Asirgarh Fort

Asirgarh Fort
असीरगढ़ किला
Part of Madhya Pradesh,  India
Burhanpur
Asirgarh Fort in 2013
Asirgarh Fort
Coordinates	21°28′N 76°17′E / 21.47°N 76.29°E / 21.47; 76.29
Site information
Owner	Government of India
Open to the public	yes
Condition	dilapidated
Site history
Built by	Ahir, Hindus,Muslim Emperor
Materials	Stone, Lime-stone and Lead
Garrison information
Occupants	Ahirs->Faruqi dynasty->Mughal->Maratha->Holkars->Shinde->British

Asirgarh Fort is an Indian fortress (qila) situated in the Satpura Range about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city of Burhanpur, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Because the fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important routes from northern India to the Deccan, it was known as the "key to the Deccan". During the Mughal Era, it was considered that the Deccan started here while the empire from Asirgarh to Delhi was considered Hindustan.

The Asirgarh fort is said to have been built by a zamindar named Asa Ahir in the early 15th century. He was murdered by Nasir Khan of Khandesh.

Nasir Khan's descendant Miran Bahadur Khan (1596–1600) declared his independence and refused to pay homage to the Mughal emperor Akbar and his son Daniyal. Akbar marched towards Burhanpur in 1599 and occupied the city. Akbar then besieged Asirgarh fort and captured it on 17 January 1601.

During the Second Anglo-Maratha War, on 18 October 1803, British forces took the of Asigarh with a loss of two killed and five wounded. The fort's garrison subsequently surrendered on the 21st after the attackers had erected a battery.

In Major General Wellesley's General Order of 5 January 1804, he writes:

The architecture of the fort was influenced by the Mughals, an amalgamation of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian styles. There are three man made ponds to provide a water supply.