- Ajaigarh fort in the district of Panna, Madhya Pradesh -

 

Ajaigarh is one of the two legendary forts of the Chandella dynasty in the district of Panna. The other is Kalinjar (which we also visited). When it was built in the 9th century, Ajaigarh fort was a powerful stronghold of the Chandella royalty and its army. Its temples have many of the qualities and mirror those built at Khajuraho. The fort is an 800 foot climb up a densly forested hill, with no road and only a footpath leading up to its gates.

The fort has seen 1000 years of warfare and capitulation. Its last battle was in 1809, when the private army of the British East India Company bombarded its ramparts and captured the fort. Today Ajaigarh fort is largely forgotten, rarely visted, and lying mainly in ruin. The town and fort if mentioned at all is only as a footnote in histories of India. On the day we explored Ajaigarh, we were the only tourist in the whole area. We drove hours off the beaten track to get to this fort. These are some photos of our journey to Ajaigarh and a fort that for the past two years I have been dreaming about visiting since I read about it in a book on the forts of India.