Sujanpur Tira Fort - Glory of Katoch Dynasty

 

Sujanpur, its name from the Hindi word Sajjanpur, which means "the town of honest and gentle people". The name was later changed to Sujanpur Tira when Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch moved his capital from Kangra to here, and constructed large buildings at the top of the hill ‘Tira’. Hence the name 'Tira' was attached to its original name of Sujanpur.

 

 

 

Abhay Chand Katoch—the ruler—built a fortified palace at the top of the hill called Tira in 1748 AD. When Kangra was taken over by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after the Jwalamukhi treaty with Sansar Chand, Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch moved his capital to Sujanpur on the left bank of the River Beas. He also created a one square kilometer green ground in the midst of the town (called Chaugan) which was used to train soldiers for war. Part of the ground is now occupied by Sanik School. Maharaja Sansar Chand died in 1824 in Alampur, just across Sujanpur Tira on the opposite side of Beas River. The Fort of Sujanpur Tira still belongs to the descendants of Maharaja Sansar Chand. Adjoining the Fort is the Maharaja Sansar Chandra Museum run by the Royal Family of Kangra.

 

 

 

Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch built large palaces and temples. Some of the temples are places of great architecture and Kangra paintings. The Murlimanohar temple, now known as Bansiwala temple stands on the left side of the ground and the Narvadeshwar temple dedicated to Shiva-Parvti overlooks the bank of the Beas river. Another temple is Thakardwara, and there are also other smaller temples. The temples were built in 1790 AD and 1823 AD by Maharani Pransani Devi-Suketi, Rani of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch. Maharaja Sansar Chand also built the Chamunda Devi temple within the premises of the palace, which still exists. The people of Sujanpur are very religious-minded. Sujanpura Tira houses five temples and a hall called Baradari, where the court was held in the region of Sansar Chand. The entrance of the fort is an impressive one with signs of some excellent wall paintings over it. The main attraction of the fort is the Gauri Shankar Temple that is within the precincts of the palace. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shankar and Goddess Parvati and has a large number of wall paintings executed in the precision.

 

 

Sujanpur Tira Fort is situated at a distance of 22kms from Hamirpur town and touches the Kangra border. Sujanpur is connected by road to all of the major towns in Himachal Pradesh, as well as the rest of the country. Its neighboring towns include Hamirpur, Palampur, Joginder Nagar, and Dharamshala. There are many bus connections to surrounding towns and cities. The nearest railway station is in Maranda.

 

 

Sujanpur has an average elevation of 562 metres (1,844 feet). The climate varies with hot summers and cold winters. The winter is especially severe on the banks of Beas River. The temperature varies from 38 °C (100 °F) in the summer, to almost 0 °C (32 °F) in the winter. In the winter there are often areas of low-lying clouds.