FROM THE ANNALS OF
Sheathed in fascinating legends and rife with historical anecdotes, a visit to Junagadh in Gujarat is akin to turning the pages of time.
Uparkot Fort is believed to have been built by the Yadava king Ugrasen; the two medieval cannons in Uparkot Fort were brought from Diu, following a siege in 1538; stone pillars inside the Buddhist caves built during the time of Emperor Ashoka; Ranakdevi Palace was later converted into a mosque; a woman selling an array of spices inside the fort.
“This is the spot where the guards were killed through treachery and the fort breached,” says our guide, gesturing towards the inner gates. The fort also finds a place in mythology and is believed to have been built by the Yadava king Ugrasen, better known as the grandfather of Lord Krishna. It was then called Revatnagar, after the hill on which it was built. Strictly historically speaking, it is acknowledged that the first structure of the fort was built in 319 BC by Chandragupta Maurya.
Uparkot served as the seat of power of Junagadh state under different dynasties. For a period of time, between 73 BC and 70 BC, it was even ruled by the Greeks; a rock edict in Junagadh talks about a Yavana (Greek) king named Tushaspha. Subsequent rulers included the Shakas, or Scythians, and the Gupta dynasty. Following that, the fort lost its importance and faded into oblivion, claimed by the jungle and hidden from the world for almost three centuries.
In the 10th century, a king named Griharipu of the Chudasama dynasty is believed to have reclaimed and restored the fort. The Chudasamas ruled the region from Uparkot Fort till almost the end of the 15th century, when the fort was conquered by a ruler named Mahmud Begada. Later, it was the turn of the Mughals to rule over Junagadh for about 200 years. The last dynastic rule that again lasted for over 200 years was that of the Nawabs of Junagadh.
structure with slim pillars in each corner. A series of steps leads to its entrance, where a woman sits and sells Ayurvedic oils.
With a dramatic flourish, our guide explains that the structure was once a two-storeyed palace with 16 rooms. It was named after a legendary queen named Ranakdevi, who married the Chudasama king Ra Khengar in the hall where we were standing. This union was wrought with tragedy. The Solanki king Siddhraj Jaysing was besotted with Ranakdevi and wanted to marry her. It was he who laid siege to the fort for 12 years and finally breached it with the help of Ra Khengar’s nephews. He is then said to have killed the king as well as the two young princes, before abducting the queen. It’s believed that she immolated herself rather than give in to his nefarious designs.
Today, what remains of the palace is a single, largepillared chamber with an ornamental balcony that opens to the side. This part is a preferred spot for prewedding shoots. In the centre of a wall is a beautifully decorated niche—the mihrab, an essential element in a mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca. After the fort was conquered by the then Sultan of Gujarat, Mahmud Begada, the top floors of the palace were razed and the structure was converted into a mosque. Soon after, the palace and Uparkot itself were abandoned, as the Sultan built a town outside the fort.
Two cannons perched high above the city of Junagadh stand pensively near the Ranakdevi Palace. They are a bitter reminder of defeat. The cannons were used at the port of Diu by the Turkish Naval Force in an attempt to ward off a Portuguese invasion. The help of the Turks had been requisitioned by the then Sultan of Gujarat. However, the Turks tasted defeat and the cannons were later brought to Uparkot Fort. Interestingly, they have names: Neelam and Manek.
A pigeon sits in contemplation on what looks like a flat rock surface interspersed with strange-looking clefts. A series of winding steps leads you down into caverns. This is the site for a group of second-century rock-cut Buddhist caves, built during the time of Emperor Ashoka.
The caves are actually chambers that were made by scooping out rock. They are in three tiers. As you descend into the interiors of these mystical quarters, which were once the resting place of Buddhist monks, you are overcome with a sense of timelessness. The first storey housed spartan living quarters and meditation cells. The bottom storey housed the assembly hall. Though time has stripped the place of its artistic ornamentations, there are pillars that remind you of Athens. An ancient example of Graeco-Scythian architecture, they have spiral ridges across their shafts and octagonal plinth bases with ornamented capitals.
An intricate system of vertically-cut cisterns and drains channelled rainwater into a pond, ensuring water supply as well as acting as a natural cooling system down below. With the chambers being open to the sky, natural light flowed into the subterranean quarters.
Water is indeed the elixir of life, and battles have been waged over the resource over centuries. Wells, and in particular stepwells, were part of the landscape across western India in ancient times. While the stepwells of Uparkot were devoid of artistic elements, they were quite useful in their time. The Adi-Kadi Vav is associated with a tragic legend—that of two sisters who sacrificed their lives for the welfare of the kingdom. According to local myth, water could not be struck despite digging deep into the rock face. A worried king sought the advice of an astrologer, who told him that water would flow from the well only upon the voluntary sacrifice of two sisters.
Around 170 steps lead to the pond at the bottom. The depth of the well is said to be about 53 metres. The well dates back to somewhere between the 10th and 15th centuries. As you walk
down to the water, the different strata of rocks on either side create a colourful pattern. There is another stepwell nearby known as the Navaghan Kuva, named after a king who lived during the early 11th century. The huge well is housed within a large forecourt and reached by wide, winding steps. Skylights ensure ventilation even at the bottom of the well.
The stepwells of Uparkot seem to have been the precursors to the more ornamental and elaborate stepwells seen elsewhere in Gujarat, such as the beautiful Adalaj Ki Vav near Ahmedabad.