Multan Fort
Encyclopedia
The Multan Fort, a Pakistan
i military installation, was a landmark of Indian defence and architecture. It was built near the city of Multan
, in Punjab
province, on a hillock separated from the city by the Ravi River
. The fort was destroyed by British forces during the British occupation of India
.
The fort was notable both for its effectiveness as a defence installation and for its architecture. Contemporary reports put the walls of the fort at 40 to 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 6,800 feet (2 km) in circumference. The fort's 46 bastion
s included two flanking towers at each of the four gates (the De, Sikki, Hareri and Khizri Gates). A ditch 25 feet (7.6 m) deep and 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and an 18 feet (5.5 m) glacis
protected the fort from intruders.
Within the fort stood a citadel
flanked by 30 towers, enclosing mosque
s, a Hindu temple and a Khan
's palace. The citadel was severely damaged by the battering it got from the guns of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
in 1818.
The Fort was originally known as Katochgarh and is attributed to have been built by the Katoch Dynasty.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i military installation, was a landmark of Indian defence and architecture. It was built near the city of Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
, in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
province, on a hillock separated from the city by the Ravi River
Ravi River
The Ravi is a trans-boundary river flowing through Northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of the six rivers of the Indus System in Punjab region ....
. The fort was destroyed by British forces during the British occupation of India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
The fort was notable both for its effectiveness as a defence installation and for its architecture. Contemporary reports put the walls of the fort at 40 to 70 feet (21.3 m) high and 6,800 feet (2 km) in circumference. The fort's 46 bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s included two flanking towers at each of the four gates (the De, Sikki, Hareri and Khizri Gates). A ditch 25 feet (7.6 m) deep and 40 feet (12.2 m) wide and an 18 feet (5.5 m) glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
protected the fort from intruders.
Within the fort stood a citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
flanked by 30 towers, enclosing mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s, a Hindu temple and a Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
's palace. The citadel was severely damaged by the battering it got from the guns of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
in 1818.
The Fort was originally known as Katochgarh and is attributed to have been built by the Katoch Dynasty.