Hike to Rani Durgavati Fort (Jabalpur)

I usually love visiting places that have history and cultural significance in making a city or a town. It can be palaces, temples or forts. One of the historical monuments and landmarks that I visited when I was in Jabalpur is the Rani Durgavati Fort, also known as Madan Mahal.

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About Rani Durgavati Fort

The Rani Durgavati Fort is associated with Rani Durgavati, the Gond Queen and her son Veer Narayan. Rani Durgavati is considered as one of the martyrs as she died fighting the Mughals. The foothill of the fort has a famous temple, Sharda Devi Temple.

• There is no entry fee to visit the fort.
• One can take as many pictures as they want.
• The fort is situated at a height of 500 metres on the hill with the same name.

History

The Rani Durgavati fort dates back to 11th century and built by Rajgond ruler. It was used as a small military outpost on a hilltop. The fort was then used as a watch tower. It is also believed that the fort has more than 8 escape routes in all directions.

The site is a World Heritage Site.

There are many myths surrounding this fort. Some of the myths included by Wiki are that there are gold bricks and treasures hidden somewhere in the underground. And that there is a tunnel covering a long distance around the vicinity which could have been a possible escape route.

How to reach the fort?

The Fort is inside the Jabalpur city (around 10 kilometres from the main city centre). The fort is next to the famous Balancing Rock. Any local taxi or auto rickshaw can drop the tourist off at the start of the stairs, for a minimal amount.

Trek to the fort

There are 250 to 300 steps (30 minutes) to reach the hilltop and it is an easy grade hike to the top. The views of the trail going up to the fort are absolutely beautiful with lots of greenery and temples around. Also, the hilltop provides a panoramic view of Jabalpur.

• Number of steps: 250 to 300 minutes.
• Total time taken: 30 minutes one way.
• Grade: Easy.

My experience

Rani Durgavati Fort is one of the most beautiful forts I have visited. The whole structure of the fort and the way it has been built is extremely interesting and pretty. And also the views from the top of the fort is breathtakingly beautiful.

Safety for solo female travelers

Yes, the fort is safe during the day. But be careful when it starts getting dark as the fort can get isolated very quickly. Even when my friend and I visited the fort during the day, there were very few people who were at the fort and many a times we had the fort to ourselves.

Closing Notes

I really suggest visiting this pretty fort. It is worth a visit and learning about the history of the fort. It is also a great location for photography. The views of Jabalpur from the fort is appealing.

Also read

If you loved the history about the Rani Durgavati Fort, then you will definitely love reading about some of the other forts.

• Sinhagad Fort (Pune).
• Channarayana Durga Fort (Karnataka).
• Rayakottai Fort (Tamil Nadu).
• Gingee Fort (Tamil Nadu).
• Golconda Fort (Andhra Pradesh).

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