Bandhavgarh Fort
The Bandhavgarh Fort is situated in Bandhavgarh in Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, India. No records are available to show when Bandhavgarh fort was constructed. It is thought, however, to be some 2000 years old, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the “Narad-Panch Ratra” and the ‘Shiva Purana”. The Bandhavgarh fort derives its name from the most prominent hillock of the area, which is said to be given by Lord Rama to his brother Laxman to keep a watch on Lanka. Hence the name Bandhavgarh (Bandhav=Brother, Garh=Fort).
Various dynasties have ruled the fort: for example, The Mauryans in third century, the Sengars from 5th century AD and the Kalachuris from 10th century AD. In the 13th century AD, the Baghels took over, ruling from Bandhavgarh until 1617, when Maharaja Vikramaditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935.