Bhimgarh Fort cries for care
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria & Devinder Thakur
Tribune News Service
Jammu/Reasi, December 8
Bhimgarh Fort, considered as a synonym for Reasi town, and the 5-km Mari road that leads to this historical monument, today tell a sorry tale of neglect and poor maintenance.
Tourists who flock the town, 64 km north-west of Jammu, to see the fort, go back with not-so-fond memories of this souvenir of the erstwhile royal family.
“There is no parking for vehicles. Locals told us to climb an earthen mound having wild bushes to reach the stairs of the fort. From the first look, a tourist cannot make out that one has to pass through wild bushes to get to the stairs. We did not see any signboard that can help tourists reach the fort,” said Vipin Mahe, a tourist from Pune.
His wife Sulekha, a connoisseur of forts and heritage monuments, said she was hurt by the poor maintenance of the fort. On October 27, the fort suffered heavy damage in an earthquake that shook the northern part of the country. One of the walls of the fort collapsed while cracks developed in various other parts due to strong tremors.
The fort, originally built of clay and mud, was later reconstructed by the royal family using stone. “This fort attracts a reasonably good number of tourists and pilgrims, but it has not been maintained properly. The 5-km Mari road that leads to the fort remains in a dilapidated condition,” said a local at a petrol station.
The fort, built atop a 150-metre hillock, is an important landmark of Reasi town and is associated with the legendary Dogra warrior, General Zorawar Singh. The fort has an open courtyard surrounded by a residential complex.
An official of the Tourism Department cited lack of funds for the slow pace of fort’s restoration and other ills plaguing it. The Executive Engineer of the construction wing, tourism, Nasir Goni, said lack of financial grant was the major reason for the slow pace of restoration work of the Reasi fort.
“After the earthquake on October 27, one of the major walls of the fort was damaged again. We have submitted a detailed project report to the government, but no amount has been released so far. Once we get the money, restoration work will be started and it will pick momentum,” he said.
The fort was handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir State Archaeology Department in 1989 and renovated the following year. The area surrounding the monument was given a facelift with gardens and pathways.
