🏔️ Kangra Fort: Details and Background
- Location: Situated about 150 feet above the Banganga river.
- Nearby Confluence: Banganga river with the Beas river.
- Size: About three miles in extent.
- Defenses: The sides of the hill are “very precipitous,” with masonry and ramparts protecting exposed parts.
- The Hindu Shahi Treasury: Following their defeat at Sakawad by Sabuktigin (Mahmud’s father), the Hindu Shahis of Kabul had shifted their royal treasury from Kabul and Peshawar to the stronghold of Nagarkot (Kangra) for safekeeping.
⚔️ Mahmud of Ghazni’s Invasion
- A.D. 997: Mahmud of Ghazni (Mhd Ghazni) succeeds his father.
- A.D. 1001: Mahmud invades India, conducting a total of 17 raids.
- His 4th Raid was on Kangra.
- His 16th Raid was on the Somnath Temple.
- A.D. 1030: Mahmud of Ghazni died.
💥 The Siege of Nagarkot (A.D. 1009)
- Fourth Expedition (A.D. 1009): Mahmud advanced into Punjab and laid siege to Nagarkot Kangra. (king : Jagdish Chand ).This was likely the first Hill State to suffer “deliberate and atrocious Muslim vandalism.”
- Reason for the Easy Fall:
- The Hindu Shahi ruler, Anand Pal Shahi, had called his vassals—including the chieftains of Kangra—to help defend his primary territories (trans-Indus dominions and Peshawar) against the Turk invaders.
- Anand Pal organized a confederacy (chieftains from North Punjab and the Hills) which fought desperately.
- Turning Point: Just as Mahmud was considering withdrawing, Anand Pal’s elephant fled the battlefield. This was mistaken for a signal to retreat, causing disorder in the Indian army and turning a “sure victory into defeat.”
- Consequence: With its chieftains and armies away, the Nagarkot fort was left undefended. The “unimaginative inhabitants of the fort, surrendered it meekly.”
- Aftermath of the Siege:
- Sultan (Mahmud) entered the fort with Abu Hasar Ahmad Bin Muhammad Fariguni (ruler of Juzjan)
- Commanders ‘Asightigin’ and ‘Altutmish’ were put in charge of the captured valuables.
- Contemporary Accounts & Names:
- Utbi (Ghazni’s secretary) mentions the “conquer of Nagarkot” in his book, Tarik-i-Yamini and calls nagarkot as bhimnagar
- Farishta (historian) called the fort Bhimkot.
- Quote (Prof. J.R. Sharma): “with the plunder of the ancient temple of Nagarkot (Kangra) in 1008 A.D. the tiger tasted human blood.” (The handwritten note quotes: “Here Ghazni (The Tiger) Tasted Human Blood.”)
👑 End of the Hindu Shahi Dynasty
- Continued Warfare: Although Mahmud conquered parts of Punjab, the Hindu Shahi rulers Trilochan Pal and his son Bhim Pal continued to fight him.
- A.D. 1026 (End of Shahis): Both Trilochan Pal and his son Bhim Pal were killed in battles. With the death of Bhim Pal, the last Hindu Shahi ruler, the Shahi rule in Kabul, Ohind, and Punjab came to an end.
🔄 Recapture and Recovery of Kangra Fort
- Ghaznavid Occupation (till A.D. 1043):
- The Nagarkot (Kangra) fort was won by Mahmud and remained under the possession of his garrison until A.D. 1043.
- The ruler/caretaker at the time of its loss was Madud (Mahmud of Ghazni’s grandson).
- A.D. 1043 (Tomar-led Recapture):
- Mahipal, the Tomar chief of Delhi, formed a confederacy of Indian princes to end Ghaznavid rule.
- After driving out Ghaznavid garrisons from the plains, Mahipal moved to the hills and, after a four-month siege, captured the Kangra Fort.
- Traditional accounts state the Katoch rulers of Kangra were helped in this venture by the Tomar chief and other allies, including:
- Bhoja Parmar
- Karana, Kalachuris
- Chahamanas of Annabela
- Brief Ghaznavid Re-occupation (A.D. 1051-52):
- Some references indicate that Abdul Rashid (son of Sultan Mahmud) recaptured the fort during this period.
- A.D. 1060 (Final Katoch Recovery):
- The fort was definitively recovered by the Katoch rulers by A.D. 1060.
- It then remained in the possession of the Katoch dynasty for nearly 300 years
- The state continued undivided under one head until about A.D. 1170.
Subsequent Political Situation (11th-13th Century)
- Limited Mohammedan Advance: For nearly 200 years after Mahmud, the Mohammedan frontiers did not advance much beyond the Satluj river, opposed by the Tomar Rajputs of Delhi.
- Role of Kangra Chiefs:
- Chandbardai’s Prithvi Raj Raso mentions that “Kangra and its mountain chiefs” were among those summoned by Anang Pal (Tomar ruler, the last of his line) to join his standard.
- Anang Pal died childless in A.D. 1151. His grandson was Prithvi Raj Chauhan, who became Raja of Ajmer and Delhi around A.D. 1171.
- Era of Delhi Sultanate (A.D. 1206 onwards):
- The first two royal houses of the Delhi Sultanate (Slaves, 1206-1290, and Khiljis, 1290-1320) did not pay “any serious attention” to the Punjab hills.
- This neglect, combined with Turkish attacks in the plains, led many Rajput clans (Chauhans, Chandels, Tomars, Sens, Panwars) to migrate to the Himachal Hills in the early 12th century.