Rohtas Fort, or Qila Rohtas as the locals call it, is a battalion stronghold with awesome chronicled esteem. It is situated in Pakistan's most populated region, Punjab, on the GT street. It is at a separation of around 8 km from the city Dina in region Jhelum. The Afghan ruler, Farid Khan, all the more ordinarily known as Sher Shah Suri, had Todar Mal assemble this post in the sixteenth century. Farid Khan is the organizer of the Suri Empire. The periphery of the fortification is 4 km. Its development took upwards of 8 years for finish. In the mean time, Sher Shah Suri passed on 22 May 1545 amid the attack of Kalinjar Fort because of a shoot ejected in consequence of a black powder blast in his store room.
The fortress with its particular compositional style, enormity and verifiable essentialness is enrolled as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 A.D.
History
The Mughal Emperor, Humayun, had fled from India alongside his family, when Sher Shah Suri assumed control over the domain. Be that as it may, Humayun still represented a risk to Suri. One reason why Suri had the fortification assembled was to stifle Potohar, the nearby clans of the zone. They were to a great degree faithful to Humayun. The Gakhars were not local of the area. They had helped Humayun and his family to escape from India after the clash of Kanauj. So as to remunerate them, Humayun supported Gakhars in involving Potohar, which was possessed by the nearby clans. Despite the fact that these clans were supporters of the Mughal Emperor Babur, they declined to swear faithfulness to Humayun, in light of the fact that he had helped the Gakhars against them. They aligned with Suri who requested them to battle and pulverize the Gakhars and assume control over their properties. The Rohtas Fort was worked to crush the Gakhars.
Ironically, the Afghans were eventually defeated and so, the fort came into the hands of the Gakhars. The Afghans lost the support from the locals of Northern Punjab consequently. Humayun captured the fort in 1555. Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler, captured the Qila Rohtas in 1825. He used the fort for administrative purposes.
Construction Process
Todar Mal Khatri started work on Rohtas fort in 1541. Gakhars refused to help with the construction and attacked the laborers during the construction phase. Because of the opposition by the Gakhars, the fort cost much more than it should have.
Fortification Wall
The outer wall’s height varies between 10 and 18 meters and thickness varies between 10 and 13 meters. This wall has two or three terraces which are connected by staircases. The wall is built with sandstone, limestone and mortar. The gates are ashlar masonry:
Sohail Gate
The gate is named after Saint Sohail Bokhari. It is a double gate. It is 70 ft high, 68 ft wide and 50 ft deep. The archway has an inner and outer arch, and is decorated with sunflower motifs. On either side of the archway, there is a balcony. The balconies each have a dome.
Shah Chandwali Gate
This gate connects the main fort to the citadel. The gate is named after Shah Chandwali, a saint who worked on the gate and refused his wages for his services.
Kabuli Gate
This gate faces Kabul, hence its name. Kabuli gate is a double gate with two bastions on either side. To the South of this gate is the famous Shahi Mosque.
Shishi Gate
Beautiful, blue, glazed tiles decorate the outer arch of the gate, hence its name. A Persian inscription is on the side of the gate which gives the construction date of the fort.
Langar Khani Gate
This is another double gate which is 50 ft high and 11.5 ft wide. The outer side opens into the canteen, which is natively called the “Langar Khana”.
Talaqi Gate
On either side of the gate are two bastions. This gate is 15 meter in height and 13.8 meter in width.
Khwas Khani Gate
Suri’s greatest general, Khwas Khan, earned the honor of having the gate named after him. On each side of the gate is a defensive wall and bastion. The outer gate is 12.8 meter wide and 8 meter deep.
Gatali Gate
This is a single gate. The gate is so named because it faces the village Gatiyalian which as important place in crossing Jhelum River for Kashmir.
Mori Gate
This gate faces Kashmir and opens due North. The gate opens into a chamber which leads into another one.
Pipalwala Gate
This is a 2 m wide small entrance to the Qila Rohtas.
Sar Gate
This gate is called Sar because it means water. Next to the gate, there is a Baoli and a bastion. It is another small entrance into the fort.
Other Buildings
Rohtas Fort is an ideal location for tourists as it is located among wonderful and historic sites. The few of the amazing must-visit places around Rohtas are mentioned below;
The Royal Mosque is situated near Kabuli gate. It is a highly decorated building. The building has a prayer area and a small chamber and has always attracted the locals and tourists alike. The outer wall is beautified by decorations and Islamic verses in Naqsh Script.
The Rohtas Fort has 3 Baolis. They cut deeply into the lime rock. The Main Baoli is in the middle of the fort. It is for soldiers, elephants etc. The Shahi Baoli is near the Kabuli gate, for the royal family. The Sar gate Baoli was most probably used by the soldiers as well.
Rani Mahal was not originally a part of the Rohtas Fort. It was built with Haveli Man Singh. But now it is a part of the fort, and is a single storey building with only one room still standing, which is decorated on the inside and the outside.
Decorations
The décor of the Qila Rohtas is very masculine. It pays attention to function not form because initially, the fort had no building that allowed permanent residence. Stone carvings can be found in the mosque and its gates. Mostly, these are flowers and Arabic engravings.
Caligraphic inscriptions also decorate parts of Rohtas Fort and most of them can be found in the Royal Mosque. The outer wall is inscribed with Kalima Tayyaba in beautiful calligraphy. Hundreds of Machicolations are built into the walls of the fort; each is adorned by intricate geometric patterns. These are actually drains that lead from inside walls to those outside.
Attractions
The places inside the fort, that would hold particular interest for all those who are visiting Qila Rohtas, are listed below:
Haveli Man Singh
Phansi Ghat
The museum near Sohail Gate
Rani Mahal
Royal Mosque
Talaqi, Shishi and Langar Khana gates
Visitor information can be gained from the Sohaili Gate. There is the Suri Park nearby which you can also visit to have some rest or a picnic. In the vicinity of the Rohtas Fort, there are a number of restaurants that you may find interesting.
Al-Kausar Hotel is near Dina towards Islamabad.
Al-Bilal Hotel is near Dina towards Lahore.
Iqbal Hotel near Dina towards Islamabad.
