The Gorkha Castle History of Himachal Pradesh

In the history of Himachal Pradesh, one finds a mention of the Gorkha rulers also. Gorkhas gained control over some princely states of Himachal and ruled them until 1815, when British drove them away from the region. Gorkha forts and castles are reminiscent of their regime and form an important part of the architectural heritage of the state. One can still find these monuments, some still standing strong and some in ruins, in Bilaspur, Shimla, Sirmour and Solan districts, as evidences of Gorkha presence in the region.Gurkha Castles are an indispensable part of heritage tourism in Himachal but most visitors miss out on these monuments. The erstwhile Hindoor, Kehloor, Bhagat, Arkti, Mahlog, Kuthar, Sirmour, Jubbal and Kyonthal princely states that now form Bilaspur, Solan, Sirmour and Shimla districts, were under complete Gorkha away until 1815 when the operation against Gorkha rulers was set in motion by Major General David Ochterlony. The Gorkha castles in Solan, Sirmour, Bilaspur and Shimla districts remind us of the life and time under the Gorkha regime.While most of the structures built by the Gorkhas have crumbled, the remaining few beckon tourists. The star attractions are the Malaon, Banasar, Subathu and Dhar castles in Solan district. 

Dhar Mountain Fort 

Situated on top of Dhar Mountain, at an altitude of about 7000 ft above the sea level, Dhar Mountain Fort now stands mostly in ruins. It is about 200 years old and was built to commemorate the victory of Gorkhas over the state of Bhagat. The main entrance of the fort faces east and leads to a gallery-like hall, with a water tank in the center. The upper storey has a very low ceiling, which was meant to allow the soldiers to fight the enemies in a crawling position while being protected against them. To the east of the third hall is a dark oval shaped room.

Malaon Castle
Malaon Castle, built by Amar Singh Thapa, is situated near Nalagarh, in Solan district. He built it as he advanced to expand his territory into the western hill states. In 1915, his Major General, Bhakti Thapa, was killed and defeated at the hands of the British Army, led by Major General David Ochterlony. The Major then forced Amar Singh Thapa to leave Ramgarh Fort and find a sanctuary at Malaon Castle.

Gorkha Fort of Banasar 
Another Gorkha Fort is situated near the village of Banasar, situated at a distance of 22 km from the Kalka-Shimla National Highway. The Gorkha Fort of Banasar is more than 150 years old.The fort walls could not be repaired thanks to the rare architecture done at that time, informed the team member. The construction raw material being used at that time was no more in practice now. Without that arrangements the repair of fort was like a hard nut to crack, rued the member seeking anonymity.Moreover the Solan Forest Department that was entrusted with the job for fort maintenance, has too expressed its inability to do the repair work thanks to the lack of desired know-how.ronically, like its deteriorating condition the history of fort is also no where to find. In fact, the exact history of fort it still more or less like a riddle. There is no record available about fort history. There is nothing in British accounts about this fort and its garrison though there is a lot of course on forts at Jaithak, Malaon etc. with even maps of battles there.But maybe the British reverted it back to Pahari raja from which Gorkhas had wrested it, maybe Kunihar, maybe some other. Indeed nothing is known for sure. Even the widely bruited Gorkha antecedents of the fortress are not really based on absolutely clinching evidence. Though quite likely nothing by way of first hand information from either the Nepal or the Gurkha side in the 1814-16 war is available on this point.

Gorkha Fort of Subathu
Gorkha Fort of Subathu is approximately 70 km from Malaon. One of its most popular attractions comprise of the cannons that were once used at Malaon Fort. These cannons are more than 180 years old and are now used by the 14 Gorkha Training Center of the Indian Army.