Rohtas Fort (
Qila Rohtas) is a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king
Sher Shah Suri. This fort is about 4 km in circumference and the first example of the successful amalgamation of Pashtun and Hindu architecture in the
Indian Subcontinent.
Name of fort
Sher Shah Suri named Qila Rohtas after the famous
Rohtasgarh Fort in Shahabad district near
Baharkunda,
Bihar which he captured from the Raja of Rohtas
Hari Krishan Rai in 1539. Rohtasgarh is situated on the upper course of the river Son, 20 37’ N and 85 33’E. It was built by Harish Chandra of the Solar dynasty and was named after his son Rohitasva after whom the fort (Rohtasgarh) was named.
Reasons of construction
Sher Shah constructed Qila Rohtas to block
Emperor Humayun's return to India after defeating him in the Battle of Kanauj. This fort lies on the old GT road between the North (Afghanistan) to the Plains of Punjab. It blocked the way from Peshawar to Lahore. The other reason was to suppress the local tribe of this region
Potohar called
Gakhars who were allies of Humayun and refused their allegiance to Sher Shah Suri. The Emperor instructed the local
Janjua Rajput tribe to help construct the fort to crush the Gakhars
Temples of Koh-e-Jud & Thar: Proceedings of the Seminar on Shahiya Temples of the Salt Range, Held in Lahore, Pakistan,by Kamil Khan Mumtaz, Siddiq-a-Akbar, Publ Anjuman Mimaran, 1989, p8 when the latter became openly defiant and persecuting labourers...
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