Palamu (Jharkhand) : 

Last Republic Day, Jharkhand's Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore had announced the renovation of the Palamu Fort which is spread over 680 acres.

 An insignia of valour, victory and gallantry, the 400-year-old Palamu Fort, which is losing its sheen owing to lack of maintenance and years of neglect will soon be rejuvenated. The Jharkhand government which had announced its restoration has started work in the direction with the Heritage Conservation's Shridev Singh beginning the survey work of the fort evaluating little details of the edifice.

Singh had previously led the successful restoration of Maluti temples, a world-renowned heritage site.

The fort renovation will take place under the aegis of Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR).

“A technical team is researching how Palamu Fort can be restored with minimum impact on the existing structure. Survey work of the old and new fort is being done. A team from PTR is helping the survey team,” said Prajeshkant Jena, Deputy Director, PTR.

“The survey will also research on the original construction techniques using brick and stone, so that the restoration will maintain its historical authenticity,” Jena added.

Palamu Fort, located in Betla of Latehar district is five kilometres from the Betla National Park. As per available documents, the old Palamu fort was built by King Pratap Rai of the Chero dynasty between 1628 and 1658. Later, the new Palamu fort was built by the mighty king Medini Rai between 1658 and 1674.

According to historians, the Palamu Fort was under the attack of the Britishers in 1977, who took control and coronated Gopal Rai of the Chero dynasty as a puppet ruler. Sometime later, he built the Shahpur Fort and ruled from there.

Owing to the intricate carvings on the fort’s gates, with 40-foot-high and 15-foot-wide entrance, it is also called Nagpuri Dwar and speaks volumes about the region’s artistic heritage. It is also known to be narrating the grandeur of the Chero dynasty.

The Chero dynasty came into being in 1613 as per British records but the Mughals mention it as 1585. According to historian Rajeshwar Singh, the Cheros came from the Kumaon area to Shahabad, and eventually settled in Palamu when Bhagwant Rai, the dynasty’s founder, was ruling the entire kingdom.

The period was known for its abundance where none faced hardship.

The Palamu Tiger Reserve management has also created a comic book about the fort’s history so that children would show interest in reading it pictorially. “The initiative was taken up to create awareness and educate visitors about the fort’s rich legacy and history,” Jena added.

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