Information on Ramnagar Fort (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) - History & Architecture

Ramnagar Fort is an 18th century fortification created by King Balwant Singh in the year 1750 AD. It is situated in Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh at the eastern bank of river Ganga. Created as a residential place, Ramnagar Fort is regarded as an astral and prophetic wonder of India. It impressively stands as aspecimen of strength and stability. Furthermore, Ramnagar Fort is also renowned for its grand and profligate celebration during Dussehra festival.

Ramnagar Fort Architecture

Ramnagar Fort is made according to fine combination of Indian and Islamic architectural style. It is created from red sandstone with spectacular curved galleries and open courtyards. The design of the fort follows traditional Mughal architecture where the fortress is built on high lands in order to keep it above the flood level when River Ganga overspills. There is a popular audience hall in Ramnagar Fort namely 'Durbar Hall'. The use of marbles in the hall for decoration makes it highly impressive. It is the key attraction of the fort which has now transformed into a museum. The museum is popular for its scarce assortment of American antique vehicles, decorated sedan seats, ivory works and feudal costumes among others. It also has elephant lumbers, carved out of silver, uniforms created by silk and an imposingarsenal hall having swords and traditional weapons from Africa. One interesting item of the museum of Ramnagar Fort is a vast clock named 'Dharam Ghari', created by an astronomer of Banaras in the year 1852 AD. The clock not only demonstrates time, day, month and year, but also astronomical details regarding various stars.

Apart from that, there are various temples inside Ramnagar Fort such as Durga temple, Hanuman temple and Chhinnamastika temple among others. There are plenty of structures to observe inside these temples. Moreover, there are two white towers inside the fort, which are accessed by flight steps. The private residence of king is situated in one side of the tower.

Ramnagar Fort History

Ramnagar Fort and the museum is the fountain of the history of the kings of Benares. It is an invigorated construction of 18th century which has observed several changes in history. It has been the home of the king Kashi Naresh since 18th century. The flag on the fort was raised when King Kashi Naresh started living in the palace. The present king of Ramnagar Fort is Anant Narayan Singh who was also recognised as 'King of Varanasi'. However, his royal name was obliterated in the year 1971. Still his family continues to attend 'Ramleela' drama which occur in Dusseha festival behind the fort.

Inside the fort there is a particular temple which is dedicated to Ved Vyasa who was a myth that inscribed Mahabharata, the great Indian epic. History also states that Ved Vyasa stayed in Ramnagar Fort for a short period of time. Due to its historical appearance, Ramnagar Fort was also used for the purpose of shooting films. One of the popular movies which was filmed in this palace was 'Chokher Bali' which makes it very attractive place.

Ramnagar Fort Tourism Importance

Ramnagar Fort is considered as one of the most important tourist attractions. Travellers can enjoy the attractive museum inside the fort which houses several antique elements. One of the special tourist attractions of Ramnagar Fort is Ramleela drama which occur through festival time and is endorsed by the royal family members. Furthermore, the fort also provides scenic view of TusliGhat and Ganga River, making it an interesting place for tourism.