para manalo At Gondhla's Fort, A Battle Between Heritage And Governance

Suraj Lalpara manalo, 40, was born and raised in the remote village of Gondhla in the tribal Lahaul Valley of Himachal Pradesh. He grew up listening to fascinating tales of the Rajas and Thakurs who once ruled from a grand fort beside his home, a testament to its legacy and historical significance.

The unique tower fort, the only one of its kind, is currently the focus of an intense debate over how to preserve this archaeological landmark before it meets the fate of many similar heritage forts and palaces.

This seven-story architectural marvel built in Kath-Kuni style with the use of indigenous wood and stones, served not only as a royal residence but also as a place for worship and warfare.

Now, as the head of the local panchayat overseeing nine villages with a population of over a thousand, the most important task on Suraj Lal's table is overseeing the fort's transformation into a museum-cum-cultural hub before it succumbs to the ravages of time.

“If made a museum, the site can attract tourists. It could boost the local economy. Otherwise, it’s of no use to locals,” Lal asserts, recalling a resolution passed by the Panchayat some months back.

The local communities, and a group of retired bureaucrats from Lahaul-Spiti, are also pressing hard, seeking funds for preservation of this historical property located on the Manali-Leh National highway, only a few kilometres from the Atal Rohtang Tunnel, with its pristine setting and backdrop of high snow-clad high mountains.

The state’s department of Language, Art and Culture (LAC) initially framed a plan to transfer its care to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the central authority responsible for heritage preservation; but the department soon dropped the plan following local resistance.

Officials in the ASI admit that the fort has some rare features and uniqueness in its architecture not found in any other historical sites in Lahaul-Spiti.

“In 2023, we started the process to take over the site and declare the fort as a protected monument of national importance. However, the state government wrote back as having reversed the earlier decision. It’s their choice,” a senior official confided.

This resistance to ASI's involvement lies in the fact that the local stakeholders fear losing control over heritage sites to national entities. For the ASI, Himachal Pradesh is not a priority, and nor does it have resources to re-develop and restore the fort, least of all using indigenous knowledge in its conservation efforts.

“What have they (ASI) done at 996 CE Tabo Monastery (Spiti), which is over 1000-year old and many of priceless collections of thangkas (scroll paintings), manuscripts, well-preserved statues, frescos and extensive murals have not been taken care. Further, go and see Mrikula Devi Temple, Udaipur. Both places are protected monuments of national importance under ASI in Lahaul-Spiti. The agency has done nothing,” rues local MLA Anuradha Rana.

The fort, almost abandoned and forgotten for years, started attracting attention after the commissioning of the Atal Rohtang Tunnel in 2020, providing all weather connectivity to Lahaul-Spiti , a region that had previously been inaccessible for six to seven months each year due to heavy winter snowfall. The Thakur family and the local villagers had lost hope of seeing the fort come back to life.

When tourists started flocking the area, the local community found potential in the site and realised its architectural significance. This sparked the beginning of preservation efforts, with a focus on turning it as a sustainable tourism destination, through the involvement of state agencies and experts, rather than the ASI.

One of the key reasons for preferring state interventions was the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) strict guidelines to preserve the integrity of protected monuments. These guidelines prohibit construction, whether public or private, within a 100-meter radius of a protected monument. 

Additionally, a further 200-meter zone around the protected monument is considered a regulated area, where construction activities require approval from the competent authority.

Rakesh Kanwar, secretary to state government’s department of LAC, who is also Secretary to Chief Minister, terms this as highly impractical for a mountain state like Himachal Pradesh.

"This 100-meter prohibited zone, along with the additional 200-meter regulated zone around monuments like Gondhla Fort in areas such as the small tribal district (Lahaul-Spiti) could encompass entire villages. Restricting all construction or re-development activities in these zones might infringe upon the rights of local communities," he explains.

Pankaj Lalit, Director, Language, Art,hot646 and Culture (LAC) says the government has taken a decision, in principle, to chart its own conservation path without ASI's involvement.

“Initially, we offered the Gondhla fort site to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for declaring it as a centrally protected monument of national importance for its conservation and upkeep. However, in June 2024, we reversed that decision. The letter dated August 31, 2023, which proposed transferring the site to ASI, has now been withdrawn.”

Gondhla fort has an interesting history. It was built in 1700  A.D. by Raja Man Singh of Kullu,who later also  married a daughter of the Gondhla family to cement his ties with the Thakurs of Lahaul-Spiti. Legend says that Raja Man Singh of Kullu stayed in the fort in 1720 A.D. when he was on his way to Trilokinath temple in Udaipur.

There were four important Thakur families in Lahaul out of which the Thakurs of Gondhla were important during the rule  of the  Rajas of Kullu due to their geographical proximity to Kullu . The Barbog  Thakur family (Bargog is a village near Keylong ) were close to the Gyalpos of Ladakh.They ruled till 1860s after which the Britishers appointed the Thakurs of Keylong as their nominee- the rulers of Lahaul.

Says Ashok Thakur, a retired IAS officer, whose is one of the descendants “The British kept this area alongwith Kullu directly under their rule as they were keen to have access to the Silk Route to Central Asia as well as the Pashmina Shawl wool trade of which Ladakh and Tibet was the centre.

The Gazetteer of Lahaul Spiti makes special note of the natural  beauty of the village Gondhla.

 It reads “Almost immediately opposite Gondhla , the mountain slopes form a stupendous precipice , one of the finest in the world ,152 mts of sheer rock from riverbed to the rugged crest ,a thrilling and spectacular sight. This striking feudal edifice is built of stone and timber and is topped by an overlapping structure, which protrudes several feet on all sides”

Finally, the LAC has now decided to engage Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to undertake the fort's conservation work and suggest says to re-develop it as a heritage site of trans-Himalayas. A study team of five conservation architects camped at Gondhla village to prepare a draft report on measures required for restoration work.

“ After LAC entrusted us with a task for the fort's restoration with an idea of its re-development as culture-cum-tourism hub, we have done a thorough study of its condition.It's in very bad shape really. The report is in the final stages of submission. Rest of things will follow once the government takes its view on our proposals" confirmed by Raaja Bhasin, a Shimla historian, who is also state convenor of the INTACH.

The fort, admits Swapnil Bhole, a Mumbai –based conservation architect, involved in restoration of several ancient temples and forts of heritage importance, admits that Gondhla fort is in complete dilapidated form, neglected and ramshackle. Yet, it has several unique features.

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Its tower type shape, comprising seven floors, is entirely a kath-kuni architecture, which is not peculiar to Lahaul-Spiti, where Buddhist influence has been a dominant factor. We have this architecture style in many temples and houses in Kullu,Mandi and Shimla, not Lahaul-Spiti.

“ We did,however, find remains of Buddhist artefacts inside apart from  statues, weapons, utensils, costumes and furniture. Top floor was used as a kitchen area maybe to help lower floors warm in the winters.The fifth or sixth floor looks like a personal prayer space. Lower stories were stores of old weapons etc” Bhole informs.

Over the years, the fort has faced neglect and decay, with signs of deterioration becoming increasingly visible. Broken windows, damaged doors, and crumbling walls mar its once-imposing facade, leaving cracks in the wood and stone. 

Gondhla Fort is said to be earthquake-proof, a design feature that continues to offer it protection against seismic activity. Its sturdy wooden beams, though wornpara manalo, are still holding strong, echoing the ancient wisdom and architectural knowledge of those times and extreme cold weather there.