T22 GAGRA UN
The fort, which is one of the strongest in Rajputana, is said to have
been built by the Dor or Doda Rajputs, who held it till about the end
of the twelfth century, when they were dispossessed by the Khichi
Chauhans. The latter, under their Raja, jet Singh, successfully resisted
a siege by Ala-ud-din in 1300; but in the time of Raja Achaldas
(about 1428) the place was either taken by, or surrendered to, Hoshang
Shah of Malwa. In 1519 one Bhim Karan is mentioned by the
Musalman historians as being in possession, but he was attacked by
Mahmud Khilji, and was taken prisoner and put to death. Shortly
after this Mahmud was defeated by Rand Sangram Singh of Mewar,
and the Rajputs continued to hold Gagraun till 1532, when Bahadur
Shah of Gujarat took the place. About thirty years later, Akbar, on
his way to Malwa, reached the fort, and gave orders for its reduction,
but the commandant hastened to surrender and presented his tribute,
which greatly pleased the emperor. In the Ain-i-Akbra Gagraun is
mentioned as one of the sarkirs or districts of the 5fibah or province
of Malwa ; and it remained in the possession of the Mughals till the
beginning of the eighteenth century, when Maharao Bhim Singh of
Kotah obtained it by grant from the emperor. Subsequently the fort
was repaired, strengthened, and added to by the regent Zalim Singh.
The fort is separated from the village by a strong high wall, and by a
deep ditch cut in the solid rock and crossed by a stone bridge. The
principal entrance is from the village ; and, after crossing the ditch, the
passage lies between two large bastions, without any gateway, ascending
with high walls on either side till the great gate is reached. Inside the
fort, the path skirts a large excavation in the rock, intended to hold
water but often quite dry, and then zigzags into the inner work through
a large gateway. The exit is to the south-east by a simple doorway in
the wall, from which a descent leads to the end wall immediately over
the river. Hence there is a path which, going back towards the village
but outside the citadel, crosses a small precipice protected by ramparts
6o or 70 feet above the ground, and leads to the two bastions already
mentioned. On the north-east face there is but one wall, the pre-
cipitous nature of the hill here rendering a second and lower wall
unnecessary. The hills and valleys to the north across the KM Sind
are thickly wooded, and the gorge by which that river finds its way out
into the open plains is very fine, high precipices alternating with wooded
slopes on either side. One precipice, absolutely vertical, has been
plumbed and found to be 307 feet in height. It is known as the Gidh-
karai or `vulture's cliff,' and, it is said, was formerly used as a place of
execution by the Kotah chiefs, the victims being hurled on to the rocks
below. The tops of these ridges are the culminating points of the
range, the slope to the open country beyond being gradual. Wild
animals abound, and the parrots are celebrated for their beauty and
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