Forts of Bundelkhand

When we talk about forts and palaces in India, the first name that pops up is Rajasthan. For sure, Rajasthan is the abode of more than a hundred forts stretched from the deserts of Jaisalmer to the capital territory of Jaipur. But there is one historic area in central India that deserves to be highlighted and, if it would have been taken care of properly, its majestic history would rival that of Rajasthan. The area is, Bundelkhand. 

Bundelkhand comprises of the following districts spread out among the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh:

Uttar Pradesh

1. Jalaun
2. Jhansi
3. Hamirpur
4. Mahoba
5. Banda
6. Chitrakoot
7. Lalitpur

Madhya Pradesh

1. Sagar
2. Tikamgarh
3. Datia
4. Damoh
5. Panna
6. Chhatarpur

Bundelkhand had never enjoyed a separate status of a state or province, both during the British era and post-independent India. When India got independent, the central region was divided into Madhya Pradesh and Madhya Bharat while the Bundelkhand region was merged into a short-lived state, Vindhya Pradesh. During British Raj, the Central India Agency, a conglomeration of numerous Princely States stretched from Neemuch and Ratlam and covered the entire belt of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand. Politically, there exists a demand of a separate statehood for Bundelkhand first proposed in 2011. 

During the British Raj, the Bundelkhand division of the Central India Agency was divided into the following Princely States:

1. Datia
2. Orchha
3. Panna
4. Bijawar
5. Chhatarpur
6. Charkhari

Jalaun, Banda, Hamirpur and Jhansi were part of the British United Provinces while Saugor (Sagar) was part of the British Central Provinces. Hamirpur district contained various exclaves of the adjoining Princely States. 

Talking about the forts of the region, Bundelkhand has some really magnificent but lesser known fortifications. When we talk about forts of Uttar Pradesh, the most popular region comes to our mind first is Agra and the forts in that area. But districts such as Jhansi, Jalaun, Banda and Lalitpur offers a wide-range of forts, some of them being protected into heritage homes. These forts were constructed till the Maratha Empire stretched from Maharashtra to Bundelkhand, to provide fortifications from the various warring clans and later, the imperial British. Below here are the various images of such glorious establishments:

Mangalgarh Fort, Mahoba

Jhansi Fort, Jhansi

Kalinjar Fort, Banda

Barua Sagar fort, Jhansi

Talbehat Fort, Lalitpur

Orchha Fort, Tikamgarh

Fort Rampura, Jalaun

Gadpahra Fort, Sagar

Ajaygarh Fort, Panna

Datia Fort, Datia

Singorgarh Fort, Damoh

Below here is a map of Bundelkhand wherein the yellow regions belong to Uttar Pradesh, while orange to Madhya Pradesh.