Getting There
Chitrakoot 75 kms, Khajuraho 83 kms, Allahabad 205 kms
Air
Nearest airport is Khajuraho
Rail
Nearest railhead is Atarra on the Banda-Satna route
Road
Lucknozv 228 Ions Allahabad 110 kms Varanasi 58 Ions
Situated in Banda district, barely 75 kms from Chitrakoot, and about 83 kms from the temple-town of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Kalinjar is said to have been one of the strongest forts of northern India. It holds the rare distinction of having daunted even the heretofore unchecked army of Mahmud of Ghazni in 1023. The invaders, it is said, pillaged through most of north and west India, but could not bring down the tough resistance that this mighty fort put up.
Strategically located at the rocky edge of the Vindhyas, it has a 30-m high foundation. Although Kalinjar Fort has some small shrines that date back to the 2nd-4th centuries AD, it is believed to have been built in the 10th century by the Chandela kings who were also the builders of the world renowned Khajuraho temples. The fort remained unvanquished until Akbar conquered it in 1569, and presented it to the most famous of the ‘nine jewels’ of his court, Raja Birbal.
Legend goes that Shiva, after swallowing the poison that turned his kanth (throat) blue, came to rest here. The Neelkanth Temple inside Kalinjar Fort has a 1.15 m-high linga, Shiva-Parvati images, carvings of Vishnu, Ganesha, and Kal Bhairava, among others. Other places of interest inside the fort include Patal Ganga, Pandu Kund, Budha-Budhi Taal, whose waters have curative powers, Mrigdhara spring, and the popular Koito Birth spring, whose waters supposedly cure lepers.
The fort has two entrances, one which opens on to the city, and the other opens south-west towards Panna, Madhya Pradesh (51 kms). The first entrance has seven smaller gateways which lead up a flight of stairs to the fort: Alam Darwaza, Ganesha Darwaza, Chandi or Chauburji Darwaza, Budhabhadra Darwaza, Hanuman Darwaza, Lal Darwaza and finally the fairly modern Bara Darwaza.
The museum of the Archaeological Survey of India is located in Raja Aman Singh’s palace inside the fort.
For more information on Kalinjar Fort Uttar Pradesh contact Swan Tours, one of the leading travel agents in Delhi.
Swan Tours - Blogs 