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Rohtas Fort
Rohtas Fort is an outstanding example of early Muslim
military architecture in the Indian subcontinent which incorporates features
from elsewhere in the Islamic world. It also had a profound influence on the
development of architectural styles in the Mughal Empire (and hence on the
European colonial architecture that made abundant use of that tradition).
 Rohtas Fort (Urdu: قلعہ
روہتاس Qila Rohtas) 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 in the Indian Subcontinent.
Sher Shah constructed Qila Rohtas to block Emperor
Humayun's return to India
after defeating him in the Battle of Kanauj. This fort lies on the old GT road
between the North (Afghanistan)
to the Plains of Punjab. It blocked the way from Peshawar
to Lahore. The
other reason was to suppress the local tribe of this region Potohar called
Gakhars who were allies of Humayun and refused their allegiance to Sher Shah
Suri. The Emperor instructed the local Janjua Rajput tribe to help construct
the fort to crush the Gakhars when the latter became openly defiant and
persecuting labourers who attended the construction.
The Fort was built by Todar Mal under orders of Sher Shah.
This fort was built in the Afghan-Persian architectural
style. Afghans and Persians Kings had been coming to the Indian subcontinent
for at least 5 centuries before the construction of this fort. Before the
construction of this fort, the combination of these styles had not been
harmonious. Qila Rohtas is the earliest example of the successful mixing of
these two styles with the Afghan style being more prominent.
The elements of Hindu architecture are
1. Balconies on Sohail Gate.
2. Decorations on
Shahi Mosque derived from Hindu architecture.
3. Haveli Man
Singh (Pure Hindu architecture)
The elements of Afghan architecture are
1. Utilitarian
construction.
2. Use of stone
instead of bricks in building wall.
3. No living
quarters.
4. Comparatively
less decoration
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