Asirgarh Fort – Its Depiction Clearly Shows That It Is A Royal Indian Architecture

ASIRGARH FORT

AT

BURHANPUR

Asirgarh Fort is situated in the famous Satpura Range, about 20 km north of the town of Burhanpur District of Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Topped onto one of high apex of Satpura Mountain, spread over 60 acres of land, some historian stated this fort as ‘Babe Deccan’ means the “key to the Deccan”, which was considered invincible

Burhanpur has strategically important position for moving from North India to South India. There is much to see like a mosque and one palace inside this fort. The location becomes more beautiful as this place is encompasses through Narmada and Tapti River valleys.

This fort is built by the king Asa Ahir, Ahir is an Indian Hinduism caste, which is referred to Yadav, and it is proposed that the word ‘Ahir’ derives from the Sanskrit word Ahi (snake) or so say those worships snake, though there is so many beliefs and relating myths for finding its derive. During the time of Asa Ahir, fort is not as grand as it seems now which means, after his rule, many changes, for security reasons have been introduced.

The mughal emperor in 1536 after the conquest of gujarat visited Asirgarh, It is believed during medieval period Asirgarh has been conquered by many kings. Akbar has asked Raja Ali Khan to submit himself, the later dropped his royal title of SHAH and pledged suzerinty to Akbar.

Raja Ali Khan has also built many buildings like Jama Masjid in the upper portion of the fort of Asir in 1588, Idagh at Asir. Bahadur Khan who was a successor of Raja Ali Khan denied to pay homage to Akbar, which enraged Akbar. he conquered Burhanpur withour opposition and stayed there for four days. Mumtaj Mahal, wife of Khurram later crowned as Shahjahan died here while delivering her 14th issue.

This fort was constructed by Asa Ahir, its original name was Asa Ahir Garh, later this name is turns easier as its three middle letters were dropped to the name Asa Ahir and this became Ashirgarh Fort. The architecture of this fort is similar to Mughal architecture, which is an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture. There are few tombs, balcony’s and one minar which clearly depict a royal medieval Indian architecture.

 By Air 

The nearest airport for reaching Burhanpur is Indore (IDR), which is 183 km from Burhanpur.

By Train

Burhanpur town is very well connected by train from other important cities and tourist destinations of India. It lies on Mumbai-Delhi & Mumbai Allahabad rail-route.

By Road 

There is a major road transport structure for reaching Burhanpur, as one can get in to the bus if he wants to reaches here from Indore, which is 183 km away. Since Burhanpur situated on the State Highway – 27, which links it to the Indore, it would be best to drive down from Indore in the bus or hired car or taxi. The nearest town is Khandwa, which is 69 km away and encompasses through Indore-Burhanpur SH-27.

Asirgarh fort – its depiction clearly shows that it is a royal Indian architecture

Edakkal Caves – 7000 Years Oldest Depictions Are There In This Natural Caves

EDAKKAL CAVES

AT

WAYANAD

Edakkal caves located in the remote area of wayanad district of kerala state of India. It is a dwelling that showcases nature’s skill and philosophy on architecture and you have to trek to about 4000 ft up a mountain to reach the place. We are talking about Edakkal Caves, which still remain a wonder and a mystery for archaeologists and historians alike.

Edakkal Caves are situated about 16 km from Sulthan Bathery and tourists have to trek up the Ambukuthi Hill to reach the caves. The trek up the hill, peppered with coffee plantations, is worth an experience and it takes almost 45 minutes to climb the hill.  The lush greenery and scenic landscape around and the cool breeze that carries the aroma of coffee will surely make your journey an unforgettable one.

A remote ticket office is perched high on the top of the mountain and the tourists can buy entry tickets from there. The authorities will open before you an iron gate, and then you can enter a world of history, which has never ceased to allure people.

A telescope is installed a few feet from the caves. It offers a panoramic view of the surrounding country.The name of Edakkal Caves literally means `a stone in between’. As the name indicates, it seems that one boulder miraculously wedged in between two bigger ones to create a cave.

Scientists too are of the opinion that Edakkal Caves is not a cave in the real sense. It is a fissure in the rocks which had been created due to natural causes/ changing climatic conditions. The split in the rock is about 22 ft. in width and 96 ft. in length. The depth of the cleft extends to over 30 ft and there is a large rock which has fallen forming a roof over it and this large cleft and the roof-rock gives it the appearance of a cave.

There are many legends associated with the gigantic fissure at Edakkal. People believe that Lord Rama, one of the earlier visitors of this area, shot an arrow which pierced the mountain and created a deep cleft there. The name of the hills, Ambukuthy too is derived from this legend. (In Malayalam, Ambu means arrow and kuthy means `to pierce’ and hence the name.) 

Local people associate local deities with the caves and you can see many idols near the caves.The discovery of the caves dates back to 1895 and it is associated with the then Superintendent of Police of Malabar District, Fred Fawcett.  He was on a hunting trip to Wayanad and happened to notice in the coffee estate a stone axe which had been used by a Neolithic Celt.

Fred was an enthusiast of pre-history and this incident increased his curiosity about the place. After making inquiries with the local people he decided to explore the high ranges of Wayanad further. He went past the thick foliage in the Ambukuthy Mala; in his mission, he could find a rock shelter up the mountain, which is considered to be one of the earliest settlements of human beings on earth.

There were signs indicating that the Caves were inhabited by people during New Stone Age and this exciting discovery drew the attention of archaeologists and historians across the world. The caves are replete with various etchings and prehistoric line drawings and the nature of representations on the cave walls indicate that the caves were occupied by various sets of people during various stages of history.

Three distinct sets of petroglyphs can be seen in the caves and some depictions are as old as 7000 years. Edakkal is the only known place for stone age carvings in South India.  The carvings belonging to Neolithic and Mesolithic Age include ancient stone scripts, ancient weaponry figures, symbols, figures of various animals and human beings etc.

The rock surface is full of linear motifs and one can see weird shaped figures, crosses, triangles, tridents, squares, stars, wheels, spirals, plant motifs, pot shaped items, various animals and human figures.  Many of the human figures have raised hair, some have masked faces and all these figures are eye-catching and have archaeological significance. Apart from these pictorial carvings, ancient inscriptions including a Tamil Brahmi script have been identified from the caves.

Images of a tribal king, a queen, a child, a deer and an elephant can be seen on the wall. A human figure with headgear, another on a wheeled cart and some male and female figures too can be seen.  There are images of tools used by earlier human beings and many other symbols which suggest the presence of pre historic men.

The recent outcomes of the researches and excavations at the Edakkal Caves indicate its probable links with Indus valley civilization. There were about 400 signs that were recently identified and have significant link with the Indus Valley Civilisation and the prominent one among these signs is ``a man with a jar cup’’.

This has been the distinct motif of the Indus Valley civilisation and the presence of such signs indicates that the Harappan civilisation (2300 BC to 1700 BC) was active in south India too. An iron railing is placed in the cave which helps prevent visitors damaging the carvings. And the damp interior with history ic air and signs is sure to enthral any visitor.

Nearest railway station: Kozhikode, about 97 km from Sultan Bathery 

Nearest airport: Calicut International Airport about 23 km from Kozhikode