Munger Fort - Other Monuments in The Fort

Other Monuments in The Fort

The famous monuments located within the fort are:

Tomb of Pir Shah Nufa

Pir Shah Nufa, originally of Persin origin, was a Sufi saint who was sent to Munger by his guru Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. His tomb dating his death to A.H. 596 (1177 AD) is located near a rampart in the fort close to the southern gate. It was built over an area of 100 feet (30 m) square with retaining walls supporting allround, on a 25 feet (7.6 m) high heap of earth (conjectured to be ruins of former Hindu or Buddhist structure). The carved stones of these ancient temples were pitted by holes and depressions, with the belief that such disfiguring would cure certain diseases of children. The domed tomb chamber, 16 feet (4.9 m) square with circular turrets, also encloses a prayer room and a rest room. Some ruins of ancient Hindu temples are also seen in the vicinity of this tomb.

Palace of Shah Shuja

Though locally known as the 'Palace of Shuja', the Mughal Prince, it is inferred to have been built earlier by Nawab Mir Qasim Ali, who also ruled from Munger. The palace is bounded by high rise walls on three sides and the Ganges river on the west side. As in any palace of the Mughals, it consisted of a Khas Mahal or 'Zanana Palace', the 'Diwane-I-Am' or Public Audience Hall and the Tope-Khana or Armoury (made of 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m) thick walls) (now a dormitory). There was also a mosque on the west side of the palace, now in ruins, but used as storehouse. There was a Turkish bath (hammam) and a dressing room to the west of the present day jailer's office. An interesting feature noted below the floor of the mosque is a dry well or pit of 10–12 feet (3.0–3.7 m) depth, which leads to several underground tunnels running in different directions. The well was, in earlier times, connected to the river through an opening, which has since been shored up. The Khas Mahal of the palace and the Public Audience Hall in side the fort, which are now seen mostly in ruins, are used as a jail and a school for the convicts.

Tomb of Mulla Muhammed Said

Tomb of Mullah Mohammed Said was situated on the bastion at the south-west of the fort, but has since been removed. Mulla Mohammed Said hailing from Mazandran near the Caspian Sea, was a Persian poet (under the nom-de-plume of Ashraf). He was employed by Emperor Aurangzeb to tutor his daughter Zebunnisa Begum. He was also under the employment of Azim Shah, grand son of Aurangzeb, and who was the viceroy of Bihar. The Mullah, while on his way from Bengal to Mecca, died at Munger fort in 1704 and his tomb existed in side the fort.

The Kashtaharini Ghat on the Ganges

The Ganges river that flows in front of Munger fort takes a turn in its flow direction towards the north ('Uttara vahini' in Sanskrit means: "north flowing"). At this location, a ghat (stepped approach to the river edge from the high bank built in stones) was constructed, which has a legend linked to it. An inscription at Kannauj records that Govind Chandra of Kannauj, a Gahadvala King, granted land on the bank of the river to build a ghat, after bathing in the Ganges river at Mudgagiri (Munger) on the occasion of the Hindu festival known as Akshaya Tritiya. There are several antiquities that have been unearthed at this ghat such as: an inscription of about the 10th century AD on the wall of the gateway that refers to king Bhagiratha and the construction of a Shiva temple; discovery of carvings and sculptures by archeologist Bloch in 1903; an inscribed image of Dhyani Buddha (Buddha in meditation pose) describing the Buddhist doctrine;preserved now in the Indian Museum at Kolkatta). Hence, this location is venerated by the Hindus.

Chandisthana

Chandisthana (meaning: place of goddess Chandi) is the location of a shrine, which is a village deity of goddess Chandi (Chandi or Caṇḍīika is the name by which the Supreme Goddess is referred to in Devi Mahatmya). It is considered as one of the 64 shakti peethas (a tantric cultural centre) in India. It is depicted in the form of a hole in a rock dated to the rule of king Karna Vikrama. The conjecture that it could be part of an ancient temple that existed here is yet to be established by archeologists by exploration of the area.

Karnachaura

A natural rocky hillock dated to the ancient Raja Karna is named after him as the 'Karnachaura' or 'Karanchaura' or 'Karan Chabutara' (meaning: slab of Raja Karan). It is the highest point in the fort. Since the location commands a fine view of the surroundings, Raja Karan (he was a contemporary of Vikramaditya, the famous king of India) had built a house on the hill, which was later converted by the British to a saluting battery. In 1766, this base on the hill was crucial in subduing rebellion by some European officers of the garrison. Further refurbishing of the fort occurred during General Goddard's time when it was converted as the large residence (as it exists now) of the Commanding Officer of the British garrison. This building was later under the ownership of Maharaja of Vizianagram and then by the Raja of Murshidabad. Since 1978, it is under the ownership of the Bihar School of Yoga. Swami Satyananda Saraswati founder of the Yoga School has renamed it as 'Ganga Darshan'. The Yoga School is now renowned as a world centre for modern yogic/tantric renaissance. An old platform near the hill, in front of the bungalow, is also linked to the period of king Karna and his wife.

Rectangular mound

The second famous rock hillock (no specific name is given to this) within the fort is in fact an artificial rectangular raised platform where a citadel of the fort probably existed in the past. An old building called as 'Damdama Kothi' ('kothi' means "house"), conjectured to have been built by Muslim rulers or even earlier Hindu kings that existed here, was destroyed by the British to build the 'Collector's Bangalow'. When this strong Kothi (a masonry structure) was demolished by blasting, underground rooms were found. In addition, in a well in the compound of the bungalow, two arched passages were found; one lead to the house and the other in an opposite direction to the Shuja palace (now a prison). Stone carvings and sculptures were seen in exposed masonry of the Kothi, during Buchanan's archeological explorations.

Bihar School of Yoga

The Bihar School of Yoga founded by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in 1964 to impart traditional yoga teachings to the world is headquartered inside the Munger fort. Apart from providing spiritual instruction to candidates, the school undertakes yoga projects and medical research in association with other agencies. It is the World's first Yoga University and a deemed university. It attracts students from all over the world. Around 400 Australians, Americans and others register for the yoga course every year, with this figure rising continuously.