A fort attributed to Ramachandra of the Ramayana near Mangala Dam

Ramkot is one of the ancient forts of Potohar. According to the information board at the entrance of the fort, it was built in 1186 by Sultan Ghiyasuddin during the reign of the Ghori Sultans. There are three routes to the fort from Dina, Dadyal and Mirpur.

It is half an hour’s journey by speed boat from Mirpur. Since people go here sparingly, the boats run only on bookings, which are quite expensive. Since we went by way of Mirpur, after taking a long detour in Mangala Dam, the boat anchored on the platform built on the side of the hill.

Since it is winter today and the rains are less than normal, the water in the dam is also less. 440 steps from the platform take you to the main entrance of Ramkot Fort, these steps may be less if the dam is full. The main entrance is built on a sloping rock so that access is very difficult in case of an outside attack. The red brick in the main entrance while stone is used in all other places suggests that the main entrance was probably destroyed in an attack and was later rebuilt.

There is also a small door at the back of the fort which was probably made for escape. The main entrance consists of four rooms out of which three rooms are downstairs and one is on the upper floor for which a staircase leads up from the main entrance. The structure of the fort suggests that there will also be basements. As the Department of Archeology has not done any work here, the information regarding the architecture of the fort is very limited.

As soon as you get off the boat, as you climb up the hill, the imposing structure of the fort starts to amaze you. With blue waters far below and a fort on top of a hill, you feel like you’re walking through the middle of a movie. On the ramparts above stand guards armed with bows and arrows. A few soldiers with javelins are patrolling the fort, and seeing you coming towards the fort, from above you are loudly asked the purpose of your coming here, and then an armed horseman is sent to keep away from the traveler. He should be stopped and if he is a messenger then he should be allowed after necessary investigation.

As you enter the fort, you see two large ponds in the front grounds. The purpose of which was to store rain water. Hundreds of years ago, when there was no dam, this fort was built at the confluence of the Jhelum and Poonch rivers. As if the fort was sheltered by rivers on three sides. As the fort was at a considerable height, the water requirement was met by collecting rain water.

Between the two ponds there are some rooms whose roofs have collapsed. Next to the second pond there is a large quantity of iron ore which may have been used for making weapons. On the north side opposite the pond is the residence of Darogha, which is reached by steps. There are rooms on either side, with a wide veranda in the middle, the roof of which no longer exists. Stairs from the rooms lead to the roof and to the basement. At the corners on either side are the outer rooms which are round and appear to be call chambers. Although the residence of Darogha is dilapidated, it can be restored to its original form with a little effort. Adjacent to the residence are further rooms that may have been for special servants of Daruga.

Along the fort wall is a slope which must have been used to carry the cannons up. There is also a cannon on the wall, which was told that it is not the cannon of the fort, but when the fort was repaired, the old cannon was donated by the Pakistan Army.

To the left of the main entrance there is a temple on a small height with niches for idols. The offerings were made. Ghee and milk were poured. According to tradition, this Shivling was brought from the river Ganges.

The presence of a temple in Ramkot suggests that there was once a large population of Hindus, which was later built into a fort from a defensive point of view. The forts of Ramkot, Dangali and Phirwala are though attributed to the Ghakharas. On page 181 of ‘The Highlands of India’ by Major General (Retd) David JF Newall, it is recorded that Ramachandra, the hero of the Hindu religious book Ramayana, was born in Phirwala about one and a half thousand years before the arrival of the Ghakharas. Perhaps this was the reason why Ramkot was settled here in relation to Ramchandra. Habib Shah Bukhari confirms this by writing on page 57 of his book ‘Bhatwar, Mah and Saal Ke Ayane’ that “On the north-east bank of Mangala Dam is Rampurabad Fort, which was built in the name of Shri Ramchandra. was”.

Was this fort really built by Ghori Sultan Ghiyasuddin? The famous English geologist and historian Frederick Dave (1836-1891) refutes this claim. In his book ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Territories’ he writes ‘In the lower reaches of the Jhelum River, west of Kotli and Mirpur there is a tribe called Gakkars. Their most important branch is called ‘Shahu’.

The Ghakhars live in the mountainous regions and maintain their independence in the face of powerful enemies. In the British Raj there are traces of their buildings along the right bank of the river which reflect their glorious past. One of them is the fort of Ramkot on the left side of the river. I was told that it was built by a Gukhar named Taghlu.’

Potohar historian Habib Gauhar, a teacher at Kahota College, told Independent Urdu that the fort was renovated during the reign of Gakhar Rani Mungo, who took over after her husband’s death. He did many construction works. The daughter of this Queen Mungo was married to Prince Muhammad Akbar, son of Aurangzeb Alamgir. In the Sikh era, when Sardar Gujar Singh Bhangi destroyed the Gakhdars brick by brick, Elphinstone described a scene back in the Kingdom of Kabul, writing that “nothing was found between 40 square miles of Mankyala but the ruined settlements of the Gakhdars. .’

During the Sikh era, this fort was handed over to the Dogars.

One of the four routes used to reach Srinagar in ancient times passed through Ramkot due to its strategic importance. Mangla fort is located about 20 km near Ramkot fort. The proximity of the two forts may also mean that the two represent separate capitals. Mangala fort is attributed to Rani Mangala who was the daughter of Raja Puras. The famous battle between Porus and Alexander the Great in 326 BC took place in the vicinity of this fort.

How many centuries and how many stories is this fort? Among the forts of Potohar, this fort is in the best condition where with a little effort it can not only be restored but can also be converted into a siya even place. Sajid Yusuf, who came to visit the castle and is associated with community journalism in the UK, told Independent Urdu that ‘seeing it reminds me of the castles of Scotland built on the hills by the sea. You can compare this fort with the same ancient forts of the world, but due to lack of facilities, it has become desolate. No one came here except six of us during the whole day. Means of transport are very expensive if there are boats with riders from Mangala, Mirpur and Dadyal then people will come here in droves because you don’t get such views in any other fort. If it is properly promoted along with the provision of facilities here, this fort can also generate a huge economic activity for Azad Kashmir.’

In 1500 BC, Ramayana hero Ramachandra was born here and almost three and a half thousand years later, Muhammad Bakhsh, the son of Saiful Muluk, was born here, whose shrine is still lit by the lamps of hopes and ideals.