After reading for the first time the story of Sultan Razia, the first and only woman emperor who ruled from Delhi, I was eager to visit Bathinda where she was imprisoned by Malik Altunia, her governor and then husband.
I had my chance some weeks back. Seeing the thick walls of the fort from a distance, I thought of Sultan Razia confined within them, while the birds flying over the walls were a reminder of the freedom that she did not enjoy.
According to Subhash Parihar’s Islamic Architecture of Punjab , the fort of Bhattrinda ( bhatti means jungle and rinda means haunt) is named after the Bhatti clan of the Rajputs who lived there. During the Sultanate period, the fort was known as Tabarhinda. Bathinda is the name given to the fort after Independence.
History of the fort
There are many theories about who built the fort. Some believe that it was Kanishka in the 2nd century; some others believe that it was Bhatti Rao, the king of Punjab, who built it and whose name also inspired the name of the city; while some say that it was Raja Dab who built in in 90-110 CE.
This is the site of the oldest surviving fort in India. It was built on a rock on the river Ravi, although now the river has shifted course. It was located very strategically — on the route from Multan to Delhi. Mohammad Muizuddin bin Sam, or Mohammad of Ghor, attacked and captured the fort in 1191. Prithviraj Chauhan, who was equally aware of the fort’s importance, launched a counterattack immediately and recaptured the fort. Muizuddin barely escaped. During the reign of Sultan Razia, Malik Ikhtiyar-ud Din Altunia was appointed as the Governor of Bathinda. When the Turkish slaves conspired against her, Malik Altunia, who was part of their clique, rose in revolt against Sultan Razia. At the gates of Tabarhinda, her trusted mentor, Jamaluddin Yaqut, was killed by the Turkish nobles. She was arrested and imprisoned in the Qila-e-Mubarak of Tabarhinda.
As I entered the huge gateway of the fort, I was told that Sultan Razia had in fact stayed in the Rani Mahal which was just above the gateway. She would have looked at the same walls that I was looking at. After months in captivity, Sultan Razia decided to ally with Malik Altunia and married him. They set off to recapture the throne of Delhi which had been usurped by the nobles who had enthroned her brother Muizuddin Bahram Shah. They didn’t succeed and both were murdered.
As it was essentially a military outpost, the fort of Tabarhinda lost its importance and Sirhind became a more popular route to Lahore and Multan.
The fort was in the control of the Bhatti chiefs till it was conquered by Maharaja Ala Singh, the first ruler of Patiala, with the help of the Sikh confederate in 1754. They renamed it Gobindgarh after the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. This is the only fort made of bricks and whatever we see now of its massive brick walls and gateway was constructed under the Patiala kings. They used Nanak Shahi bricks which are slimmer and more resilient than the other bricks used in that era.
A historic gurudwara
Seeing the large number of Sikh devotees going inside the fort, I went in and found that it was the site of a historic gurudwara. In fact, Guru Nanak Dev is said to have visited it in 1515. Guru Tegh Bahadur visited it in 1665 and Guru Gobind Singh in 1705.
In 1835, Maharaja Karam Singh built the Gurudwara Sahib Patshahi on the spot where Guru Gobind Singh spent the night. This red sandstone gurudwara with a white dome is well maintained and is perhaps the only building in the Qila which isn’t in ruins. Since this gurudwara is on top of the fort and not in any condition to support the visit of the many devotees, another gurudwara has been built at the bottom of the fort. Till 1947, the fort was in the possession of Patiala kings.
As I walked through the the ramparts, I peeped into the Rani Mahal where history is crumbling, just like Razia’s dream of recapturing Delhi and regaining her rightful position as the Sultan.
