02/05/2024
Fort
Rohtas Fort is located near the city of Jhelum in Punjab, Pakistan. The fort lies on the historic GT road between the mountainous region of Afghanistan and the plains of Punjab. It was built under Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. This fort is about 4 km in circumference. The Rohtas fort was built to crush the local tribes of Potohar, who rebelled against the Sur dynasty after the Mughal emperor Humayun was ousted by the former.
It took eight years to built the fort, it was captured by Mughal emperor Humayun in 1555. Rohtas was also occasionally used for administrative purposes by the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh after he captured it in 1825.
Gates
The Rohtas Fort has 12 gates, Sohail Gate, Shah Chandwali Gate,Kabuli Gate, Shishi Gate, Langar Khani Gate, Talaqi Gate, Mori or Kashmiri Gate, Khwas Khani Gate, Gatali Gate, Tulla Mori Gate, Pipalwala Gate, Sar Gate, all of them are built in ashlar stone.
A small mosque is near the Kabuli gate. It has a prayer chamber and a small courtyard. It is the most decorated of the original buildings of the fort.
Rani Mahal
The Rani Mahal is near Haveli Man Singh. It is a one storey structure. It originally had four rooms but only room remains standing today. The foundation of the four rooms can still be seen today.
Maqbara Khair un Nisa
Outside the Langar Khani Gate is the tomb of a lady called Khair Un Nisa. She was the daughter of the food minister named Qadir Bukhsh. She died here and was buried in this tomb but she was later moved to Sasaram.
Until the construction of the new Grand Trunk Road, Rohtas was a halting place on the main Peshawar-Lahore road. This road had serais about a mile apart. One of these is about one mile north of the Rohtas Fort. It is in a fair state of preservation.
Recent Condition
Most of the fort is in a very good state of preservation. In the portions that have fallen away (Haveli Man Singh) one can still see some part of the original construction. The central archway of the Chandwali Gate has been rebuilt recently so that is the only “fake” part of the fort.
In early 2005, seepage, heavy rains, and general neglect caused the left inner face of the Talaqi Gate to collapse, and the right flank and foundation to become detached from the original structure.
The Gatali Gate forms one of the original entrances to Rohtas. Over time, its right bastion and supporting wall have collapsed as a result of permeated rainwater and the erosion of its foundations.
