Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Rawat Fort

Image by Omarjhawarian-Wikimedia

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Rawat Fort

Rawat Fort is a fort in the Pothohar plateau of Pakistan, near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab. The fort was built to defend the Pothohar plateau from the forces of the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri.

Rawat Fort lies about 18km east of Rawalpindi on G.T. Road. It is located in the town of Rawat at the southeast corner of the Islamabad capital territory.

The fort was founded as a caravanserai in the 15th century by the Delhi Sultanate. Caravanserai was typically preferred for rural inns built along roads outside of city walls.

The caravanserai was then later fortified in the 16th century by the Mughal emperor Humayun to defend the Pothohar plateau from Sher Shah Suri’s forces.

1. Negligence of the government to preserve the historical fort turned it into ruins

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Rawat Fort is among the many forgotten relics spread across the Potohar Plateau. Inside the premises, the fort’s dome, rooms, barracks, and graves have been ravaged by weather. The locals have converted the premises of this ancient relic into a place where they keep their domestic animals.

The giant dome of the fort has fissured in several spots and the ceiling has become a roosting for bats. The stairs and walls inside the ancient building have also cracked with several of its bricks missing.

The splendid building that people had attained expertise in architectural skills centuries earlier was not being taken care of in the manner it should have been. There are no security guards at the entrance of the historical site nor the presence of management.

2. Millions of rupees have been allocated to its restoration

In November 2016, a conservation plan was commissioned for the preservation of the fort. 50 million rupees were allocated in March 2017 towards the first of two phases of conservation of the Rawat Fort.

The Punjab ancient relics department started restoration work after dilapidation stories of the historical site surfaced but left work half done.

Recently, under the Public Sector Development Program’s 2020-2021 Budget, the Government of Pakistan allocated about Rs. 5.6 million for the Fort’s preservation and restoration.

Hopefully, with new restoration plans, the Rawat Fort will not only serve as a heritage site for tourists but also as a gateway into the history of communities who once called this region home.

3. Restoration and conservation have not been efficient

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Many monies have been allocated to the fort’s restoration over the years. However, now it still stands in ruins.

Conservation of the fort is a difficult problem, as the site is in the midst of an urban area with the encroachment of nearby buildings on three of its four sides.

The work done on the site has been termed excessive and unnecessary. The East gate was white-washed. It may aid long-term durability but comes at the cost of obscuring the fort’s time-worn but elegant appearance.

The walls of the fort are clearly in need of structural repair. It is urged that more restoration processes take a more sensitive approach that preserves the site’s character for future generations.

4. The fort was founded as an inn

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It was likely constructed in the Sultanate period in the early 15th century, possibly as a serai (caravanserai), or rest house and inn for travelers. Historically, many of these roadside inns were used by invaders from Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Several pieces of evidence corroborate this; One, the cell-like perimeter walls are well-proportioned for living quarters. Two, the name itself.  “Rawat” is said to trace back to the Arabic word ‘rebaat’ which means ‘Sarai’ in Urdu – a roadside inn for travelers.  Three, the building resembles a Sarai rather than a fort. There were originally as many as 76 individual cells but many have crumbled or are in otherwise poor repair.

5. Rawat Fort is almost square and has two gates

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The original shape of the fort has been modified several times as it has gone under renovation and maintenance. The fort is almost square and has two gates.

It is surrounded by high walls. There are remnants of two tall towers in the northern and southern corners of the building, and it has entrances from the eastern and western sides. Inside there are two mausoleums and one three-domed mosque. The walls outside the fort are lined with small rooms.

6. The central courtyard of the fort contains ruined graves

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Legend has it, a fierce battle took place close to the Fort grounds between Sultan Sarang and Sher Shah Suri in 1546 AD, during which the latter defeated and executed the former.

There is a quadrangular building with a dome in the fort’s inner area – an area that also contains many graves. The graves are of Sultan Sarang and his 16 sons who died defending their home from Suri’s invasion.

7. The tomb is the most prominent part of the whole Fort

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The tomb is the most prominent part of the whole Fort. The walls are high with panels and arched openings have been embellished at the time.

Historians believe that this building housed Sutan Sarang’s tomb, but there is no longer any indication of a marble cenotaph or grave. Many believe that the site, much like the mosque, fell victim to vandalism and poor restoration work that removed or did not pay heed to the original façade.

Standing on top of the vast drum-shaped dome of the Tomb, one can see the Tope Mankiala, a Gandhara-era Buddhist stupa once allegedly visited by Buddha himself. Buildings like the stupa surround the fort, but there is very little work done to uncover the story behind them.

8. Inside the Rawat Fort lies the final resting place of Sultan Sarang Khan

Sultan Sarang Khan was a chief of the Gakhar tribe which resided in the Pothohar region in northern Punjab region, in modern-day Pakistan.

He died after being struck in the head, with a Saranga spear in 1546 and is buried in Rawat Fort. His brother Adam Khan Gakhar assumed leadership of the position tribe and became the next Gakhar Chief.

An octagonal tomb measuring 16.6 meters in diameter is found in the fort. It is believed to be the final resting place of Sultan Sarang. Numerous smaller graves are scattered about the courtyard, believed to be those of Sarang Khan’s 16 sons and their associates, killed alongside him in the battle against Sher Shah Suri’s forces in 1546.

9. There are skeptical legends surrounding the fort

According to a signpost on site, the fort is also associated with Mas’ud I of Ghazni, the Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire from 1030-40.

It attests that Mas’ud was arrested here by rebellious soldiers in his employ, then murdered in the nearby town of Giri near Taxila. However, even if this legend is true, any fort dating from that period was long since been superseded by the current construction.

10. Rawat Fort is an important archaeological site

Documenting Oppression Against Muslims, DoAM, protected this site under Antiquities Act 1975, but after devolution under the 18th amendment of the constitution, the Punjab government acquired it.

The team again acquired the site and started initial working on a plan for its maintenance and preservation. DoAM also purchased the road linking the historical site with Grand Trunk Road but shopkeepers and roadside hawkers encroached on that.

The fort is currently federally protected as a Cultural Heritage Site of Punjab and is managed by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, and National Heritage.