India · 10th century
Uparkot Fort ranks #3,060 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #118 of the 223 mapped in India. Founded c. 960, it is older than 92% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 192 atlas entries founded in the 10th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,766 times in the last 60 days, more than 66% of the atlas. See how India compares in the castle statistics.
Uparkot is a fort located in east side of Junagadh, Gujarat, India.
A fort and town was established at the foothills of Girnar hill during reign of the Maurya Empire and continued to be used during Gupta period, but it lost its importance when the capital of Saurashtra region was moved from Junagadh to Vallabhi by Maitraka. Chudasamas settled around Junagadh from 875 CE according to bards when they acquired Vamansthali (Vanthli) from Chavda ruler.
A 10th-century Chudasama king Abhira Graharipu (r. c.940-c.982) cleared the old citadel free from the jungle. From the evidence contained in the Hemchandra's Dvyashraya, it can be concluded that Graharipu laid the foundations of the citadel as it now exists. The legend is told about its rediscovery.
After several Ahirs of Vamansthali had ruled, a woodcutter one day managed to cut his way through the forest and came to a place where stone walls and a gate existed. Nearby sat a holy man in contemplation, and on being asked by the woodcutter the name of the place and its history, he replied that its name was "Juna" — old. The woodcutter returned by the way he had come to Vamansthali, and reported his discovery to the Chudasama ruler, who ordered the forest to be cleared away. This being done, the fort came into sight. But there was none who knew its history, or who could tell more than the holy man had told the woodcutter. So the place became known as "Junagadh" for want of a better title.
If this story is to be believed, either AbhiraGraharipu rediscovered an ancient stronghold or else after he had built the fort, it was abandoned and afterwards found again by a later ruler Navaghana who transferred Chudasama capital from Vamansthali to Junagadh.
In 1893-94, Haridas Viharidas, the Dewan of Junagadh State, had restored the fort.
In July 2020, the Government of Gujarat initiated the restoration of the fort and the structures inside it at the cost of ₹44.46 crore (US$4.6 million). The project will be completed in 18 months.
The Uparkot is one of the most interesting of old forts. The parapets on the east, where the place is commanded by higher ground, have been raised at least three times to give cover against the increasingly long range of projectiles.
The entrance is beyond the town in the east wall, and consists of three gateways, one inside the other.
Text adapted from “Uparkot Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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