Gohad Fort

Gohad Fort (Hindi: गोहद क़िला Gohad Qila) is situated at Gohad city in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The town is situated at a distance of 45 km from Gwalior.

According to Alexander Cunningham and William Cook, people of the Jat caste from village Bamrauli (near Agra) settled the town of Gohad in 1505. This later developed into an important Jat stronghold. The Jat rulers of Gohad were awarded the title of rana. The Rana Jat ruler Singhandev II founded Gohad fort and the Gohad state in 1505. Gohad state had 360 forts and fortresses all around for the protection of their people. Out of these Gohad fort is most important and unique example architecture of Jat rulers.Umara-i-Uzzam Maharaja Mahendra GOPAL SINGH Bhadauria, a Rajput Maharaja of Bhadawar 1707/1730, was appointed governor of Narwar in 1707. In 1708 he captured the Jat fort of Gohad and in 1712 stormed the fort of Rampura. It had the same style of architecture as used by the Jat rulers in Bharatpur Fort. Some old stories also mention that this fort was gifted to the Wazir of Scindia's Court, Shivaddin Pakhre for his years of service to the emperor. Currently the fort is under tha ASI.

The site of Gohad fort was selected strategically on the Vaisli River where it takes a circular turn. The Gohad fort is in circular shape. It is protected by the rampart constructed around the fort in a length of 5 km. The river was dug and flow of river was extended up to the fort to take a semi circular shape.

The fort has 11 gates named after the villages to which they face and the way they lead to. These are Itayli (in south), Barthara (in west), Gohadi (in northwest), Birkhari (in northeast), Kathwan (in east), Kharaua (in southeast) and Saraswati.

The fort was protected with four lines of defence. Constructing an outer rampart of 10-metre height surrounded with a trench created the first line of defence. Depositing the soil dug out from the trench inside the outer rampart created the second line of defence. Constructing a pucca trench with higher wall created the third line of defence. This wall 1 km in length, was safeguarded by Laxman Tal (pond) and deep Vaisli River. This wall had two gates namely ‘Hathai paur’ (east) and Sankal gate (west). Constructing a very high and the strongest wall half km long created the fourth line of defence. This was for the personal safety of the King and his places. Maharana Chhatra Singh inside this wall except ‘Navin Mahal’ constructed all the important buildings.

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