Have to attend a marriage ceremony (walima) of a friend on 17-04-2011 at his place located at Rohtas Road, in between Jehlum and Dina. Called up a group of friend, who were also invited and made up a plan to visit Mangla Dam and Rohtas Fort besides attending the marriage.
Places visited
Mangla Dam (till entrance only)
Rohtas Forte
Vehicle
My Suzuki Liana LXI Sports 08
Passengers
(in order of appearance, from left to right)
Mr. Imran Bhatti (imranrb74)
Me (nomi700)
Mr. Usman Dar (dar486)
Mr. Bilal Khan
Mr. Hafiz Shoaib(shoaibaman)
Trip Details
Distance Travelled 450 KM
Cost of CNG consumed Rs. 1340
Per KM cost Rs. 2.97/km
Toll tax Rs. 160
Food & Tea etc Rs. 2500
Total Trip cost Rs. 4000
Cameras used
Olumpus
nokia n82
BB jevlin
Brief History of Rohtas Forte
Rohtas Fort is a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. This fort is about 4 km in circumference and the first example of the successful amalgamation of Pukhtun and Hindu architecture. The Fort was built by Todar Mal under orders of Sher Shah.
Qila Rohtas is situated in a gorge approximately 16 km NW of Jhelum and 7 km from Dina. It was constructed on a hillock where the tiny Kahan river meets another rainy stream called ParnalKhas and turns east towards TillaJogian Range. The fort is about 300 feet (91 m) above its surroundings. It is 2660 feet (818 m) above sea level and covers an area of 12.63 acres (51,100 m2).
Qila Rohtas is a garrison fort and could hold a force of up to 30,000 men. Due to its location, massive walls, trap gates and 3 Baolis (stepped wells) it could withstand a major siege although it was never besieged.
Most of the fort was built with ashlar stones collected from its surrounding villages such as Tarraki village. Some part of the fort were built with bricks.
The fort is irregular in shape and follows the contours of the hill it was constructed on. The fort is exactly 5.2 km in circumference. A 533 meter long wall divides the citadel (for the Chieftain) from other parts of the fort.
The fortification has 68 bastions (towers) at irregular intervals. Out of the 3 Baolis, one of them is in the citadel and the rest are in the other parts of the fort. There are no palaces in the Fort except for a structure built by Raja Man Singh called the Haveli of Man Singh. It is built on the highest point of the citadel.
The work on this fort was started in 1541 with Todar Mal Khatri, the revenue minister in charge of the project. Waqiat-i-Jahangiri says the cost was Rs. 34,25,000. It refers to an engraved stone over the Shishi Gate which reads “The amount is 16, 10, 00,000 Dams and something more, which is 34, 25,000 Rupees of Hindustan, 120,000 Tumans of Iran or 1,21,75,000 Khanis of Turan”. According to Tarikh-i-Daudi, its cost is 80,505,002 Dams (Bahlulis).
The height of the outer wall varies between 10 and 18 meters. Its thickness varies between 10 and 13 meters. The wall has 2 or 3 terraces and varies in thickness, the maximum being 13 meters.