Skardu Fort or Kharpocho ( Balti:; ), meaning ''The king of Forts,'' is a fort in

Skardu Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

in the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

region of Pakistan. The fort mainly served as a military stronghold and strategic lookout. Australian mountaineer and film maker Greg Child writes that the fort is "perched above the junction of the rivers" and overlooks the Rock of Skardu.

History

The fort was built by king Ali Sher Khan Anchan at the end of the sixteenth century. The fort remained capital of Maqpoon dynasty till fall of the Maqpoon Monacrch Ahmad Shah in the hands of Dogras in 18th century. During his invasion of Baltistan in 1840, the

Dogra __NOTOC__ Dogras, or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic community of Pakistan and India. Dogra, Dogras or Dogri may also refer to: * Dogra dynasty, a Hindu dynasty of Kashmir * Dogri language, a language spoken by Dogras and other ethnic commu ...

general Zorawar Singh stormed it and razed it to the ground. The fort remains in a state of disrepair, with no visible maintenance efforts. However, the access path has recently been made safer through the installation of metal railings. The fort remains open to public with no entry fee.

Dogra Fort

Zorawar Singh had another fort built on level ground next to the Kharpocho hill. The fort remained till the

First Kashmir War First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

in 1947, when the Gilgit Scouts laid a

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

to it fighting against the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces under the command of Lt. Col. Sher Jung Thapa. Thapa eventually surrendered after running out of rations.

Gallery

The Mighty Kharpocho Fort Skardu.jpg, Kharpocho fort SkarduFortEntrance1167.JPG, Entrance to the Skardu Fort MosqueSkarduFort1160.JPG, The ancient

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

at the fort 1924 photo of the Mosque in Skardu Fort.jpg, A 1924 photo of the Mosque in Skardu Fort

References

External links

NorthernAreas.gov.pk Skardu page
{{Castles in Pakistan Forts in Gilgit-Baltistan History of Baltistan Skardu District

History

Dogra Fort

See also

Gallery

References

External links