Manimajra Fort, is a fort situated in
Mani Majra,
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
(city of Indian Union). It is over 360 years old and has become more popular with the shooting of the Oscar-winning movie
Zero Dark Thirty
''Zero Dark Thirty'' is a 2012 American political action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. Produced by Boal, Bigelow, and Megan Ellison, and independently financed by Ellison's Annapurna Pictures, the film ...
. It was built by Gharib Dass Dhillon of
Dhillon clan as the capital of his newly created state of 84 villages.
[
]
History
The fort was built by Gharib Dass Dhillon (also spelled Gareeb Das) of Dhillon clan as the capital of his newly created state of 84 villages. Gharib Dass submitted to Patiala State
Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India, and one of the Phulkian States, that Instrument of Accession, acceded to the Dominion of India, Union of India upon Indian independence ...
. Dhillons of Manimajra later also occupied Sailba, 28 km northwest of Manimajra and now in SAS Nagar district, and Gurbakhsh Singh Dhillon was appointed kiladar (governor) of the Sailba fort.[Bhagat Singh,1993, A History of the Sikh Misals.]
As per Mahan Kosh
''Guru Shabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh'' (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਤਨਾਕਰ ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼), known by its more popular name of ''Mahan Kosh'' (ਮਹਾਨ ਕੋਸ਼) and by the English title ''Encyclopædia of the Sikh ...
, popularly known as Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Mani Majra was a town of (then) Ambala district of Punjab Province, which was conquered in 1821 by a local zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
Ghareeb Dass along with 84 other villages and turned into the capital of his newly created State. The State was last ruled by Bhagwan Singh Dhillon of the clan of Ghareeb Dass Dhillon. As Bhagwan Singh Dhillon was childless, the Government took control of the property of this fort.
Ownership
Presently the property is owned by Meharwal Khewaji Trust along with other related properties. The ownership of this property is controversial, and the case is under trial in the court.
Present condition
The present condition of the fort is not good and it is deteriorating day by day. The premises is being used as a playground or for parking vehicles by people living in the adjoining area. The walls are decaying and weed growth is visible on the walls (see pics in Gallery).
Gallery
File:Mani Majra Fort,east side view Chandigarh, India 02.JPG, Northeast side view
File:Mani Majra Fort, west side view Chandigarh, India 04.JPG, West side view
File:Mani Majra Fort, Chandigarh, India 01.JPG, Deteriorating building of fort
File:Mani Majra Fort, ruined courtyard view, Chandigarh, India 05.JPG, Ruins of courtyard
References
{{Reflist
Monuments and memorials in Punjab, India
Buildings and structures in Chandigarh
Forts in Punjab, India
Tourist attractions in Chandigarh
History of Chandigarh