Rawat Fort

Rawat Fort (), also known as Sarai Rawat, is an early 15th century fortified caravanserai in the Pothohar Plateau, near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab.

Location It is 17 km east of Rawalpindi on Grand Trunk Road. The 2nd-century CE Manikyala Stupa can be viewed from the fort. It is located approximately 50 miles from the vast Rohtas Fort, which was built by Sher Shah Suri to subdue the Gakhars and bring the Pothohar region under his control.

Etymology Rawat Fort derives its name from the Arabic word rabat (), meaning 'caravanserai', an inn for caravans.

History The Rawat fort or sarai is believed to have been founded as a caravanserai in the 15th century by the Delhi Sultanate. It was later converted into a fortress in the 16th century by the local Gakhar clan in order to defend Pothohar from Sher Shah Suri's forces. It remained under Gakhar control during and after Mughal rule until it was taken over by the Sikh Empire, followed by the British.

Layout The fort is in an almost square form and has two gates. It measures 93.5 x 106.3 m and covers a courtyard of around . There is an octagonal tomb with a dome measuring 16.6 m in diameter in the fort's inner portion an area which also contains many graves. The tomb is traditionally attributed to Sarang Khan Gakhar, while graves to be of his associates who died fighting along with him against Sher Shah in 1541. Along the perimeter are a series of small cells, which may have originally been small rooms rented out to itinerant merchants. The west wall of fort contains a mosque with three domes, measuring 29.5 x 12.1 m.

Conservation The fort is federally protected as a Cultural Heritage Site of Punjab, and is managed by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage. In November 2016, a conservation plan was commissioned for preservation of the fort. 50 million rupees were allocated in March 2017 towards the first of two phases of conservation of the Rawat Fort.

Gallery

Rawat Fort

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