PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

BAHU FORT

BAHU FORT

1 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

AHU F\ORT is an ancient fort is believed to have been built by Raja Bahulochan, about 3000

years ago and later refurbished by kings of the Dogra Dynasty in the 19th century. The fort is
believed to be one of the oldest standing buildings in Jammu with an interesting story behind it. It is
believed that Raja Jambu Lochan, brother to Raja Bahulochan and the king credited with
establishing the city, saw a curious sight of a tiger and goat drinking water from the Tawi river,
without the tiger attacking the meek goat. He saw this as a divine sign, one that spelt peaceful
coexistence, and decided to establish the city of Jammu here.
The fort now also houses a Mahakali Temple (aka Bave Waali Mata) within its premises, in favour
of the deity who is believed to preside over the region. The aquarium in the garden, the Bagh-iBahu, of the fort is one of the subcontinents largest underground aquarium, housing over 400
varieties of fresh and marine water fish - all maintained in a state-of-the-art shape. An obvious
delight for children, adults too love to revive their childhood memories here, especially with the
fish-shaped, magnificent entrance to the complex!
LEGEND
The building of the city of Jammu and the Bahu Fort are linked to a legend. Raja Jambu Lochan,
brother of Bahu Lochan when on a hunting trip witnessed a curious scene of a tiger and a goat
drinking water side by side at the same location in the Tawi River, without the tiger attacking. The
2 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

Raja considered this a divine direction to establish the fort and his new capital here, as the scene he
witnessed at this site represented peaceful coexistence. His brother, Bahu Lochan, is credited with
building the fort.
TOPOGRAPHY
The fort is located on a high plateau land overlooking the Tawi River on its rocky left bank. The
forest area that surrounds the fort has been developed into a well laid out park called the Bagh-eBahu, developed on the lines of the Mughal gardens from where a commanding view of the city of
Jammu could be seen. The garden attracts a large number of visitors.
The fort, the temple and the Bagh-e-Bahu garden are located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the Jammu
city centre.[citation needed] The city road to Surinsar was widened for providing approach to an Oil
drilling exploration project. However, this project was shelved and consequently the widened new
road provided better access to the fort and the temple, and the number of visitors to these places has
since increased.
HISTORY
The earliest historical recorded link to the fort is that of Raja Jambu Lochan and his brother Bahu
Lochan, sons of a powerful ruler Agnigarbha II of the Jammu dynasty of Suryavanshi kings. Bahu,
the eldest of Agnigarbha's 18 sons, is credited with establishing the Jammu city and building the
fort. The earlier fort structure was modified over the years to a stronger fortified structure. The
present fort was rebuilt, probably at the same location as the ancient fort, by Autar Dev, the
grandson of King Kapoor Dev in 1585. Over the years the fort underwent demolitions and
reconstructions from time to time, untilMaharaja Gulab Singh reconstructed the present fort in the
19th century, which was further refurbished during the rule of Maharaja Ranbir Singh. They first
established temples for their tutelary deities; the image of Mahakali deified in the temple in the fort
was brought from Ayodhya
STRUCTURES
3 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

The fort structure is located at an elevation of 325 metres (1,066 ft), opposite to the old town of
Jammu. The fortified structure has thick walls made of sandstones built with lime and brick mortar.
[clarification needed] It has eight octagonal towers or turrets connected by thick walls. The towers
have enclosures to house guards. The main entry is fit to allow passage of elephants into the fort. A
water tank with access for pilgrims to take bath is located on the left entry into the fort. This tank or
pond is 6.16.1 metres (20 ft) in size and has a water depth of 4.6 metres (15 ft). A pyramidal
structure is on the right flank (with very thick walls to withstand any gun attack) of the fort was an
ammunition store. An underground chamber here was used a prison. This chamber has a secret exit
to escape from the fort in case of any emergencies. The first floor is lavishly built with arches and
decorated with floral designs like a Baradari or a palace.
To the right of the temple there are a few halls which were used in the past as assembly halls and
offices of the Quiledar (master of the fort). However they are not maintained at all. The royal stables
were also located within this fort. Substantial renovation and additions to attract visitors have been
added during recent years such as well turned up garden in Mughal style, a lake with facilities for
boating and a cable car system.
AQUARIUM BAGH-E-BAHU
The subcontinent's largest underground aquarium in Jammu's Bagh-I-Bahu area is drawing a large
number of tourists ever since it was opened to the public.
Besides students, the aquarium has

become a centre

of attraction for tourists, giving

them

an

opportunity

revel

in the

exotic

aquatic

aquarium

world.

has

number
visiting

to

attracted large

of
the

State.

awareness centre
4 | G D C K AT H U A

The

tourists
The

aquarium-cumcomprises of

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

24 aquarium caves including 13 small caves for holding freshwater fishes, two large caves for
holding marine water fishes and nine medium sized aquariums for holding marine and fresh water
fishes. It has state-of-the-art equipment, a public gallery, museum, laboratory and a multimedia
conference hall. The entrance is designed in the shape of the mouth of a fish and the exit in the
shape of a fish tail. The aquarium houses a museum where 400 varieties of freshwater and marine
fish are on display.
MAHAKALI TEMPLE
It is a renowned Shakti temple built within the

fort during the 8th

century. It has been built in white

marble

on

raised platform of 1.2 metres

(3.9 ft)

height.

While it is claimed that it was built

during 8th or 9th

century, the temple as built looks

modern. It is a

small

can

accommodate

only a few worshippers at a time at

the Mandapa,

outside the sanctum sanctorum. In

the past, animal

temple

which

sacrifice was practiced at this temple, which has since been discontinued. Today, a priest performs a
few rites uttering some religious incantations and sprinkles holy water over the animal (usually a
sheep or goat) and then lets it go free. Other food offering made by devotees is a sweet dish
called Kadah (pudding), after their wishes placed before the deity are fulfilled.
Another special feature seen in the temple precincts is the presence of a large group of Rhesus
monkeys, the largest such group in Jammu and Kashmir State. The monkeys are fed by devotees
with sweets, gram etc

5 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

MUBARK MANDI

UBARAK

MANDI

is a palace in Jammu, India. The palace was the royal residence of

the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir from the Dogra Dynasty. It was their main seat till 1925 when
maharadja Hari Singh moved to the Hari Niwas Palace in the northern part of Jammu. The palace is
located in the heart of the old walled city of Jammu and overlooks the Tawi river.

6 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

History
The
oldest build

ing of

the

complex

dates

1824.

Successive

maharajas

added

complex in

size and building

took more

than 150 years.

The archite

ctureis

back
to

to
the

mix

of Rajasthaniand European baroque, and Mughalstyles.

The complex is grouped around several courtyards and includes various buildings and palaces like
the Darbar Hall Complex, the Pink Palace, Royal Courts buildings, Gol Ghar Complex, Nawa
Mahal, Rani Charak Palace, Hawa Mahal, the Toshakhana palace and the Sheesh Mahal. The halls
and galleries of the palace were used for official functions and ceremonies.
Nowadays sections of the palace house government offices, courts and the Dogra Art Museum.
However, other parts of the palace are in ruins as the palace has more than 36 times has been the
victim of fires. Furthermore, the building suffered from earthquakes in the 1980s and in 2005.
The Dogra art museum is situated within the Pink Hall. It has a rich collection
containing miniature paintings of various styles of the region. The miniatures belong to
the Kangra, Jammu and the Bashohli art schools. But it also has a gold painted bow and arrow of
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The pink hall owes its name to the pink plastered walls of the palace
section.
The Gol Ghar section is located in the southern part of the complex. It has four storeys and
overlooks the Tawi river. It has been gutted down in the mid 1980s as a result of an earthquake.
Consequently roofs and floors collapsed, leaving the building as a ruin.

7 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

The Sheesh Mahal is made

entirely of glass.

The palace, which is a

heritage

declared

government,

by

the

state

is proposed to be linked
way

running

up

to

another heritage site in the

8 | G D C K AT H U A

site

with a rope
the Bahu
city.

Fort,

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

AMAR MAHAL

9 | G D C K AT H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

MAR MAHAL is a

palace

in Jammu,

the In

dian state of Jammu

and

Kashmir, India,

which

has

now

converted

in

been
into

Museum. It was built

in the

nineteenth

century

for

Raja Amar Singh,

a Dog

ra king

by

a French architecton the lines of a French Chateau. The palace was donated to the Hari-Tara
charitable trust by Dr. Karan Singh for use as a museum.[1] It has many exhibits including a golden
throne weighing 120 kg, Pahari miniature and Kangra miniature paintings, a library of 25,000
antique books and many rare art collections.
The palace was the last official residence of the Dogra dynasty, and a large collection of portraits of
the royal family are also on display in the Museum.
GEOGRPAHY
Amar Mahal is situated on the right bank of the Tawi River, on a bend of the river, in Jammu.
Jammu, once a princely city, is also famous for forts, palaces and temples. The Sivalik Hills or
ranges to the north of the Mahal, on the left bank of the river, provide a grand view, with the Tawi
River flowing in between, draining the valley. It is well located adjoining the heritage hotel known
as the Hari Niwas Palace Hotel, in the heart of the city, on the road to Kashmir.

10 | G D C K A T H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

HISTORY
The Amar Mahal Palace was planned by a French architect, in 1862. However, it was not built until
the 1890s. Maharani Tara Devi, wife of the late Maharaja Hari Singh (son of Raja Amar Singh)
lived in this palace till her death in 1967. Subsequently, her son Dr. Karan Singh and his wife Mrs.
Yasho Rajya Lakshmi converted the palace into a museum to house rare books and works of art,
with the objective of Encouraging artistic talent, to establish fine arts centre and to collaborate with
other like minded institutions for promotion of Indian arts. For this purpose, they transferred the
palace property to a trust named as the Hari-Tara Charitable Trust. Dr. Karan Singh, voluntarily
surrendered the Privy Pursepaid to him by the Government of India as a former ruler of Jammu, one
of the Princely state of India, and used the funds to set up this museum named in memory of his
parents. The museum was inaugurated by the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, on
April 13, 1975. To promote the stated objectives, the Trust arranges guided tours, book readings,
lectures, film shows and hobby classes and other visitor friendly activities in the Museum. Scholarly
exchanges, workshops and exhibitions are also regular features held by the Trust. The Dogra-Pahari
paintings displayed in the museum were creation of the second half of the 18th century in Jammu
and Himachal Pradesh of the Kangra school of art. To quote the words of Dr Karan Singh, the Raja
behind the setting up of the Museum, The whole effect is to transport one into a fascinating
miniature world with its own aura and ethos
ARCHITECTURE

11 | G D C K A T H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

Left: Closer view of Amar Mahal Museum. Right: Golden Sofa or throne, a prized display in Amar
Mahal Palace Museum
The palace built in red sandstone with red bricks is in a picturesque environment on a hillock
overlooking the Tawi river valley. Built in the European castle style, the palace has sloping roofs
with turrets and tall towers. When built during the reign of Raja Amar Singh, it was the tallest
building in Jammu. The imposing building has long passages on three sides, which are covered by
sloping corrugated tin roofs. The passages are supported on columns with wooden framework. The
first floor of the palace building has French windows with connected balcony. The top floor has a
bay window. The windows also depict triangular projections in classicalGreek architectural style,
which are fitted over ornate false columns.
DISPLAYS

Modern painting of Dashavatara Matsya

12 | G D C K A T H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

Modern painting of Dashavatara Rama

Modern painting of Dashavatara Kalki An Era of Atomic Bombs andRockets

Only four rooms of the palace are open depicting Pahari paintings of Mahabharataepic scenes and
royal memorabilia. A golden sofa of the Dogra rulers, weighing 120 kg in pure gold, embedded with
golden lions at the corners, is housed in a hexagonal room in the museum, which is viewed only
through glass covered window panes as the main door is kept locked for security reasons. The art
works of some of the renowned Indian artists like M.F. Hussain, J.Swaminathan, G. R. Santosh,
Bikash Battacharjee, Ram Kumar, Laxman Pai are also on display in the museum. In one of the
galleries, paintings of Hindu epic stories such as of Nala Damayanti (a set of forty-seven miniature
paintings)

are

depicted.

Modern

version

of

the Dashavatara paintings

(ten avatars of Hindu god Vishnu) are also displayed in a separate ante-chamber in the Museum.
These are unusual modern art set of paintings. Family portraits of the Dogra rulers of Jammu and
Kashmir are on display in the Durbar Hall at the entrance gallery. In the first and second floors, a
few chambers house the library, which has a collection of rare antique books (25,000) on religion,
philosophy and political science to fiction.
An exclusive chamber in the museum, once the living quarters of the Maharani (later called the
Maharajmata) Tara Devi, is conserved and exhibited in its original form where a silver bedspread,
period furniture, photographs, the decoration of the Crown of India which was presented to her in
1945, her personal items of clothing and the unique Victorian bath room are on display.
13 | G D C K A T H U A

PROJECT ON JAMMU VISIT

14 | G D C K A T H U A