this - Akbar invited Bahadur Khan for talks and had him arrested. When his commander Yakub Khan came to know of it he sent his son Mukarrab to get him released. But Akbar killed Mukarrab. Grief-stricken, Yakub commented that this fort will not be conquered easily by anyone. God Himself will have to descend to earth to capture it or it will happen because of a betrayal. Truer words were never spoken. The Asirgarh never saw any battle after this. The Nizams ruled the fort later but that happened because he agreed to pay 2 years' worth salary to his soldiers and bribed other officers. After the Maratha-British battle, the British came into the possession of this fort in 1818. The fort still contains the graves of the British who died here. The British turned this fort into their governance center and built structures like court house and jail. This jail was later used to house Indian freedom fighters. Though the British described the fort as one of the strongest Indian forts, they didn't hesitate to demolish many of its security features.
In 1947, the last of the British left after India became independent and the fort was deserted.
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