“Shergarh Fort is a mysterious Fort located at Kaimur Hills range in the Kaimur district of Bihar. Kaimur Hills is located in the easternmost part of the Vindhyachal, about 483 kilometres long, extending from around Katangi in the Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh to Sasaram in Rohtas.”
This was our second consecutive weekend, we were out for Sasaram and Kaimur trip with my sister, brother-in-law and a 6-year kid “Eili”. During our first trip, we visited Tutla Bhawani Waterfall only, because it was just an unplanned trip.
//www.instagram.com/embed.js https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3870618404133257 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
We left for Sasaram from Patna early at 8:00 AM. We drove via Naubatpur, Arwal and reached Dheri around 12:30 PM. On the next day, we started at 7:00 AM from Sasaram and reached at Karamchat dam (Shergarh) around 10:30 where the Shergarh Fort is located.
As the fort is a strategically built structure, one could not see the fort area from the hill base. Moreover, the other two sides are surrounded by the Durgawati River from the western to southern side and the other side is dense forests. To start the trek, you can take a road going southward of Karamchat Dam and cross a nearby canal, you will find the starting point of Shergarh Fort on the base. We found some difficulty in finding the start point so I marked it on google at that time (check on google map).
Trek Starting Point
When we start our trek around 11:0O AM, there was no one around except a few guys at a small tea shop near the base. I asked them; is it safe to go on the top to see the fort? One replied very gently to go without any problem. There is no specific parking near to that place, we parked our car just near the trek starting point. When you start to hike, there is a road on the left side that goes to a waterfall, as locals said, we continued on the trekking path. The trek paths are old rocky stairs. As we move further, we got some splendid views of agricultural land and canals stretched over several sq. miles. Kaimur and Rohtas districts are known for producing high-quality rice and wheat due to the fertile soil. We were hiking very slowly, it took us around an hour to reach where you can see the outer fortification. Eili & I shouted “we reached”, but surprisingly it was just an entry to the fort outer boundary. We found a narrow gate, surrounded by ramparts from both sides; stairs become steeper near it.
Outer to Inner Boundary
When you enter the gate, the left side path will take you to the fort main area and the right one will take you to the Karamchat Dam viewpoint side. We moved toward the fort and went further for 15 minutes on flat land and stop for taking some rest. Still, we could not see anyone around us, suddenly my sister said: “Hey let’s move back, no one is going this way, I think we took the wrong way”.
I said, “This is the stereotype of our people”. People from our town or city get fear to visit new places and say why our Bihar does not have much tourist location? Unless we do not take our kids and people and let them know about the beauty of Bihar how people of other locations visit us.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3870618404133257 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});A few moments later, we found a group of people coming toward us. She just relaxed and said, “Now we can go further few people are coming to this side only”. We moved further for 20 minutes and reached a gate again stairs are steeper than before. That gate was a main entry to the fort area. There are ruins corridor-like structures on both sides when you enter the inner gate. We move further inside, it is the month of August, it’s autumn in the Kaimur, the Sun was playing hide and seek and it was pleasant weather on the top. As we go deeper, I saw a fortification, I suddenly move and jumped on it. I was just mesmerized by the beauty of Durgawati River from the top. The blue cloud in the sky was making it even more beautiful.
Underground Chambers
Finally, we were assisted by a local guy, he took us further inside into the fort. We reached near the Citadel and Palaces area. We come across serval underground chambers go down by stairs from a different direction. As described somewhere, these underground chambers are Nach-ghar or dancing hall, Raniwas and Chhota Raniwas. Few are mentioned to be as Bada Angana and Chhota Angana. They were meant for the resident purpose for the emperors and their tenants. We could able to access few massages only because others were blocked with either debris or forest bushes around them.
Recent Development in the region
The Grand Trunk road gives good road connectivity to access the Karamchat dam and the fort hill base for the visitors. A major irrigation project called Durgawati reservoir project was inaugurated in 2018 by the Bihar government. The Durgawati dam having canal systems to help farmers irrigate their land for cultivation. It helps in irrigation of around 33,000 hectares of land in Kaimur and Rohtas districts, known for producing high-quality rice and wheat due to the fertile soil.
A road via Karamchat Dam along the side of Durgawati River is under construction, this will connect to a famous Gupta Dham Mahadev Temple also known as Gupteshwar Dham. It will be around 15km from the Shergarh. The Gupta Dham is a famous pilgrim’s site of Sasaram during Shravani month. Government must plan for embarking on the Journey to the beautiful Durgawati River and the Ruins of Shergarh Fort must be maintained and renovated.
https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3870618404133257 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Things to Do
- Trek distance is around 3 to 4 km to reach inside the fort.
- After going inside, the area is a network free zone.
- There is no water source and eatery shop on the top, so take enough water with you during summer. Please do not litter any plastic and food raps on the hilltop.
- The location is very safe for travel and hiking, still, I recommend going in a group only.
How to reach
Form Patna one can drive via Naubatpur, Arwal, Dheri and reach Shergarh via Chenari. Another route is via Ara, Jagdispur, Dinara, Mohania and Bhabua. From both the road are just excellent to drive around 200 Km. If you are coming from any other location, Grand Trunk road connectivity with states roads will help to reach Shergarh.
Where to stay
Both Sasaram and Bhabua, are good towns. You can choose any of the locations for staying. We stayed at Rohit International in Sasaram and Hotel Sivoy in Bhabua. There are several places to stay both in Sasaram and Bhabua.
IM-BIHAR 