Garh Kundar

Garh Kundar is a small village situated in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh. It has been named so after the splendid fort of Kundar located here. ‘Garh’ means ‘fort’.

Origin of Name

The name ‘Kundar’ is derived from ‘Kundarka’ (Kund + Arka). ‘Kund’ means ‘pond’ and ‘Arka’ means ‘sun’. There was a pond in the village, built by the sun-worshipping kshatriyas (Arkas). It is said that the people used to get rid of their skin diseases after bathing in the pond or the ‘Arka-kund’. The remnants of the pond can still be seen near the temple of ‘Gajanan Maa’

History

Kundar came into prominence after a chief of Khangar kshatriya clan Khet Singh decided to build his capital here, in 1180s AD. He captured the fortress of Jinagarh from Chandelas, which was located here, and established his own state. After his death his grandson Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar built a splendid fort in place of Jinagarh fortress and named it ‘Garh Kundar’. Garh Kundar remained as the capital of Khangar kings till its capture by Mohammad Tughlaq’s army in 1347 A.D. Later it was handed over to Bundelas, who were feudatories of Mughals.

Other facts

Garh Kundar is located on a high hill, surrounded by picturesque hills and forests. Besides the main fort the remains of various ancient structures can be seen here. These isolated remains seem to quietly narrate the tale of their splendid past. There is an ancient decaying temple of Gajanan Maa (an epithet of Goddess Durga, considered to be ‘Kul Devi’ by Khangars), built by Maharaja Khub Singh Khangar. There is also a temple of ‘Giddha Vahini’ Devi located here.The fort has a magnifgicent complex built around a large and spacious courtyard. It is in this courtyard, princess Kesar De (daughter of last Khangar king Maharaja Maan Singh) committed ‘jauhar’ (a ritual of voluntary immolation by jumping into a pool of fire, undertaken in medieval times by the kshatriya queens and princesses to save their honour from the invading enemy). A few rock and pillar inscriptions have been found in the fort, which tell us the story of Kesar De’s sacrifice. Among the rough and overgrown stones, boulders and fallen masonry have been found the beautiful pillars of sun and moon. The granite flooring of the fort is said to have been renovated by the Bundela kings.