This fort, which is situated at a distance of 230 Km from Shimla on a hill overlooking the confluence of rivers Manzi and Banganga, could well be the most ancient fort in India. It is said that it was constructed during Mahabharata period. There used to be a city inside and around this fort. Hence it was also called as Nagarkot - the word 'Kot' means a fort. The people living inside the fort were called 'Kot-ich' which later got changed to 'Katoch' and became the name of the dynasty that ruled the fort and surrounding area. Legend has it that it was constructed by son of one Susharman Chand (who fought on Kaurava's side at Kurukshetra). As per another legend, King Porus who put up quite a fight against Alexander was from the Katoch dynasty and that 'Porus' was actually a sobriquet given to him by Alexander after the war. Of course, there is no historical evidence for the same.
This fort occupies an area of about 4 Kms. Aryabhatta, on the basis of some mathematical calculations, had proved that the battle of Kurukshetra was fought about 3000 years ago. If that is to be believed then this fort is older than that. There used to be a seven-storied palace in its upper part. Alas! Only few walls are all that remains now.
As per one legend, Lord Shiva killed the demon Jalandhar in this area. The fort is where the demon's ear fell. The fort which is surrounded by rivers on two sides and land on the third geographically does look like a ear. During those times it was of such a strategic importance that it was said that whoever ruled Kangda would rule the western Himalayan kingdoms.
In the 11th century, Mehmood of Gazani invaded the fort. For the first time in its history foreign troops reached practically its doorstep. The Katoch king who was ruling at that time was busy fighting somewhere near Kulu. So Mehmood's army was able to enter the fort without much bloodshed. They took away so much loot that it was impossible to load it on the backs of their camels and elephants. The oldest part of the fort is called 'Darshani Dwar'. Maybe Mehmood's army got in through that. After Mehmood came Delhi's Firoj Shah Tughalak. Delhi and Kangada used to be always engaged in one skirmish or another at that time. So Tughlak invaded to put a fullstop to all this. Tughalak's army sat surrounding the fort for many days but could not go in. It is said that one day Tughlak was planning his attack standing on top of a hill overlooking the fort when the Katoch King came out to take stock of his defences. Both leaders saw each other and raised their hands. That was a mutual signal to cease all the hostility. Tughlak wanted to see what the inside of the fort looked like. He was allowed to do that and then put an end to the invasion.
Akbar could not conquer the fort despite invading it 52 times. But his son Jehangir was determined to succeed where his father had failed. His mighty army invaded the fort with full force and laid siege for several days. When the food and ammunition ran low the Rajputs guarding the fort threw the doors open and a furious battle was fought which claimed several lives. When the women in the royal family realized that they were losing, they committed 'Johar' by tying stones
to their legs and jumping into a lake inside the fort.
Jehangir constructed a new gate as a mark of his victory - it is known as Jehangiri Darwaza. One can still see the remnants of the mosque constructed by him. A few years later, realizing that the Mughals are no longer as powerful as they once were, a descendent of the Katoch dynasty conquered the fort. But he was so ambitious that he started annexing neighboring kingdoms.
As a result his neighbors joined forces and attacked his kingdom, laying siege for 4 years. When food and ammunition got over the king had to leave the fort in a disguise. He asked King Ranjit Sinh for his help and that's how the Kangra fort passed into the hands of this ruler from Punjab.
If you think only grim tales of battle and bloodshed are associated with this ancient fort, you are mistaken. A love story worthy of Hindi Movie script also took place here. It so happened that a king called Anirudhha was on his way to Khandwa with his family when a band of dacoits attacked their convoy while they were crossing a river. In the confusion one of the princesses fell into water and was captured by the dacoits. An English officer called Lawrence rescued her and fell in love with her. It was impossible for the princess to return to her family so she married Lawrence and left for England.
In 1857, Pratap Singh Katoch, along with his people, led the revolt against the British. Following this, the British moved their headquarters from Dharamshala to Kangra fort. So it can be safely said that the fort was in good condition till then. A powerful earthquake (7.8 on the Richter scale) rocked the region on 4th April 1905. It toppled more than a 100000 buildings and killed around 20000 people. This earthquake levelled large sections of this fort. Though some of its walls and gates were later repaired it lost its former glory and lies abandoned ever since.
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