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Kalinjar Fort

Kalinjar Fort

heritage site · Uttar Pradesh

Kalinjar is one of the legendary strongholds of central India, crowning a flat spur of the Vindhyas above the Bundelkhand plain.

State
Uttar Pradesh
Type
Heritage Site

Kalinjar is one of the legendary strongholds of central India, crowning a flat spur of the Vindhyas above the Bundelkhand plain. Sacred to Shiva as Neelkanth — the rock-cut Neelkanth temple sits in a cleft of the cliff — it resisted Mahmud of Ghazni, saw Sher Shah Suri fatally wounded during his 1545 siege, and passed through Chandela, Mughal and British hands. Gates, tanks, palaces and centuries of sculpture lie scattered across its windswept plateau.

When to go

October to March

Why visit

A near-mythical Vindhyan stronghold where Sher Shah Suri fell — and almost nobody visits.

How to reach

About 60 km from Banda and 105 km from Khajuraho by road; Atarra, 35 km away, is the nearest railhead. A motorable road climbs close to the top.

Kalinjar Fort guide & itineraries

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