Loharu Fort, built in 16th century, is a state protected archaeological monument in Loharu town in Haryana state of India.Loharu Fort
Goibibo.Loharu Fort, Bhiwani, to be state-protected monument
The Tribune, 27 Aug 2021. Fort is part of interstate Shekhawati region which lies on the either side of Haryana- Rajasthan border in the sandy bagar tract.

History

After its foundation in 1570 CE, the control of Loharu fort passed from

Shekhawati Shekhawati is a semi-arid historical region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, India. The region was ruled by Shekhawat Rajputs. Shekhawati is located in North Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Jhunjhunu district, Jhunjhunu, part ...

rulers to Alwar State, then to British raj who gave Loharu State as a

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

to Nawab ''Ahmed Baksh Khan'', nawab of Loharu finally sold it to Government of Haryana (GoH) in 1971.

Under Shekhwawati State

Foundation

In 1570 CE, ''Arjun Singh'',

thakur Thakur may refer to: * Thakur (title), a feudal title and surname used by erstwhile nobility of India * Thakar (tribe), an Adivasi tribe of Maharashtra, India * Thakur village, a residential locality in Mumbai, India * Thakur Anoop Singh (born 198 ...

of Loharu constructed a mud fort at Loharu and which remain a ''kaccha'' mud fort till 1800. ''Arjun Singh'' was a descendant of Loharu's founder,

Rao __NOTOC__ Rao may refer to: Geography * Rao, West Sumatra, one of the districts of West Sumatra, Indonesia * Råö, a locality in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden Transport * Dr. Leite Lopes–Ribeirão Preto State Airport , IAT ...

''Narhar Das''.Sohan Singh Khattar and Reena Kar, 2021
Know Your State Haryana
Arihant Publications, pp 308. '' Rao Shekha'', the

Shekhawat Shekhawat is a clan of Rajputs found mainly in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Shekhawats are descendants of Maharao Shekha of Amarsar. Shekhawat is the most prominent clan among Kachhwaha. The Shekhawati region was ruled by them for more ...

Kachhwaha rajput ruler of

, had originally divided Shekhawati into 33 thikanas, of which Loharu Fort was 33rd.

First battle of Loharu (1671 CE)

There have been 2 major battles fought over Loharu Fort. 1671 battle of Loharu or First battle of Loharu was fought in 1671 CE between ''Madan Singh'' of ''Loharu Thikana'' and the '' Mughal Governor of Hisar'' over former's refusal to pay the land revenue to Mughals during the reign of

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

(r. 1658–1707).

Second battle of Loharu (~1770s CE)

The Second battle of Loharu was fought, some time around or after 1770s CE, between the ''Kirat Singh'' of ''Loharu Thikana'' and ''Bhopal Singh'' of '' Khetri Thikana'' of ''

Jaipur State Jaipur State was a princely state in India during East India Company rule and thereafter under the British Raj. It signed a treaty creating a subsidiary alliance with the Company in 1818, after the Third Anglo-Maratha War. It acceded ...

'', who claimed ''Loharu'' as part of ''Khetri''. Bhopal Singh was killed in the battle outside Loharu Fort, and a commemorative chhatri was built at the place where he was cremated, which is located nearly 1 km from the fort.

Under Alwar State

The control of the fort later passed to Alwar State.

Under British raj: Nawab of Loharu State

In 1803, British gave Loharu and

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

Ferozepur Jhirka Ferozepur Jhirka, also known as Ferojpur Jhirka, is a town, near Nuh city in Nuh district in the state of Haryana, India. History Ferozepur Jhirka was founded in 1419 by Wali (patriarch) of Mewat, Khanzada Feroz Khan who styled himself as Raj ...

to the Nawab ''Ahmed Baksh Khan'' of Loharu State, a

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

under

company raj Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...

, who then converted the mud fort into a ''pucca'' (brick and masonry) fort. Urdu poet '' Mirza Ghalib'' was married to ''"Umrao Begum"'', niece of Loharu's Nawab, ''Ahmad Bakhsh Khan'', and daughter of his younger brother, ''Mirza Ilahi Bakhsh Khan''.

After 1947 independence of India

In 1971, then nawabs of Loharu, ''Aminuddin Ahmed Khan'' sold it to the Government of Haryana. In 2021, GoH announced that the fort will be given the status of a state protected monument.

Architecture

The Loharu Fort is built on 64 kanal and 18 marla, which is nearly eight acres. Present fort was built by Nawab Ahmed Baksh Khan in 1803 to replace the earlier Shekhwati mud fort constructed in 1570. The present fort combines three styles of architecture, Rajput,

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

and

British colonial The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The Government of Haryana notification about the protected status for the fort states, ''"The south-wing of the fort contained the Diwan-e-khas (special royal hall) and the Sheesh Mahal or The Room Of Mirrors, which has Mughal/Rajput style details. The central part of the south wing contained a large Victorian style audience chamber and banquet hall. The right side of the south-wing consisted of the Zanana Mahal along with the kitchens. The left side of the south-wing was purely Mughal architecture. The east-wing was executed in the Delhi Haveli style which was considered very fashionable at the time and was distinct from the Shekhawati Haveli"''.

Conservation

Since 1971, after being sold to the government of Haryana, the fort remained uninhabited, all of the north-wing collapsed and so did a part of the east-wing. Only the south-wing of the fort (containing the Farukh Manzil) survives in a dilapidated state. In August 2021 GoH announced that after being given a ''State protected monument'' status, the fort will be conserved and developed into a tourist attraction. The details of the subsequent conservation project efforts are awaited by the civic society.

References

{{Haryana 16th-century forts in India Buildings and structures completed in 1588 Forts in Haryana