Places To Visit In Fatehpur Sikri
Having travelled across Rajasthan (Jaipur à Ajmer – Pushkar à Jaisalmer à Jodhpur) I had finally reached Agra for a brief stopover before heading home finally. I have already told you about some of the tourist locations that you can travel across Agra including the famous Taj Mahal so this is the final blog in the series and I will take you to Fatehpur Sikri.
For this trip I had booked a car, alternately you can take an Auto also but since they travel quite slower thus will take more time. It takes around and hour (36 Kilometres) to reach Fatehpur Sikri and it is to take note that the car actually does not go all the way to the top of the ridge as all tourist vehicles need to park at a designated spot. You can either walk all the way up but that would be quite a walk.
Agra to Fatehpur Sikri by Car
The driver of our hired car conveniently parked the car in front of a tourist guide shop and convinced me to speak to them as they would arrange the local transportation. Thinking of him as a Good Samaritan I went to the shop where I was quoted a mind boggling sum of Rs. 2000 for to and fro transportation along with guide. It is then I realised that this is a tourist scam that I was walking into and decided to walk out. At once the rate was dropped to Rs. 1500 but I ignored. Walking up ahead I saw a couple of shared Autos and to my surprise they were all going to the top towards the Fatehpur Sikri main gate. I negotiated for Rs. 100 for a two way ride and set off to the top.
Fatehpur Sikri was founded by Akbar in the year 1569 and served as the capital city of the Mughals from 1571 to 1585. This fort actually was not much used by the Mughal Emperors for themselves as such a main problem may be due to the acute scarcity of water that this region faced due to the drying or rivers and lakes nearby.
Once you enter the fort you will be flooded with requests for guides, some official and some unofficial. If you want real help go for senior official guides as they will be able to tell you all correctly.
Fatehpur Sikri is quite a large place thus make sure you have enough time in your hand to see each and every corner in details. At least have one full day for this tour else you have to hurry up and skip quite a few important places.
Fatehpur Sikri – Buland Darwaza
Fatehpur Sikri – Main Courtyard
Jama Masjid – Fatehpur Sikri
Salim Chistis Tomb – Fatehpur Sikri
Nawab Islam Khan Tomb – Fatehpur Sikri
Palace of Jodha Bai – Fatehpur Sikri
Sunehra Makan – Fatehpur Sikri
Khwabgah Complex – Fatehpur Sikri
Anup Talao – Fatehpur Sikri
Panch Mahal – Fatehpur Sikri
Diwan I Khas – Fatehpur Sikri
Actually the whole fort area is quite large and I have only shown you glimpses of the buildings here, there is a lot more to see and as I have told you earlier that you need to spend at least a day to see all of them. Hope that you have enjoyed travelling along with me across Agra, see you in my next blog till then Bon Voyage.
Places To Visit In Agra
Moving on from my great tour of Rajasthan which covered Jaipur -> Ajmer – Pushkar -> Jaisalmer -> Jodhpur I had decided not to return directly to Kolkata by train as the train journey would have been too long and considering my toddler daughter it would have been a nightmare.
I had planned a short stop over at Agra so that we could rest for a couple of days before finally heading back home. The journey from Jodhpur started late as the scheduled overnight train was delayed for around four hours. Luckily we had packed dinner from our hotel and thus we had one thing less to worry about.
Since the train was not originating from Jodhpur thus we expected other passengers to occupy our berth and that is what exactly happened when we boarded our coach. Not only did a group of passengers who were seated in front of us occupy our place they placed huge boxes underneath our seat. The initial level of politeness was of no use thus a stern voice did the trick.
By the time we reached Agra it was nearly midday due to the initial delay and we were quite exhausted considering the long tour that we had done previously. Agra has three train stations thus it’s important to know which one you are finally disembarking so that you can get the correct direction to your hotel. This was also the first tour that I had done all the hotel booking online, these were actually all home stays and my experience in Rajasthan was much more than fantastic. This all changed in Agra, firstly the owner of the home stay could not give us a proper direction thus, we ended up paying double for our Auto ride from the station. Secondly the hotel had advertised that it has a great view of the Taj Mahal, in reality, it does but one should remember that the Taj Mahal is quite a large and tall structure thus it can be actually seen from quite a distance thus don’t be fooled by that.
Anyways the home stay was really not up to the mark, even though it
had an average rating on Trip Advisor but I realized that it was mostly
catering to foreign tourists and for them it was a perfect. Not all was
bad, the owner doubled up as the cook so when we ordered lunch he got
into action cooking lunch for us.
Agra Seightseeing by Auto
After our lunch, we set out to the first destination Agra Fort. We had hired an Auto for the trip which was arranged by the hotel thus, we have assured our return transportation.
Agra Fort
Agra Fort is actually quite old than what I had initially thought, it has its history much before the Mughals. Records suggest that this place had some brick structure around 1080 AD. The fort came into prominence during the Lodi dynasty led by Sikandar Lodi when he had shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra. After facing defeat in the hands of the Mughals the fort was initially captured by Babur and became his initial residence. The fort then changed hands quite a few number of times during the violent time when this region was slowly coming under the full control of the Mughals. The fort in its present red sandstone form was actually built by Akbar in the year 1573.
Jahangir Palace – Agra
Diwan I Am – Agra Fort
View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort
Tomb of Itimad Ud Daulah – Agra
Our next destination was Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah, since we had pre-booked our Auto thus it was a quick ride. Built between 1622 to 1628 this mausoleum is also referred to as the “Baby Taj Mahal” due to its somewhat visual similarities with the Taj Mahal. This place houses the tomb of Mirzā Ghiyās Beg who was the father of Nūr Jahān.
Mehtab Bagh – Agra
Since it was getting late in the evening thus we decided to skip Taj Mahal for the day and head towards Mehtab Bagh, this place is just opposite to the Taj Mahal on the northern side of the Yamuna River. Built by Babur in the year 1530 this twenty-five acre garden has a very different view of the Taj Mahal. Mehtab which means moonlight was purpose built for the emperor to enjoy evening strolls in the gardens.
This was not my first visit to Agra but a rather second one. The first time that I had visited Agra was in the year 1988 along with my parents. During that time, there was actual no existence of Mehtab Bagh since this site was forgotten in time. The restoration of this garden was taken by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) in 1993 – 94, painstakingly historical documents were searched and excavated and the entire place was restored. All the plants and trees that we see now have been replanted according to the historical records which had the preference of the Mughals.
By the time we finished up with Mehtab Bagh it was late evening and
we decided to head straight back to our hotel. The next day we had two
big plans, one to visit Fatehpur Sikri and next to visit Taj Mahal.
Since these two sites were quite far from each other thus we decided to
hire a car for our visit.
Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal is the jewel in the crown not only for Agra but for India as a whole. Considered as one of the Wonders of the World this place sees a steady stream of visitors all year round. The time when we visited was during a full moon night and the Taj Mahal is supposed to look like a dreamland on a full moon night. Special night tickets are available but these are issued in very limited quantity. I tried my level best even ready to pay an extra premium for the tickets but still could not get hold of any. Apparently all of them were sold within minutes of the counter opening.
We had to settle visiting Taj Mahal only during the daytime, for me,
it was the second time that I was visiting this place and it looked as
majestic as it used to be more than two decades ago. Unfortunately,
excessive pollution around Agra meant that there was a heavy smog all
around and it was distinctively hazy with a yellowish tone on the white
marble.
Darwaza I Rauza – Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal Mosque
Built between 1632 – 1653 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal this site is now a designated UNESCO heritage site. More than what my words can describe its best to see the Taj Mahal in its actual, face to face. Our next destination was Fatehpur Sikri but that I will show you in my next blog, hope you have enjoyed the visual journey, thanks for going through my blow.
Once Upon a Varanasi Valentine’s Day
What I am going to narrate to you all is till now known to only two people, so after you finish reading this would be known to you also. This actually would make you in the privilege club of few to have known the secret which is nearly twelve years old.
In was in the month of January 2004 that I decided to go for my very first photo shoot in Varanasi. I had always read about its mystical existence and how the real India seems to accumulate in this small river side town. Unfortunately during that time, I had just graduated and was doing my master’s degree thus not much money in my pocket for an extravaganza outing. Everything had to be carefully planned to save the maximum.
The main concern for me was the hotel expense as that was the
costliest. To save I need to find some friends place where I can put up
for few days without spending much and just would need to spend on food
which would of course be bare minimum.
The Love Story
It was by some miracle that I saw a friend suddenly coming up on Yahoo Chat (Most of you won’t know that Yahoo Chat was once the only way to have a net chat as there were no Facebook or WhatsApp). This friend of mine was known to me from my college days as I had met her once earlier in Ranchi for a youth exchange programme. After some initial hi and hello I came straight to the point, I knew that she was also doing her masters in BHU (Benaras Hindu University) which happens to be in Varanasi. I asked her if she could arrange a place for me to stay at Varanasi as I would be coming next month for some work.
She was unfortunately staying at the BHU girl’s hostel so she could not arrange. However, she would definitely show me around the city when I would be coming. This was a bonus as this would help in limiting the expense in local transport.
For the next couple of days we kept chatting on Yahoo Chat to plan the different locations that we would cover during the trip, during one such conversation she informed me that she has convinced a classmate of hers to accommodate me in the boy’s hostel. This was a good news as a big chunk of expense would be saved.
Finally I fix my date of arrival at Varanasi on 14th of February 2004.
I book my tickets on Amritsar Mail which reaches Varanasi at around
9.30 in the morning. Since I was new to the town my friend agreed to
receive me at the station.
Varanasi on Valentines Day
The day finally comes for departure and I leave to Varanasi on 13th evening. Being mid-February it was quite foggy and the train pulls into Varanasi Junction. I get a call on my mobile from my friend that she is waiting outside in an Auto and two of her friend would meet me inside the station. Now this was something which I was not expecting and was confused. I get out of the train coach and meet two young boys who welcome me, one grab by trolley bag and the other my backpack. We proceed outside the station to a waiting Auto where my friend was waiting.
I was meeting her after nearly two years so I thought of initially to start with a handshake but nothing of such happened. The two boys push me inside the Auto and the Auto driver pulls on the accelerator and zooms off.
Next few minutes were the most horrifying experience in my life. With no vehicles on the road it looked like a ghost town, even the shops were not open, all shutters were down. Then at a road junction I see a group of boys on motorcycle with tridents in hand and red head bands chanting slogans. Now this is something which I never expected. These boys were shouting “Anti Valentine’s Day” slogan.
It seems that some right wing political groups have called for a complete lockdown of the city to protest against Valentine’s Day. One of the boys in the auto whisper that in the morning two couple who were caught in the park were made to shave off their head and then forced to marry at the ghats.
So now I realize what was going on since the morning, the friend of mine could not come alone to pick me alone from the station so had asked some of her distant cousins who also happen to study at BHU to accompany her.
We finally reach BHU campus and it was like a scene from battle ground, Rapid Action Force completely surrounding the campus and the university was officially shut for the day.
My friend then introduces me to Sanjeev Kumar from Begusarai. Apparently I will be sharing a room with him during my stay at Varanasi. Girls are not allowed inside boy’s hostel so my friend had to leave. Sanjeev’s room was in the second floor of the hostel. BHU hostels are quite big in size and are divided according to the degree you are appearing and the subject choices. So I was staying in the Science Department hostel.
I had three days to spend and did not want to stay inside the hostel the first day. No seeing any option my friend took me to a Net Café nearby. What we did was something unthinkable, we spent whole day inside the café planning my three days and chatting. Since there were no shops open so we skipped lunch. Only returned back to hostel in the evening.
Girls hostel at BHU has a time restriction so she had to return by 6 PM and then I had to spend the rest of the evening in the hands of Sanjeev and his Bhojpuri songs. Sanjeev was like an ET for me, his skin colour was white like milk and a grin always on his face. He loved to talk and talk and talk. At night he would hardly let me sleep and almost the entire night I would be forced to stay awake and hear his constant Bhojpuri songs. It went to such an extent that he would ask if I wanted to listen to another and even if I say no he would keep singing.
He also had a unique food taste, one day it would be Dove and the next it would be Teetar (Grey Francolin). Request to spare me from these exotic dishes fell into deaf ear, he would invariably come up with some obnoxious dish one after the other.
If not Bhojpuri songs he would talk about his underwear, why he prefers a Langota than a typical underwear. By Langota I mean the long piece of cloth that one would tie around the waist. He would even show his collection of Langota, even trying to convince me to try one which obviously I refused.
During the day my friend would take me around Varanasi to different spots, this was the time when I still used a film camera so all my frames were carefully thought. Surprisingly some of the best shots of Varanasi was clicked during this time which I could never replicate with DSLR years later. We visited Ramnagar, Sarnath, Chunar, Ghats of Varanasi, lanes of Varanasi and of course BHU campus.
Somehow during this visits I came to know much more about her as previous to this I just considered her as a good friend who happened to be staying in Varanasi. In fact, without her help it would have been impossible to go around Varansi with such tight budget. She knew the connecting share autos and the short distance busses.
I been to Varansi nearly a dozen times but this trip was the best as I had seen Varanasi from a different perspective which I could never replicate later. I returned back to Kolkata promising my friend to come back again as there we so many different things to see.
As luck would have it, I did visit Varanasi again and again. I completely fell in love with Varanasi. BY the way are you not curious who this girl is? Well she became a really good friend of mine and if you still haven’t guessed this is the same girl who I married three years later. Happy Valentine’s day, may this year you get the friend of your dream.
Varanasi Vagabonds – A trip report on Varanasi
It was a Saturday 5th of October me and my colleague Prosanto was discussing about our photography as a hobby. Durga Puja vacations are long in Bengal often lasting 5 – 6 day thus we were contemplating if we could make an impromptu plan to go for a short photography trip somewhere near. Fortunately for us both our spouse and our children were going to their in laws place thus we were completely free for few days.
The challenge was that we were really late and during Durga Puja almost all train tickets are booked and travelling to any destination can be a challenge. So instead of the destination we started looking at IRCTC website for available train tickets from Kolkata to any destination. Unfortunately the WL was way too much.
It was then it struck me that we could easily break our journey and arrive at our destination so now we have freeze on the destination. After much deliberation we fixed on Varanasi. Reason well…. do we really need a reason for Varanasi. It’s like a magic pot and surely we will find many things to click. So Varanasi it was….
In the meantime another junior colleague of us Dinesh broke into our conversation and showed interest to join us in our adventure. This proved good since this would mean cost cut as the share will be always for three.
So now we started searching tickets for Vanarani. Our best bet was to travel to Asansol Jn and then take the Asansol to Ahmedabad Express train. This train goes via Mughal Sarai Jn and then we will take an auto to Varanasi city. Now we have to go Kolkata – Asansol – Mughal Sarai – Varanasi.
Luckily the above plan worked and we found tickets from Kolkata to Asansol and then from Asansol to Mughal Sarai. This was a budget travel thus we opted for Sleeper Class.
On 10th of October we had the ticket from Kolkata
(Chitpur) KOAA station to Asansol Junction. Now this station is a new
station which is bit outskirt of the North Kolkata. The departure time
was 11.00 AM and I left well in advance at 9.00 AM. On my way I picked
up Prosanto whose house was on the way and by 10.00 AM we were there at
the station.
Adventure 1:
It was DP (Durga Puja) thus the traffic was at its worse as it took nearly 1 hour to reach the station. On reaching the station we called up Dinesh to ask where he was and to our horror he had just left his house and we knew it was almost impossible to reach the station in time. So we kept calling him after every 5 minutes but his taxi was stuck in traffic jam. By now it was 10.30 AM and still the taxi was far away. Next was complete bizarre….. Dinesh offered the Taxi driver 100 Rs extra and asked him to go through one way and also go through no entry barriers. The taxi driver agreed and asked Dinesh to lie on the back of the seat and act like a patient requiring urgent medical help. The taxi drive started waving his red cleaning cloth and slammed on the accelerator. He reached station at 10.55 and ran to the platform.
The train departed exactly at 11.00 AM and the journey started. Lucky for us Dinesh got Alu Parathas from his home for lunch and he was considerate enough to include us. So the first lunch we hadAlu Parathas followed by Bananas from train vendor.
We reached Asansol Jn at around 4 PM and went straight to the waiting hall. Our connecting train to Mughal Sarai Jn was at 10.00 PM. Nothing much to do we roamed around the city outside the station and munched on some Samosas followed by HotRasgullasfrom street vendor for evening snacks.
At 8 PM we went straight to the station rail canteen and purchased our meal voucher. For 120 Rs we got Non Veg Thali (Chicken, Daal, Mixed Vegetables and Rice). Finished our dinner and went straight to the platform and boarded our next train to Mughal Sarai.
The train was scheduled to reach Mughal Sarai at 3 AM next day so we went straight into sleep mode. We set our mobile alarm to 2.45 AM. Sleep did not come quick as we kept talking and planning for the next day. After 1 – 2 hours of sleep my alarm started first and I hurriedly got of my bunk. The train was not moving and I assumed it was stuck somewhere. I went to the wash basin to splash water on my face to cut the sleep out. To my horror I see that the train was actually halted at a station and when I looked out my heart froze. The train was at Mughal Sarai Jn already. I rushed back and switched the lights on and woke up Prosanto and Dinesh. They jumped out and within 1 minute flat we were out of the compartment.
Once outside the station we were bit out of our bearings and confused which way the auto stand was. Luckily another fellow passenger a student going to BHU (Benaras Hindu University) showed us the auto stand. We quickly negotiated for Rs.180 to Varanasi Cant.
It was a quick ride and took just 20 odd minutes and we reached Varanasi Cant by 3.20 AM. From Varansi Cant we took another auto to BHU main gate (Lanka Gate). It was a shared auto and took20 Rs per head. On reaching Lanka Gate we offered additional 50 RS to take us to Assi Ghat since out guest house was located very near to it.
We reached Assi Ghat at around 3.40 AM and comes another shock. The entire locality was blocked as a movie shoot was going on. They were shooting for a movie called “Gangs of Varanasi”. Unfortunately the lane that we had to take towards our guest house was blocked as a fight sequence was being shot.
We had no option but to wait so we decided to wait it out at theGhaats of Assi. The Ghaat was at its very best that morning. I have been to Varanasi nearly half a dozen times but never a scene like this. It was the morning of Saptami Durga Puja and the local priests were performing a special puja. With dawn just breaking on the Ganges had a mystical feel.
We quickly took out cameras and started to shoot. Luckily I had my new Nikkor 35 mm 1.8 G and in the low light situation it proved to be a killer.
By 6 AM the shoot was over and we were ready to head towards the guest house. We had booked at Kesher Guest House over phone and at 800 Rs per night for a double bedded room we were bit unsure of the quality and the facility that we were about to get.
Kesher Guest House is run by a retired UP Police Officer and he has converted the top two floors of his house into a guest house. It was a very homely atmosphere and we were greeted by Mr. Ashwin Rai the owner. He took us to 2nd floor and opened the door to our room. We were shocked, it was a large spacious two bedded room with attached bath. The bathroom was neat and clean with a fully working Geyser. It was like a bliss and we quickly freshened up with a warm water bath. Mr. Rai served us tea and we enjoyed it along with biscuits that we were carrying.
Then we sat and planned for the day. We will head to Sarnath first and then to Dasaswmedh Ghaat to see the evening aarti.
about Sarnath from Wikipedia
Sarnath is a city located 13 kilometres north-east of Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Gomati rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India. The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna. Singhpur, a village approximately one km away from the site, was the birthplace of Shreyansanath, the eleventh Tirthankara of Jainism, and a temple dedicated to him, is an important pilgrimage site.
Buddha went from Bodh Gaya to Sarnath about 5 weeks after his enlightenment. Before Gautama (the Buddha-to-be) attained enlightenment, he gave up his austere penances and his friends, the Pañcavaggiya monks, left him and went to Isipatana.After attaining Enlightenment the Buddha, leaving Uruvela, travelled to the Isipatana to join and teach them. He went to them because, using his spiritual powers, he had seen that his five former companions would be able to understand Dharma quickly. While travelling to Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had to cross the Ganges. Having no money with which to pay the ferryman, he crossed the Ganges through the air. When King Bimbisara heard of this, he abolished the toll for ascetics. When Gautama Buddha found his five former companions, he taught them, they understood and as a result they also became enlightened.
We took the auto back to Lanka Gate and had sumptuous lunch. It was Veg Thali for 80 Rs, Varanasi has mostly veg restaurants but there are some very good non veg restaurants also. Post lunch we went to Pahalwan’s Lassi shop which according the locals are legendary for their taste and quality. Now here is the trick part when we reach the spot we see nearly a dozen shop with the same name. As usual in India the sons of the original Pahalwan split up and opened their own shops. Anyways the taste was not that spectacular but good enough.
We took a Cycle Rickshaw to Dasaswamedh Ghat for 20 Rs from Lanka Gate. This being the main ghaat was the main attraction for any one coming to Varanasi. This place was like India compressed into one square kilometre. There was monkey, priest, foreigners, young, old, Chillum addicts you name it and they were all there.
No sooner we enter the ghaat area it was photo opp all the way. Click click our cameras started clicking at every direction. By evening we paid 20 Rs. Per head to a boat so that we could have a front row view of the evening aarti.
The aarti as usual was very photogenic and our cameras started shooting every second. This year the water level was quite high and the aarti was performed on the stairs instead of the large platform.
We head back after the aarti and on the way had good dinner at Lanka gate. Rs. 120 for a Chicken dinner was sumptuous and being tiered we gobbled it down and headed back to our guest house. Surprisingly even after less sleep and so much of travelling we still had the energy to sit in the terrace and discuss the day. It was nearly 1 AM that we went to sleep.
It was 12th October… we got up at 4.30 AM and went to theghaatssince we wanted to see the AshtamiPuja. It was nice and beautiful morning and there were many house wives performing pujas. We went back to our guest house at around 6 AM and freshen up and ready to go to Chunar Garh to check out Chunaar Fort. We went to Lanka Gate and had hot Puri Sabzi along withRaajbhoog. We took a shared auto from Lanka Gate to RamnagarMoore which costed us 20 Rs per head. From there we took a bus to Chunar Garh. Bust ticket cost was 30 Rs per head and took nearly 1 hour to reach Chunar Garh bust stop.
It was a fifteen minute walk from the bus stop to the Chunar train station where we need to take an auto. The sun was up and we fell the full heat. This part of the country is quite dry and dusty and we walked along the train tracks. From the station we reserved and auto for 100 Rs. The auto will take us to the fort and will wait for us and drop us back to the station.
Now let me describe this auto to you. This auto was probably the
first generation of Bajaj Auto and the highest speed was around 10 Km
per hour. The engine noise was almost deafening and took nearly 20
minutes to reach the fort gate.
about Chunar Fort
The Chunar Fort (also known as Chandrakanta Chunargarh and Charanadri) is located in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, in India. Along with Chunar town, situated below the fort, the two are historic places with common history and legends.
It is located 14 miles (23 km) south west of Varanasi. The southeastern part of the fort is on the rocky bank of the Ganges River. The fort’s history spans from 56 BC and then between Afghan decedent Sher Shah Suri’s (1532) rule, the Mughal Empire rule (Humayun, Akbar and many others including Nawab of Awadh) up to 1772, and finally the British Raj up to 1947 till India gained independence.
Legends of Chunar
There are many legends linking the fort to divine aspects. One such is the story of King Bali. God, known in these parts as Bawan Bhagwan, appeared before Bali, disguised as a Brahmin, and begged for three feet of land. The generous king agreed. God placed his first step on the hill of Chunar Fort and left his foot mark there. Since then it is known as “Charanadri”, which over the years took the short form of “Chunar”.
Settlements have been recorded here since 56 BC, from the time of Vikramaditya of Ujjain.Chunar’s earliest recorded history is from the sixteenth century, traced to a garrison of Babar, when in 1529, many of his soldiers were killed; some of their tombs in Chunar are still venerated. In 1532, Sher Khan (later known as Sher Shah Suri after he captured Bengal), a highly ambitious Pathan of Afghan descent but born in India, took control of the fort with high ambitions of becoming the King in Delhi. He acquired Chunar Fort by strategic marriages to enhance his reputation, first with a childless widow (the wife of the deceased Governor of Chunar),and by marrying another widow, he acquired wealth. With these acquisitions, he became very powerful within four years and established a “state within a state”. It is also said that the fort was not vital for Sher Khan as he had moved his harem and treasure to Rohtas (a newly won fort in the upper reaches of Son River) during his campaign to win Bengal.
When Emperor Humayun attacked the fort and held it in siege for four months, he had proposed to Sher Khan that he would not claim Chunar and Jaunpur and any other place of his choice, provided he gave up Bengal, which Sher Khan had won. Humayun also demanded from Suri the surrender of his treasure which he had taken to Bengal and a precious (chattar) umbrella and throne, and also to agree to be under the protection of the Mughal Empire.
Akbar, the Mughal Emperor had visited Chunar for shikar (hunting) in 1575 and captured the fort. He acquired it as he considered the fort strategically located to guard the Ganges and the major land routes to eastern India. Abul al Fazl described this victory over the fort by Akbar an important event. It is believed that much of the fort as seen now was built during Akbar’s reign.During his rule, the west gate was built in the fort entrance, with the date 1586 having been engraved on the stone archway. During the Mughal rule, Emperor Jahangir had nominated Iftikhar Khan as the fort’s nazim. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, his appointee for Governor of the fort, Mirza Bairam Khan, constructed a mosque here in 1663, near the Bharion Burj.In 1760, following invasion by Ahmad Shah Durrani, the fort was captured by the troops of the Nawab.
The British East India Company, under Major Munro, attacked the fort; though initially they lost ground, they subsequently breached the south west part of the fort and annexed it. The fort with all its territory was formally ceded under a treaty to the East India Company in 1768. For some years, the fort was the main artillery and ammunition depot of the Northwestern Provinces.[2] Maharaja Chet Singh had taken possession of the fort temporarily but was evicted. In 1781, he raised a rebellion in Varanasi and near the villages around the fort when Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India (1773 to 1784) took shelter in the Chunar Fort.
In 1791, Chunar Fort became the headquarters of an invalid battalion of European and Indian troops serving in India; those officers and men who were considered medically unsuitable for field duty were shifted to this fort and given light duty. From 1815, the fort also housed the state prisoners. In India’s first Freedom struggle, also known as Sepoy Mutiny of 1857-58, the fort was the safe ground of the artillery and infantry company of the European invalid Battalion and all also to the officers and European residents of the district. The Bhartri Nath’s shrine here was also used for some time as the civil treasury. After 1890, troops were withdrawn from the fort. The building’s complex within the fort became the property of the civil administration who used this place as a convalescent jail. Subsequently, it became a religious centre.
Currently the fort is used by UP Police as a training centre thus you need to register your name at the entry gate. This means that only some portions of the fort is accessible to tourists whereas rest is beyond access since its used by the UP police to train special forces. The only thing that we were not allowed was the Sun Dial which I had photographed many years back since this portion was now converted into residential quarters for the trainees.
Chunar is famous for bone china products and you will surely find many shops selling cups and saucers. These are all locally made and surely recommended. I personally have a tea set which I had purchased nearly a decade back and only use it during special occasions. Make sure you bargain before you buy something.
On our way back we stopped at Chunar station and had some tea and biscuits. The walk back to the Chunar bus stand was long and by now it was 1 PM and sun at its peak. At the bust station we waited for couple of minutes and no buses were in sight. Our next option was to use the service of Tata Magic mini vans. We stopped one of them and it was already full finding no space we asked him to go ahead but to our surprise the driver shoved few of them outside the van so as to hang on the guard railing and made space for us. It was hot stuffy and smelly but since we had no option we did not complain. These van run quite slow and took nearly one and a half hour to reach Ramnagar.
We decided to have lunch at Ramnagar and found a small hotel serving food right outside the entrance of Ramnagar fort. For 120 Rs we had Palak Paneer, Rice, Chola and a Mixed Vegetable.
facts about Ramnagar Fort
The Ramnagar Fort is a fortification in Ramnagar, Varanasi, India. It is located near the Ganges River on its eastern bank, opposite to the Tulsi Ghat. The structure was built in 1750 by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with cream coloured chunar sandstone. It is in typical Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and pavilions. At present, the fort is not in a good shape. The fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares. It has been the home of Kashi Naresh since the eighteenth century. The current king and the resident of the fort is Anant Narayan Singh, who is also known as the Maharaja of Varanasi even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971.
As you enter the fort from the main gate known as Laal Darwazayou will see the ticket counter to the museum. Tickets are 10 Rs if I recollect correctly and photography is not permitted inside the museum. The museum has some display of weapons like swords, muskets and revolvers from the past. You will be able to see various cars and Palkis (palanquins) used by the royals.
Once outside the museum you can enter the main fort area. One thing is to be noted here that the Maharajas family still resides in the premises thus you are not allowed to roam freely. Movement is restricted only in some portions of the fort. You will have a chance to see old photographs of the Maharaja with various dignitaries. There was one photograph of Haile Selassie with the maharaja which struck me.
There is a temple at the premise just overlooking the Gages, being on the opposite side of the main Varanasi city you can get a good view of the city from there.
Even though we were tired we still had some energy left in us and we decided to head towards BHU (Benaras Hindu University) Campus. Inside the main campus there is a Vishwanath Temple which was built by the Birla’s and this being the centre of the university campus has many eateries and curio shops. It took 120 Rs. To book an entire Auto from Ramnagar Fort to Lanka Gate and from there we took Cycle Rickshaw 20 Rs. Per rickshaw to reach VT (as it’s known locally).
It was around 5 PM that we reached VT and the sun was already setting. This gave us an opportunity to do some bit of photography with my 35 MM 1.8 G. When you enter the temple compound you have to deposit your shoes / slippers at a special counter. The temple is not that spectacular but still worth visiting. We relaxed at the gardens of VT and this was really needed since we were really tired.
Outside VT there are hundreds of shops selling various food items. We has Banana Milk Shake which was real heavenly.
BHU is really having a soft corner in my heart since this is where my wife used to study her Masters. I used to meet her here at VT and used to have the same Banana Milk Shake. The taste has not changed by the age has changed. I gave my wife a call and she was real nostalgic about it. She requested me to bring some junk jewellery from VT curio shops which I obliged since I have to return back to my house and that would be my entry permit.
We took rickshaw back from VT to Lanka gate ad as usual costed us 20 Rs. We decided to pack Dinner and the choices are numerous. We took Tandoori Rotis and Grilled Chicken (Whole). Approximate cost was around Rs.500 for all three of us which comes to Rs. 166 per person. Today we were really tired and sleep came real quick.
Next day we got up early and to our horror is was raining so our early morning trip to the Ghaats was cancelled. We had our usual breakfast of Puri Sabzi and hot Jalebis. By this time the drizzling had stopped a bit and we decided to go for boat ride on the Ganges. We negotiated for 180 Rs for a round trip from Assi Ghat to Dasaswamedh Ghat and back.
I had taken many similar rides before but this was different since the sky was overcast and there were slight drizzle sometime. Not much to photograph but still Varanasi never disappoints you get something or the other.
Our plan was to go and explore the city life of Varanasi by walking in the lanes and by lanes doing some street photography but with this kind of weather it was not possible. With nothing else to do we went to BHU campus and saw the Durga Puja celebration inside the campus. We had out lunch at VT and went back to our guest house to freshen up and prepare our journey back home.
We had the 5 PM Doon Express from Varanasi to Kolkata. The train was expected to reach Kolkata 8 AM the next morning and we had the full day to rest since being Vijaya Dasami we had holiday in our office. We left the guest house at around 3.30 PM and reached Varanasi Cant station by 4.15 PM. Dinesh purchased half a dozen apples (this purchase was very critical, read further to know why) and two bottles of water (1 Lt X 2).
The train was 15 minutes late and reached Varanasi at around 5.15 PM and departed with 10 minutes. Trains from Varanasi if going towards Kolkata always crosses the Ganges and we saw the city for the last time. The train took speed and reached Mughal Sarai Jn in time. Our initial plan was to pick up dinner from Mughal Sarai but then again we changed our plan since we did not plan to have early dinner. This was a BIG BIG mistake which became the highlight of the trip.
If you Google “Cyclone Phalin” you will know that the rain that we were facing in Varanasi the last day was due to that Cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. There was a mass evacuation in the coastal areas and the government was preparing for something really dramatic. Now coming back to our return journey, after one hour from Mughal Sarai the train suddenly comes to a halt in the middle of nowhere. By now the weather had turned pretty bad and the drizzle had turned into heavy rains. After waiting for a 3 – 4 hour new came that due to the severe weather there was damage to rail overhead power and the train cannot move ahead till it’s repaired.
Now here comes the tricky part, we were in the absolute last coach of the train. Even so that the guards coach was in front of us. Our coach had no vestibule doors in the end section and we could see the train track behind us. This also meant that some of the rain water lashed inside the compartment. Much worse was yet to come sine Bakri Id was near so one gentleman had boarded the compartment from Mughal Sarai with 3 Goats. Yes you have heard that correctly I really mean 3 huge goats.
The train was stuck and we started feeling hungry, we looked outside the window and it was complete pitch darkness. Dinesh was a savior we ate the apples that he had purchased at Varanasi and rationed the 2 Lt of water that we had. The apples were really small in size and really did not fill our stomach but we had nothing to complain since there were others with no food.
By now it was 11 PM and we decided to sleep off but sleep did not come since we were more interested in the update about the train’s departure. The goats added to the problems, goats stink I mean they really stink and the three goats added to the problem.
Night turned into morning and we saw the dawn breaking from the open connecting door of our compartment. Dinesh and Prosanto went out and saw few houses in the distance, this means there was village nearby and that in turn means that there has to be some shop. They could manage to buy some biscuits of various brand name and none of them were known to us. There was a tube well also and they were used to fill up the empty bottles.
We ate the biscuit and drank the water and that was the most delicious breakfast that I had ever had in my life. It was nearly 8 AM in the morning and finally the train starts again. What a tragedy I was supposed to be home at 8 AM but now I am now starting my journey….again….
The train finally reach Howrah at 9 PM that very day and after jostling through the pre paid cab line finally reached back home at around 10.30 PM. What a trip that I had… I mean what a train journey it was.
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