Qila Nandana where Al-Biruni measured the diameter of the earth

Prime Minister Imran Khan recently inaugurated a heritage highway in Jhelum district, which starts from Nandana Fort, passes through Shiva Mandir, Tala Jogian, Khewora Mines to Fort Malot and Takht Babri in Kallar Kahar.

Qila Nandana also holds the distinction of being the place where al-Biruni measured the diameter of the earth almost a thousand years ago, which was so accurate that it is only 16.8 km in the measurements made by modern instruments today and in Al-Biruni’s measurement. There is a difference.

Regarding when the Nandana fort was built, it is written in the history of Shahnama and Abu Nasr that when the governors of Balkh and Khorasan declared rebellion against the Abbasid caliphate or Caliph Baghdad, Ghazni was ruled by the Bhatti Rajputs under whom three There were provinces and six states.

In 956, the Samani ruler Abd al-Malik took the territory of Ghazni from Ist Pal alias Bhim Pal and exiled him, then he moved to the place of Chota Lahore and Hind. When Istpal was defeated in 1008 by Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi and Sultan Qogohar, he fled from Hind and in 971 started building a fort on the highest peak of Kohistan Namak, which was completed during the reign of Jaypal. Jaipal named it Nandana after his son Anandapal, who was the capital of the Bhatia state.

A Raja Tarlu Chanpal of the same family had a peace treaty with Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi but his son Bhim Pal violated the treaty, on which Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznavi marched on Nandana fort in 1013 but encountered heavy snowfall on the way. He had to postpone this campaign until the spring of 1014. On hearing of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi’s attack, Tarlochan went to seek reinforcements from Raja Sangra Maharaja of Kashmir, but his son Bhimpal, who was behind, failed to resist and fled towards the plains. Thus this fort came under the control of Sultan Mahmud.

On page 266 of Tarikh Jhelum by Anjum Sultan Shahbaz, it is recorded that three important periods have passed on this fort. In the first period when the Pandits established their supremacy, cone-shaped temples were built here and the stones used in the construction were carved with peepal leaves. A few coins of this period have also been found in which the Peepal leaf was stamped.

The second period was that of Raja Jaipal. The temples of this period have a distinct style of architecture in which the royal style has been kept in mind. The third period is that of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi who attacked Nandana fort in 1014 and conquered the fort after seven days. Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi built a magnificent mosque here, which was considered a masterpiece of architecture. After the victory, Al-Biruni sought permission to stay in the fort, which was granted by the Sultan. Al-Biruni built an observatory here and installed in it the scientific instruments of the time called iron bows by the Hindus.

It is said that there was a shortage of water in Qila Nandana and water was brought from far away, which was the responsibility of the Shudras. Pandits believed that all the fresh water reserves in Kohistan Namak were under Katas Raj. According to the Hindu Deomala, when Goddess Parbati committed suicide, tears flowed from Shiva Maharaj’s eyes. From the tears falling from the right eye, the pool of Katas was formed and from the tears from the left eye, the fountain of Pushkar near Ajmer came into being. This holy water could not be used by anyone except Hindus.

On which Al Biruni studied the rocks of the fort and started digging under a rock, a stream of cold sweet water flowed out.

Another tradition also states that a girl from a family of Shudras accepted Islam at the hands of Al-Biruni, then her family members poisoned her, on which she remained unconscious for several days after treatment by Al-Biruni. Many members of his family accepted Islam.

Al-Biruni also wrote ‘Kitab-i-Hind’ about India sitting here, which is considered the world’s first anthropological book.

Here the water of a spring flows down through the fort, which also runs the windmills. There are huge rocks on both sides of the fort. The fort was a masterpiece of its time with its red stone main gate which was 25 feet high and 18 feet wide, the remains of which are still there today. It is said that a tunnel used to go from this fort to Kusik fort, which is located at a distance of six kilometers from Nandana. It is possible that if excavation is done here, the trace of this tunnel will also be found.

The town through which the road to Nandana fort passes is also of great historical importance. It is said about this town called Baghanwala that Mughal king Jalaluddin Akbar played hunting here and planted a garden. did the same. The garden planted by Akbar is also in ruins today, but thanks to the spring flowing from the mountains, the reconstruction of this garden is possible.

To reach the high hill of Nandana, one has to cross the rain-fed river Shiv Ganga adjacent to Baghanwala, around which nature is resplendent with its beautiful views. The remains of the fort are also disappearing. Sometimes, the bells of the temple and Allahu Akbar were heard from the nearby mosque. But now all these voices have become silent like the history of Nandana. Is it known that after the inauguration of the Nandana Trail by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, if the arrival of tourists starts, the mosque and temple here will be inhabited again?