Laxmangarh Fort
Laxmangarh Fort is a demolished old fort, situated at a distance of 30km from Sikar, on a hill in Laxmangarh. The fort is on the western side of the Laxmangarh town. It was built in 1862, by Rao Raja Laxman Singh of Sikar. He built this fort to protect Laxmangarh from assailment of Kan Singh Saledhi. The uniqueness of the architecture of the fort lies in the fact that it is built on scattered pieces of huge rocks, in Shekhawati Style. The main attraction of the fort are the frescoes. There is a ramp in the fort, Many havelis in Laxmangarh, close to the fort, like Bansidhar Rathi Haveli, Sawant Ram Chokhani Haveli, Mirijamal Kyala Haveli, Sanganeria Haveli, Kedia Haveli and Char Chowk Haveli attract a large number of tourists every year.
History of Laxmangarh fort
Before the origin of Laxmangarh, the hill on which the fort is built was known as ‘Ber’. It was a small village.
According to the beliefs of people of Laxmangarh, once when Rao Raja Laxman Singh was returning from Fatehpur, he chose the foot of ‘Ber’ hills to relax. Just then, an awful event happened. A wolf tried to attack a newly born lamb. But the mother of the lamb fought courageously with the wolf. At the end of the fight, the wolf had no other way, but to leave without the pray. This incident inspired Rao Raja Laxman Singh to build a fort at this foothill. He and his people believed this place to be land of brave or ‘Veer Bhoomi’.
The building of fort was started in 1805. Two years from then, in 1807, the fort was fully built. From 1807 till India got freedom, the fort was under the rule of Roa Rajas. It was able to withstand various attacks from Fatehpur, Khetdi, and Mandawa in1882. All these attacks were lead by Raja Bakhtawar Singh. The atta...
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Laxmangarh fort is also well known for its sacred temples. When entering the fort, there is a side way leading to a temple. As one advances a few steps, there is a small cave containing the idol of ‘Bhairavji’. Although the first impression of the entrance to the cave generates doubt if a tall or a heavy person could enter it, anyone either tall or heavy can enter the cave without much difficulty. Proceeding further and climbing a little from the cave, there is ramp that leads to the fort. From here, the walls and its minarets and also the town of Laxmangarh can be seen. After entering the main gate of the fort, there is a Balaji temple at a few steps distance. The temple has a big idol of Hanuman. All the newly married couples of this region get the blessings of both these gods- Balaji and Hanuman, in the belief of having a happy married life.
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Stratton, E. (2002). The evolution of Indian stupa architecture in east Asia. New Delhi: Vedams.
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Page - Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia. The Hindu Encyclopedia, 6 May 2011. Web. 24 Sept. 2011. .
Pandey, T. N., 2014. Lecture 1/9/14: Culture of India: Aryan and Indigenous Population. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
Sri Nandanandana, “Preaching in India’s Northeast For Cultural Preservation” VaiShnava News February 21, 2003; Retrieved information Dec. 9,2003 http://www.vnn.org/world/WD0302/WD21-7837.html
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Pradesh, Madhya. "World Heritage Sites- Sanchi." Archeological Survey of India. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.
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