Bala Quila also known Alwar Fort is a fort in

Alwar Alwar ( Rajasthani Pronunciation: �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (NCR) and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km ...

in Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. It is situated on a hill in the

Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in North India, Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Ahme ...

, above the town of Alwar. The fort is long and is about wide. Bala fort was originally constructed by Nikumbh

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s who were one of ancient rulers in Rajasthan and belongs to suryavanshi clan. Nikumbh Rajputs and their successors moved to the southwestern part of India through

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

and settled over eastern

Khandesh Khandesh is a geographic region in Maharashtra, India. It was made up of present Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar districts. It also said that Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh was also its part. The region have seen many geographical ch ...

during 15th century onwards due to the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

as the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

was expanding in and around western India which was due to its close proximity to the capital of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

at that time. It was re-constructed in 1521 CE by

Hasan Khan Mewati Raja Hasan Khan Mewati (died 17 March 1527) was a Muslim Khanzada Rajput ruler of Mewat. The son of previous ruler Raja Alawal Khan, his dynasty had ruled Mewat State for nearly 200 years. He was a descendant of Raja Nahar Khan Mewati, who wa ...

. In the following centuries it went to the

. It was captured by the

ruler Maharao Raja Pratap Singh of

Alwar State Alwar (Rajasthani Pronunciation: �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (NCR) and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km ...

. Major rivers like Narmada, Tapi, Girna basins were suitable for the Nikumbh Rajput warriors to settle down. As Rajputs found it as a suitable place for their successors due to it having ample of water and land for cultivation. Arwali mountain range divided mevad & marwad (मेवाड़ & मारवाड) Shirpur, Dhule, Tapi & Girna Rivers, and river Banks along with satputada mountain of and to the pitalkhora where they constructed their own Empire. Founding Ancient Shiva Temple situated in the valley of today's Pitalkhora Caves and its river side near Patna Devi Today. Nikumbh

s. migrated and Expanded to Girna Bank basin near Undirkheda and some to Ranjangaon near to Gaoutala Sanctuary of Today.

Kachwaha The Kachhwaha is a Rajput clan found primarily in India. They claim descent from the Suryavanshi (Solar) dynasty. Etymology According to Cynthia Talbot, the meaning of word ''Kachhwaha'' is tortoise. Origin There are numerous theories on ...

s latter settled in bank and basins of Girna river of today's khandesh in Warkheda and Umberkheda.

Parmar Parmar may refer to: * Parmar (clan) * Parmar (surname), an Indian surname See also * Panwar (disambiguation) * Parihar (disambiguation) * Pawar (disambiguation) *Paramara dynasty The Paramara Dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty ...

s in Near Mehunbara of Today, kachwaha in Warkheda.

Nikumbh Nikam or (Sanskrit: निकुम्भ, romanized: ''Nikumbha'') is a name found in Hindu Kshatriya Maratha, maratha communities of Maharashtra. Notables *Ujjwal Nikam, public prosecutor * Vishal Nikam, Bigg Boss Marathi season 3 winner S ...

s.in Undirkheda and Ranjangaon and Patna to Pimpalgaon at satpuda Ranges. Later, that area became part of the expanding

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

and the area was designated as a Vatandar during

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

rule under the kingdom of the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

Description

Within the fort are 15 large and 51 small towers perched on the ridgetop, above the city. The fort included 446 openings for

musketry A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

, along with 8 huge bastions encompassing it.

References

External links

Bala Quila, Alwar Fort
* {{Coord, 27, 34, 28, N, 76, 35, 16, E, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1550 Forts in Rajasthan Alwar 16th century in India Buildings and structures in Alwar Tourist attractions in Alwar 1550 establishments in India