Bhimgarh Fort, generally known as the Reasi Fort, is near Reasi, a town approximately 64 km northwest of

Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

. The fort is on a hillock approximately 150 metres high. Initially, it was constructed of clay by Raja Bhimdev Rasyal. Later on one of the heirs of Raja Rishipal Rana, reconstructed it using stone. It was used by the royal family members for taking shelter during emergencies. The construction of a new fort at the site was started by Rajput Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu in 1817 and continued till 1841. The construction and consolidation of Bhimgarh fort was further advanced by the advent of General Zorawar Singh. The renovation of the fort was started by Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir in 1817 and continued till 1841. A new entry gate and a stone wall one m wide and 50 m long was built all around, thereby making it less vulnerable to attacks. The main entry gate is made of Baluka stones with Architecture of

carving Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and y ...

. The front wall has

loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow vertic ...

s. This has a statue of the Goddess

Mahakali Mahakali () is the Hindu goddess of time and death in the goddess-centric tradition of Shaktism. She is also known as the supreme being in various tantras and Puranas. Similar to Kali, Mahakali is a fierce goddess associated with universal po ...

and of God

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

. The fort has a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, a

pond A pond is a small, still, land-based body of water formed by pooling inside a depression (geology), depression, either naturally or artificiality, artificially. A pond is smaller than a lake and there are no official criteria distinguishing ...

, rooms of different sizes, armoury and

treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry; in a business context, corporate treasury. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be ...

. After the death of Maharaja Gulab Singh, his heir Maharaja Ranbir Singh and Maharaja Pratap Singh used Bhimgarh Fort as a treasury and armoury. During Maharaja Hari Singh's rule an English minister ordered that the armoury be destroyed and shifted the treasury to Jammu. Bhimgar Fort was handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir State

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Department in 1989 on the orders of the state government. In 1990, the fort was renovated by the Vaishno Devi Sthapna Board. The surrounding areas were given a facelift with the construction of gardens and pathways. The fort was then opened to the public. Although the fort has been devastated by earthquakes and lack of maintenance, it stands out as an important landmark in the town. The inferred deposits of 5.9 million tonnes of Jammu and Kashmir lithium reserves, accounting to the 2023 the Geological Survey of India as located inmate near vicinity of the castle.

References

Forts in Jammu and Kashmir {{India-struct-stub