Gondhla Fort: A Himalayan sentinel fading into silence

Located in the remote Himalayan hamlet of Gondhla, in Himachal Pradesh’s rugged Lahaul-Spiti district, rises a seven-storey tower that has outlasted empires, earthquakes and centuries of snow. Locals call it the Gondhla Fort, but its weathered stones and timber beams whisper of more than just walls. They speak of lineage, power and a cultural memory that now teeters on the edge of erasure.

The fort, according to local lore, was raised around 1700 AD by Raja Man Singh of Kullu. His marriage to the daughter of Gondhla’s Thakur sealed both a political alliance and the fort’s enduring place in history. Built in the distinctive Kathkuni style, where stone alternates with timber to withstand Himalayan tremors, the tower embodied not only strength but also ingenuity born of its harsh environment.

For centuries, the Thakurs of Gondhla served as viceroys of the Kullu Rajas in the Tinan valley or Rangloi ilaqa as locals still call it. This stretch of land, running from Koksar to Tandi along the Chandra river, owed allegiance to Gondhla’s fort. Behind its doors lay more than the chambers of rulers; it stored sacred thangkas, scriptures, weapons, carved furniture and the family’s deities — treasures that fused governance with the sacred.

The fort also caught the eye of outsiders. Between 1929 and 1932, the Russian painter and mystic Nicholas Roerich journeyed through Lahaul. The stark tower against Himalayan backdrops inspired several of his canvases, stitching Gondhla into a broader tapestry of world art and Himalayan mysticism.

From throne to ruin

But history has its way of turning palaces into relics. Today, Gondhla Fort leans and crumbles, its wooden doors cracked, its walls sagging under the weight of centuries. Animals wander through what was once a seat of authority. Villagers like Mohan Lal and Ashok Rana watch its decline with sorrow. “If restored, this could be a magnet for visitors,” Mohan Lal remarked, echoing the sentiment that heritage could be both pride and livelihood.

A token budget has patched a few doors to keep cattle at bay. Anil Chand, vice pradhan of Gondhla’s Gram Panchayat, has appealed to higher authorities. MLA Anuradha Rana carried the plea to the state government, securing Rs 6 lakh for a detailed project report (DPR). The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) surveyed the structure, measuring its bones and sketching a roadmap for resurrection.

The figures tell their own tale: Rs 6.44 crore is required, Rs 5.05 crore to stabilise and conserve the fort, another Rs 1.39 crore to create visitor facilities. Plans exist, but funding remains a question mark, hinging on central schemes like the PM Jan Vikas Karyakram.

A heritage at the crossroads

Officials from Himachal’s Language, Art and Culture Department caution that Gondhla is more than stone and timber. It is the memory of tribal identity and the governance of a once-isolated valley. Its revival would not merely preserve walls but breathe life into cultural tourism, offering both employment and pride.

Yet as the Himalayan winds gnaw at its beams, the clock ticks. Gondhla Fort waits — part sentinel, part supplicant — for a chance to rise again or to vanish quietly into the snows of history.