Kuchesar Fort

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Entrance of the Kuchesar Fort, now repurposed into a heritage hotel. Kuchesar Mud Fort.jpg
Entrance of the Kuchesar Fort, now repurposed into a heritage hotel.

Kuchesar Fort (alternatively known as Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort) is located at Kuchesar, in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, approximately 84.3 kilometers (52.4 miles) east of Delhi.

Contents

The fort was historically part of the Kuchesar estate, ruled by Dalal Jat 'Rajas'. [1] [2]

In 2007, the fort was restored and turned into a hotel by Ajit Singh known as the Rao Raj Vilas Fort Kuchesar [3] or Rao Raj Vilas, [4] and has become a popular tourist attraction for the city. The resort preserves the fort's mid-18th century influences and reflects the vibrant mix of cultures.

History

Kuchesar Fort was built in 1734 as an opium trading post, by the rulers of Kuchesar, [5] which belonged to the Dalal clan of the Jat people. In 1763 Afrasiab Khan, governor of nearby Koyal, took over the fort with a plot involving a royal eunuch spiking drinks with opium. The Jat rulers reclaimed the fort in 1782 and have held it ever since. [6] After the Pashtun Najib ad-Dawlah bestowed the Jat family with the title of Rao Bahadur, the fort served as the seat of the Jat Kingdom of Uttar Pradesh. [7] After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Jat people competed with Marathas, Rohillas, French colonists, traders, explorers, and the British East India Company for control of the area. In 1790, the fort was granted to Ajit Singh's family on a perpetual lease by Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. [8] This grant was reaffirmed by the British in 1803. [9] Kuchesar Fort was also a Center for the Rai Brahmins or Bhatts (a branch of the Kashmiri Brahmins), who were the Rajkavi of Kuchesar State, performing a role similar to that of a poet laureate.

In 2007, the Kuchesar Fort was restored by Ajit Singh. The Kuchesar Fort is named Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort because Rao Raj Vilas is an older section structured in 1732 by Umrao Singh's Ancestor. Since 2007, the Rao Raj Vilas is a heritage hotel as the architecture consists of both Mughal and British.

Role of Kuchesar In Indian History

Kuchesar Fort plays a significant role in Indian History. The inception of the Fort was done during the Mughals, and the British took over in 1803. The Kuchesar's rulers built the Fort. The chronology of the Kuchesar Fort is as follows –

The established area of the Fort, tracing back to the 1730s belongs to Kunwar Ajit Singh, the grandson of Rao Giriraj Singh, who is the last Rao Bahadur of Kuchesar. He holds part of the stronghold as his home, and the other segment has been made into a royal hotel, being overseen by his children Anant Jeet Singh and AnekJit Singh.

The heritage hotel named Rao Raj Vilas, Kuchesar, has been re-established and is being overseen by the owner's family. It has been in function since 2007. Neemrana revamped the other part of the Fort.

Some Bollywood films and songs were shoot here, including The Hungry film by Bomila Chatarjee, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra.

Geolocation

The fort is located in the Ganges River basin 24 kilometers from the bank of the river. [10] Located at Kuchesar, in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, approximately 84.3 kilometers (52.4 miles) east of Delhi.

References

  1. ↑ Tyagi, Vidya Prakash (2009). Martial races of undivided India. Kalpaz Publications. p. 75. ISBN   9788178357751. Other Jat states of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries included Kuchesar (governed by the Dalal Jat clan of Mandoti, Haryana)...
  2. ↑ Stokes, Eric (1978). The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press. p. 184. ISBN   9780521297707. ...the eastern [Jats] dwelt as sub-proprieters or occupancy tenants in landlord estates, among which the huge patrimony established by Gulab Singh, the loyalist Jat raja of Kuchchesar, was pre-eminent.
  3. ↑ "Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar". kuchesarfort.com. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "History of Kuchesar's Jat Rulers". kuchesarfort.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort | District Bulandshahr, Government of Uttar Pradesh | India". 5 September 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  6. ↑ admin. "History – Welcome to Rao Raj Vilas". Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kingdoms of South Asia - Minor Indian Kingdoms of the Jats". historyfiles.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  8. ↑ "Kuchesar Fort - Kuchesar Fort Bulandshahr Uttar Pradesh - Kuchesar Fort Bulandshahr Uttar Pradesh India". India My World. 31 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ↑ "Fort Kuchesar". Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ↑ https://www.mudfortkuchesar.com/ [ bare URL ]

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