Ajaigarh Fort was built about 900 by the Chandela kings; the last Indian ruler was a local chieftain named Lakshman Daowa, who surrendered in 1809 to a British force commanded by a Colonel Martindell. The bombardment preceding that surrender left the fort in the ruins seen today.
Path up.
View back down to Ajaigarh town; the current raja's palace is the white mansion in the distance.
One of several successive gates to the fort.
Ganesh protects the fort.
Stairs to the summit wall.
Approaching the top: a spring said to contain Ganges water.
The main gate.
Most of the summit is now forested.
Still it yields resources.
Several ponds or tanks hint at the fort's once-substantial population.
Gate overlooking an east-side descent.
View over the east side.
A sculpture ensemble at the east gate.
Another view of that very peaceful place.
Shiva lingam atop Nandi, Shiva's mount.
Another Ganesh.
Kali.
Nandi.
One of several fragments of the summit palace, now almost entirely in ruins.
Another fragment.
A third fragment.
A fourth fragment of the palace.
Sculptural details reminiscent of the Khajuraho temples.
Interior columns.
Capital.
Entrance.
Detail.
Detail.
