Garh Panchkot
Encyclopedia
Garh Panchkot is located in the eastern part of India at the foot hills of Panchkot in the district of Purulia
, West Bengal
, the ruins of the Panchkot Palace are a silent testimony to the Bargi
attack during the 18th century.
During one of these encounters Garh Panckot was attacked by the “Bargi” and having defeated the King’s guards they destroyed it after looting and plundering the palace. It is believed that all the 17 wives of the king committed suicide in a nearby well during the attack.
Since then this place lies in ruins.
Let’s start with the entrance to the palace. A semicircular moat was built which started from one end of the foothill to the other end. The only way to enter the place was by crossing the moat using a boat at the center of the semicircle. The rest of the area was either inaccessible due to large growth of bamboo trees, a special type of bamboo trees which grew thick wild making it very difficult for intruders and a thick and high stonewall.
It didn’t end there; at 600 feet above in the middle of the Panchakot Hill were the guard’s quarters. It was in contrast to the architecture of the palace below, as it was completely made of huge stones slabs. From what is known it was built around 600 to 700 hundred years back; how the blocks of stones were carried to this height is not known though one can only guess from the grooves left on the stones. A series of grooves were made mostly on the surface of the stone blocks, which ran right across from top to bottom. These could have been fastened to a leather belt and then using a coir rope pulled by the workers as that was one of the ways huge boulders were moved during those days.
What is fascinating is the strategic position of the guard’s quarter. Spread over a 500 square meters area is more of a miniature fort surrounded by solid rock walls with only one entry point, the pyramid like hollow gate from where the entire palace below and the surroundings could be watched.
Once inside the fort, on the right as well as left there are two long and narrow rooms with small vents overlooking the plains. In the center stands a stone temple dedicated to Rama the king of ayodhya, this signifies that it was truly a guards quarter as more appropriately the people who guarded the area were the elite warriors and generally worshiped Rama as he represented strength, courage and who had fought many wars. From the other remains one can’t ascertain the true nature of its usefulness; a hollow lions head made of stone known as the “Singh Mukh” or other artifacts mostly made of stone.
There is another very old stone temple, which is dedicated to Rama. This could be because it is believed that most of the Hindu Kings of India were Raghu-Vanshis or descendants of Rama the mythical and legendary king as per the Hindu epic Ramayana.
The material used to build the Rani Mahal is a bit different from that of the temples and the Guard’s quarter. It uses “Choon Surki” or a paste made of lime and powered clay bricks fused using water as a base to hold the fire clay bricks. This style of masonry was quite prevalent in that particular period and it still exists. The arches on the other hand mimic the Moghul architecture which indicates that the Rani Mahal was build later, possibly during the 16th century AD compared to the stone temples which are nearby.
The Maratha presence could have been a reason for the attack as a chance of conflict of interest with the King of Panchkot was very evident. The whole region is also known as “Maan-Bhum” which literally translates to a land of pride, where pride was above all things. People killed their close relatives for the sake of pride. So it wouldn’t require a Sigmund Freud to answer what led to this animosity between the King and the Marathas but still no one knows the exact reason. Maybe no one will ever come to know what transpired but the reality is that the popular belief is tat the Marathas ransacked the King’s palace. Dishonored and defeated the King retreated to a place called Kashipur.
“Borgi elo deshe khajna debo kise” is a very common phrase in the villages near Garh Panchokot which literally means – The Marathas have come to our place how will we pay the taxes!
Purulia
Purulia , also spelled Puruliya, also known as "Manbhum City", is a city located in West Bengal state, India, and was constituted in 1876. It is the location of the district headquarters of Purulia district. Purulia is located on the north of the Kasai river and is a major road and railway...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, the ruins of the Panchkot Palace are a silent testimony to the Bargi
Bargi
Bargis indulged in large scale plundering of the countryside dominated western part of Bengal for about ten years . Bargi invasions took place almost as an annual event.- Etymology :...
attack during the 18th century.
Overview
From a historical perspective Alivardi Khan had become the Nawab of Bengal in April 1740 having defeated and killed Sarfiraz Khan. Rustam Jung, Sarfiraz’s brother-in-law challenged Alivardi Khan but failed in his endeavors which prompted him to sought the help of the Maratha Rulers of Nagpur, Raghoji Bhonsle. A Maratha cavalry was sent by Bhosle who entered Bengal through Panchet and started looting the countryside. These Maratha men came to be known as “Bargi’s”. For about 10 years they looted and plundered Bengal. It ended in the year 1751 after a settlement was reached between the Nawab of Bengal and Maratha King.During one of these encounters Garh Panckot was attacked by the “Bargi” and having defeated the King’s guards they destroyed it after looting and plundering the palace. It is believed that all the 17 wives of the king committed suicide in a nearby well during the attack.
Since then this place lies in ruins.
Garh Panchakot
As the name suggests “Garh” means a fort in Sanskrit. What is amazing is the combination of natural and man made resources that were used to build it. No one knows whether this was done consciously or it just happened.Let’s start with the entrance to the palace. A semicircular moat was built which started from one end of the foothill to the other end. The only way to enter the place was by crossing the moat using a boat at the center of the semicircle. The rest of the area was either inaccessible due to large growth of bamboo trees, a special type of bamboo trees which grew thick wild making it very difficult for intruders and a thick and high stonewall.
It didn’t end there; at 600 feet above in the middle of the Panchakot Hill were the guard’s quarters. It was in contrast to the architecture of the palace below, as it was completely made of huge stones slabs. From what is known it was built around 600 to 700 hundred years back; how the blocks of stones were carried to this height is not known though one can only guess from the grooves left on the stones. A series of grooves were made mostly on the surface of the stone blocks, which ran right across from top to bottom. These could have been fastened to a leather belt and then using a coir rope pulled by the workers as that was one of the ways huge boulders were moved during those days.
What is fascinating is the strategic position of the guard’s quarter. Spread over a 500 square meters area is more of a miniature fort surrounded by solid rock walls with only one entry point, the pyramid like hollow gate from where the entire palace below and the surroundings could be watched.
Once inside the fort, on the right as well as left there are two long and narrow rooms with small vents overlooking the plains. In the center stands a stone temple dedicated to Rama the king of ayodhya, this signifies that it was truly a guards quarter as more appropriately the people who guarded the area were the elite warriors and generally worshiped Rama as he represented strength, courage and who had fought many wars. From the other remains one can’t ascertain the true nature of its usefulness; a hollow lions head made of stone known as the “Singh Mukh” or other artifacts mostly made of stone.
Temples
The king was a Rajput chieftain who believed in Shaktism, although the Temples reflect his inclination towards Vaishavism. This could be due to the influence of Sri Chaitanya a proponent of Vaishavism, during that period. The two distinctive architectural styles, which are evident from the temples, are the Bishnupuri style and a much older architectural style of using stone blocks. It is believed that the Bishnupuri styled temples housed Krishna and the followers were mostly vegetarians whereas the Stone Temples housed the figure of Kali and the followers were non-vegetarians and also believed in animal sacrifice. This lends credence to the fact that the King was tolerant towards other beliefs as one more Jain cave can be found in the vicinity.There is another very old stone temple, which is dedicated to Rama. This could be because it is believed that most of the Hindu Kings of India were Raghu-Vanshis or descendants of Rama the mythical and legendary king as per the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Guards Quarter
600 ft above sea level in the middle of Panchakot hill the guard’s quarter stands as a formidable fort.Defense Moat
The “Singha-dwar” was the only entrance to the area. Today, the moat has been reduced to a mere pond with a road running through the middle of it. A broken entrance gate for the boats is what remains of the once famous “Singh Dwar”. After crossing the Singha Dwar it’s about 7 km to the Palace. The curved road is through the bamboo bush, which was planted as a second line of defense. Even during the middle of the afternoon the road is dark due to the bamboo bush along the roadside.Arms and Ammunition
During those days in India, warfare was mainly fought with bows and arrows, spear, swords, daggers, cannons, etc. It was sheer strategy and numbers that mattered, not the arms. In a phased-out manner it started with sword fights.Palace - Rani Mahal
Not much information is available but given the arches and the pillars scattered across an area of about 20,000 sq feet(the Palace alone) would have been a massive structure. As legend has it, that the king had 17 wives and they all stayed in this palace lending credence to its size.The material used to build the Rani Mahal is a bit different from that of the temples and the Guard’s quarter. It uses “Choon Surki” or a paste made of lime and powered clay bricks fused using water as a base to hold the fire clay bricks. This style of masonry was quite prevalent in that particular period and it still exists. The arches on the other hand mimic the Moghul architecture which indicates that the Rani Mahal was build later, possibly during the 16th century AD compared to the stone temples which are nearby.
Maratha Attack
There is enough evidence that dacoits from Maharashtra came to this remote part of West Bengal during the 1760.The Maratha presence could have been a reason for the attack as a chance of conflict of interest with the King of Panchkot was very evident. The whole region is also known as “Maan-Bhum” which literally translates to a land of pride, where pride was above all things. People killed their close relatives for the sake of pride. So it wouldn’t require a Sigmund Freud to answer what led to this animosity between the King and the Marathas but still no one knows the exact reason. Maybe no one will ever come to know what transpired but the reality is that the popular belief is tat the Marathas ransacked the King’s palace. Dishonored and defeated the King retreated to a place called Kashipur.
“Borgi elo deshe khajna debo kise” is a very common phrase in the villages near Garh Panchokot which literally means – The Marathas have come to our place how will we pay the taxes!
External links
- See pictures of Garh Panchakot
- See video of Garh Panchakot