Water Fort, Gagron: The Pride of Jhalawar

Forts are not just huge palaces or security places made of bricks and stones but are a shared heritage of our country's glorious history that encompasses human civilization in itself.

- HEMANT SINGH

Forts are not just huge palaces or security places made of bricks and stones but are a shared heritage of our country's glorious history that encompasses human civilization in itself. In Manusmriti, keeping in view the importance of forts, it has been said that the king sitting in the fort is as safe from his enemies as a deer tied to the house. The importance of the fort is evident from the fact that one archer living in the fort can face a hundred warriors and a hundred archer warriors can face ten thousand warriors.

According to Shukra Niti, seven parts of the state have been considered, of which fort is also one. According to Yagyavalkya, the fort not only protects the king but also protects the subjects and the treasury. Kautilya has described four types of forts in his great book Arthashastra - Audak, Parvat, Dhanyan and Van Durg. According to Kautilya, a fort surrounded by rivers on all sides and having an island in the middle or surrounded by big ponds is called Audak fort, a fort surrounded by big stones or built in the form of natural caves is called Parvat Durg. A fort built in a completely barren land without water and grass etc. is called Dhanyan Durg and a fort surrounded by swamps and thick thorny bushes on all sides is called Van Durg.

When this tradition of fort building started in entire India, how could Rajasthan stay behind? Here too, strong forts have been built on hills etc. at many places. One such strong water fort is Gagron Fort, just 7 kms. away from Jhalawar head Quarter and 9 kms. from railway station.