Narsinghgarh - Discovering a ruined Gem

As the summer had come to an end and Monsoon had just arrived at the Heart of India, we set out for another trip. This time the place was Narsinghgarh Fort - 85 km from our city Bhopal.

We set-out at 9am on a Sunday morning on to NH12 towards Narsinghgarh. We had to wait for a couple of times on the way due to the drizzling monsoon rains. At about 11.30 we were able to reach our destination.

 Just as we crossed the town, we got the first view of the Fort.

The fort is located atop a snake-like hill and the approach to the Fort by vehicles is through its tail.

A very narrow and steep path leads up to the Fort. As one moves forward, the path becomes narrow and steeper.

We had to apply great effort to take our bikes upwards the hill to the Fort. And once we reached there, we just stopped and took a deep breath………..Yes, finally, we’ve reached our destination!!

As we reached the top, we saw a peacock resting on the ramparts of the fort, calm, composed and peacefully welcoming the monsoon.

According to Wikipedia, the Fort is nearly 300 years old and is a great example of Rajput, Mughal and Malwa architecture. It was built by Rawat Paras Ram ji, a Parmar king in 1681. He built a temple of his deity Bhagwan Shri Narsingh and named the fort after him. He also built a tank Paras Ram Sagar which still bears the name of the founder. The rulers of Narsinghgarh believe themselves to be direct descendents of legendary Kings Vikramaditya and Bhoja. This Fort is the most majestic among the forts of Parmar Kings and is the third largest fort of Madhya Pradesh after Gwalior and Mandu. This fort remained in hands of the same dynasty before being merged into union of India in 1948.

We were welcomed by a Gateway adorned with beautiful carvings all over its surface. This Gateway used to be the main door to enter the Fort. Peeping through the doorway, the palace was now visible.

A large open courtyard welcomed us. And at the head of the corridor was an imposing building, probably the King’s palace. Since there was no ASI Board, so unfortunately, I cannot give the name and details of whatsoever about it. However, I would try to give you a photo tour of the Fort, so you can understand it better by yourself.

Let us have a closer look of it.

Seeing this building, one can’t stop but imagine how beautiful and majestic would it be, when the Parmara kingdom was at its peak of glory.

The King’s palace is a beautiful four-storey building having very impressive carvings over it. The designs carved over the walls can be still seen today.

Unfortunately, the condition of this palace is pitiful. Look at this portico with the carvings…… it is practically covered with lichen!

A series of doors through the King’s palace leads to an open courtyard with 2 storey building surrounding it from all four sides.

We reached the upper storey by following a narrow staircase that ended up in a gallery; old, ignored but still in very good condition.

On the left of gallery was a spiracle with beautiful pillars and jaalis.

The window offers a beautiful view of the city and Paras Ram Lake below.

From the gallery was also a view of another palace complex, much grand than the other buildings, but that too in dilapidated condition.....

One could see the renovation done to this palace.

As we walked through the entire complex, the silence was so audible, that our voice echoed through halls, making the experience an unforgettable one…….!!

Just outside this palace complex was a small temple, probably the oldest and most preserved monument of the whole fort. The holy shrine was empty without any idol, but I guess, this temple was dedicated to Lord Narsingh, after whom the Fort and town was named.

As we moved towards the posterior of fort, we got this appealing view of the palace.

Within these are the more buildings, few of which survive. They give us a peep into life in this Fort, all those centuries ago…..…..when people would have looked out of these windows……..

The fort has witnessed so many generations and the strains are apparent. Most of it stands in ruin but only remnants of it still standing, but still it made us wonder as how magnificent and alluring it would have be, at the height of its glory.

It was a pity that throughout our stay here, we couldn’t find any guard or any ASI Board declaring it a protected monument. Most of it lies in ruins…..nature has taken over it. Completely ignored, soon this fort will disappear among shrubs and trees.

We would have stood there and watched it for more time, but the time was rushing by and we to go a long distance back home. We geared our bikes and moved off making our way in the drizzling monsoon rains through ravishing green fields along the way.

I just can’t stop but think that if these ruined but magnificent monuments be restored, it would surely attract people like us from distances. After all so much painstaking hardwork, so much talent, labour and money are required for making these majestic creations……….And now, are completely neglected to face the ravages of time.