Jabalpur-Bandhavgarh Fort

The excursions from Jabalpur-Bandhavgarh Fort provide tourists the wondrous opportunity to explore the fascinating architectural wonders of Central India.

The Bandhavgarh Fort was supposed to have been built two thousand years ago. There are various references to it in the ancient texts of the Hindus, like the Shiva Purana. According to legend, Lord Rama, the hero of ancient Indian folklore Ramayana, built this fort after defeating Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. He left his brother, Lakshmana, in charge of this fort; hence, the nomenclature. 'Bandhav', in Indian Devnagri script, means brother and 'garh' means fort.

Thereafter, Lakshman was also worshipped here by the name of Bandhavdhish, or lord of the fort. The Maharaja of Rewa, later on, took this title as this fort fell under his jurisdiction.

There are several caves in this fort. These date back to the first century Before Christ (B.C.). There are Brahmi inscriptions on the walls of these caverns. This region has been under the occupation of several dynasties like Maghas, Vakatakas, Sengars etc.

In the present day, a national park of the same name surrounds the fort. The fort had a paved road in the olden days, but not one has to navigate the entire way on foot. There is a wondrous sculpture of Lord Vishnu, called 'Shesh Saya' out there. It is made of a single rock and is eleven feet in height. There are other statues of the 'avatars' (incarnations) of Vishnu as well, like the Narasimha avatar and the Varaha avatar.

This fort is easily accessible from Jabalpur and other parts of Madhya Pradesh. It is a well known tourist spot.







Last Updated on 16th Dec 2012