Zorawar Fort

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34°09′29″N77°34′11″E / 34.15806°N 77.56972°E / 34.15806; 77.56972

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Zorawar Fort
Zorawerfort.jpg
Zorawar Fort
General information
Town or city Leh, Ladakh
Country India
Coordinates 34°09′29″N77°34′11″E / 34.158056°N 77.569722°E / 34.158056; 77.569722

Zorawar Fort is a fort in Leh, Ladakh, India built in 1836 for Wazir Zorawar Singh Kahluria, a military general of Dogra Rajput ruler Gulab Singh. [1] The fort once kept the wealth of the rulers of the Dogra dynasty and a museum at the fort currently preserves treasures of the rulers as well as coins and postage stamps. [2]

General Zorawar Singh was admired as a military genius and a master of mountain warfare. During his time (between 1834 and 1841) as General he visited Ladakh up to six times and extended Ladakh's boundaries in the north. General Zorawar was referred as Napolean of India, this fort is to commemorate his sincerity, loyalty and bravery. [3]

Thanks to General Zorawar Singh when India gained Independence from British in 1947, Ladakh and Baltistan became part of the new republic.

Indian Army created a museum and sound and light show in the fort as renovation and restoration in 2006. [4]

This fort is on Skara Road, Leh, and is only about 7 minutes from Leh Palace.

How to Reach

By Road

Leh-Srinagar National Highway (known as National Highway 1D) and Leh-Manali Highway are two ways to reach Leh. However, these routes are available only during Summer months.

J&K Road Transport provides public transport options from Srinagar to Leh (434Kms) which takes two days and Himachal Road Transport Corporation provides bus services from Manali to Leh (474Kms) which takes about 20hours.

By Air

Leh Airport is the nearest airport and in winter months this is the only way to reach here.

By Train

No Train transport options available.

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Mehta Basti Ram was a Dogra officer and commander of the Fateh Shibji battalion under Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. Basti Ram later served as the governor (thanadar) of Leh in Ladakh between 1847 and 1861. Basti Ram joined the service of Raja Gulab Singh in 1821 and became an officer under General Zorawar Singh during his conquest of Ladakh between 1834 and 1841. After holding positions such as the governor of Taklakot (briefly) and thanadar of Zanskar, he became the second governor of Leh under Maharaja Gulab Singh.

References

  1. Patrao, Michael (15 September 2018). "A conqueror's abode". Deccan Herald . Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. "Information About General Zorawar Fort Leh | Popular Attractions in Ladakh". tour-my-india. Retrieved Jul 29, 2021.
  3. "General Zorawar Singh Kahluria aka Napoleon of India -". raksha-anirveda.com. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  4. "Army renovates Zorawar Fort in Leh | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved Jul 29, 2021.