COLUMN HISTORY
32
Tracing the History of Jammu Hill States Through Their Forts PROF: JIGAR MOHAMMED
T
he modern Jammu region was divided into several principali ties during the ancient and medieval period. J. Hutchison and J. Ph. Vogel's studies mention the existence of twenty two states in modern Jammu hills during the medieval period. They associate these states with the Punjab hill states.1 Though there are no indigenous contemporary records narrating the history of these states, the Mughal chronicles mention some of these states working effectively from 16th century onwards. The contemporary Mughal historical works show that some of the Jammu hill states occupied very strong strategic importance. Since these states bordered the Punjab hill states and Kashmir, they had continous contact with these states. Abul Fazl put many of these states in the Suba of Lahore.2 Most parts of these states were covered by the hills and forests. The hilly areas were called Daman-i-Koh.3 These states were ruled by Rajput dynasties belonging to both the Hindu and Muslim communities. Frederic Drew found forest, river, hill and fort as the dominant physical features of Jammu city in the nineteenth century. According to him, "Coming to it (Jammu city) from the Punjab, one passes, while still on the plain, through two or three miles of the close forest of acacia trees with bushy underwood; then one comes to the river-bed, an expanse of rounded pebbles, with the stream flowing in the middle-a stream usually shallow and gentle, but which sometimes so swollen with floods as to rush with violence
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over the whole wide bed. As one fords this Tavi River, one sees how, in coming from the upper country, it breaks through, so to say, the outermost range; on its right bank the hill on which Jummoo is built, and on its left a corresponding one, crowned by Bao Fort, form, as it were, a gateway to the inner country."4 Similarly, other areas of the Jammu hills were surrounded by the forest, hills and rivers. More importantly, the ruling classes of these states were very much conscious of their sovereignty and security of their state. Since most of these states had scope of the territorial expansion mostly in the hills, they took several security measures for the protection of their state. The military history of these states shows that the construction of the fort was one of the most effective defense measures of them. It is well established fact that the forts were understood one of the dominant features of the military strength of the states of India during the ancient and medieval period. Since armed power was a key to the acquisition and expansion of political power during ancient and medieval period, the ruling dynasties gave huge emphasis on organisation of the army and its allied devices. The archaeological remains and literary sources of the ancient and medieval periods depict forts as the most effective and longest lasting means of military power. The construction and maintenance of forts were the integral part of the socio-political life of the royal families of India. The history of the fortification can be traced
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from pre-historic period.5 With the formation of states the processes of the fortification were very much intensified. J.N. Sarkar has made extensive study of the fort and fortification. His study shows that the literature of ancient period mention various kinds of forts built in the different areas. According to him, end to the top of the hill, and the other on the other side of the water. Then they attach two other ropes a gaz higher than these, that foot passengers may place their feet on the planks, and, taking hold of the upper ropes, may descend from the top of the hills to the bottom, and so cross the river. This bridge they call Kautilya's Arthashastra records four types of forts such as water or river fort (audaka or nadi durga), mountain fort (Parvata Durga), desert fort (dhanvana durga) and forest fort (vana durga). Some other literature of the ancient India mention six to eight kinds of forts.6 The maintenance of the forts by the rulers of the early medieval India is mentioned by the Turkish historians of the Sultanate of Delhi. The Turkish historians' works show that they were very much impressed by the Rajput forts of the 12th and 13th centuries northern India. Hasan Nizami, a court historian of Qutubuddin Aibak (120610) and Shamsuddin Iltutmish (121036) has all praise for the some of the Rajput forts of the north India. Describing the strength and attraction of Delhi fort on the eve of the Turkish invasion, Hasan writes, " As the imperial flags (May God keep them aloft) reached Delhi, the first thing to be visible was the rampart of the fort, which, like the dignity of the
Epilogue, August 2011