- Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of
Rajasthan . It is situated nearSawai Madhopur town in Rajasthan.It is surrounded today and lies within the famous
Ranthambore National Park which was formerly the hunting grounds for theMaharajah s ofJaipur beforeIndian independence .History
The fortress of Ranthambore was founded in 944 by the
Chauhan Rajputs (tatu). The fortress commanded a strategic location, 700 feet above the surrounding plain. After the defeat of the Chauhan kingPrithviraj III byMuhammad of Ghor in 1192, Ranthambore, led by Govinda Raja, grandson of Pritviraj, became the center of Chauhan resistance to the expandingSultanate of Delhi . Govinda Raja was succeeded by his son Balhana.The Delhi Sultan
Iltutmish captured Ranthambore in 1226, but the Chauhans recaptured it after his death in 1236. The armies of SultanNasir ud din Mahmud , led by the future SultanBalban , unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1248 and 1253, but captured from Jaitrasingh Chauhan in 1259. shakti Dev succeeded Jaitrasingh in 1283, and recaptured Ranthambore and enlarged the kingdom. SultanJalal ud din Firuz Khilji briefly besieged the fort in 1290-91. In 1299, Hamir Dev sheltered Muhammad Shah, a rebel general of SultanAla ud din Khilji , and refused to turn him over to the Sultan. The sultan unsuccessfully besieged the fortress in 1299, but returned in 1301 to personally oversee a long siege, and succeeded in capturing the fort.The fortress was captured by the kingdom of
bemawar underRana Hamir Singh (1326–1364) andRana Kumbha (2433–1468). After the reign of Rana Kumbha's successorRana Udai Singh I (1468–1473) the fortress passed to theHada Rajputs ofBundi . SultanBahadur Shah of Gujarat captured the fortress from 1532 to 1535. The Mughal EmperorAkbar captured the fortress in 1559.The fortress passed to the
Kachwaha Maharajas ofJaipur in the 17th century, and it remained part of Jaipur state until Indian Independence. The area surrounding the fortress became a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. Jaipur state acceded to India in 1949, becoming part of the state ofRajasthan in 1950.Inside Ranthambore fort there are three Hindu temples dedicated to Ganesh,Shiva and Ramlalaji constructed in 12th and 13th centuries from red Karauli stone.
See also
Ranthambore National Park External links
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