Ramgarh Fort Near Panchkula Intrested Place

Ramgarh was one of the sovereign (“Khud-Mukhtyar”) Cis-Sutlej states of The Punjab ruled by Chandel Rajputs, whose lineage goes back to Ramayana and Mahabharata days. Chandel Rajputs had their seat of power in Bundelkhand (Madhya Pradesh) and they ruled over the entire Central India in the medieval period before the advent of Prithviraj Chauhan. World-famous Khajuraho temples were built by them. Well-known warriors Aalah-Udal, whose exploits are still remembered through folk songs, were Chandels.

Nearly 1,300 years ago, the Ramgarh family’s ancestors migrated from there to Punjab and established the state of Kot Kahloor. The capital was later shifted to Bilaspur. One branch of the family of the Raja of Bilaspur came to Ramgarh nearly 360 years ago and laid the foundation of Ramgarh.

In 1760s when anarchy prevailed in the entire region Ramgarh was one of the only three States which survived unscathed, the other two being Raipur and Kotaha. The Ambala District Gazette of 1886 mentions these details.

The later rulers added to the glory and territory of the state through their bravery and martial exploits. In the three successive years (1806 to 1808), raids were made in person by Maharaja Ranjit Singh on Ludhiana, Nalagarh and Ambala areas. It was openly announced by him that he intended annexing the entire territory up to the Yamuna. But the Chiefs of the area put up a stiff resistance and he had to abandon his plans.

On April 25, 1809, Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed a treaty with the British by which he surrendered his acquisitions south of the Sutlej. The treaty was followed up in May, 1809, by a proclamation of the British Government which limited Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s powers and declared the Cis-Sutlej Chiefs sole owners of their possessions. “Each Chief, great and small alike, had within his own territory absolute civil, criminal and fiscal jurisdiction, subject only to general authority of the Agent to the Governor-General”.

Ramgarh was one of those States which bitterly opposed the British. The British called it “passive obstruction or open hostility”. In 1849, the Punjab was annexed by the British and power and privileges of most of the Cis-Sutlej states, including Ramgarh, were greatly reduced.

In earlier times, The Fort comprised a much larger area. What now survives is basically the zenankhana (women’s chamber) It boasts of 18-ft thick walls. Ravages of time have played havoc with the Fort but the family, instead of abandoning it, continues to live there, painstakingly renovating and faithfully reconstructing it. It has been converted into a heritage resort, a unique feature of which is that it is the first heritage hotel of Haryana and Punjab, and perhaps India’s only heritage resort serving only vegetarian food and no liquor at all.