Chunar Fort

Chunar sits on a spur of the Vindhya hills where the Ganges swings against sandstone cliffs, a position that made it strategically important for as long as anyone has fought over this stretch of river: it changed hands between local rulers, Sher Shah Suri, the Mughals, Awadh and the British, who used it as a garrison and later a prison and left a cemetery inside. The walls follow the cliff edge above the river, with gates, bastions, a sundial, an old well and colonial-period buildings within. Chunar sandstone from local quarries supplied the Ashokan pillars, including the one at Sarnath.

History

Settlement here is recorded from 56 BC, the time of Vikramāditya of Ujjain, but the fort's documented history begins in the 16th century with a garrison of Babur in 1529, some of whose soldiers' tombs are still venerated. In 1532 Sher Khan, later Sher Shah Suri, took the fort, and in 1575 Akbar, visiting to hunt, acquired it to guard the Ganges and the routes to eastern India; much of the fort seen today is believed to date from his reign (Wikipedia, Chunar Fort).

The main sights

• The cliff walls - fortifications following the rock above the Ganges.
• The river bend - the Ganges swinging below the ramparts.
• The British cemetery - colonial graves inside the fort walls.
• The sandstone quarries - the source of the stone used for Ashokan pillars.

When to go

October to March; the plains are severely hot from April. Late afternoon gives the best light over the river. The fort is quiet, with far fewer visitors than the Varanasi sites.

Things to know

Parts of the fort are in poor condition or used by government offices and closed. Interpretation is minimal. Access requires a trip out from Varanasi with no facilities on site.

Nearby

Varanasi lies northeast; Vindhyachal is southwest.

Key facts