The Uparkot fort and town were established at the foothills of Girnar hill during the reign of the Maurya Empire and continued to be used during the Gupta period.

About The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

Covering an area of 2.74 lakh sq. meters, the Uperkot Fort, Junagadh is fenced high till 66 feet and lengthwise up to 3080 meters. The initial material of interest comes as the sequence of three royal gateways that welcome one into the fort inside. Next, the Nilam canon catches one’s eyes immediately after entering the fort. Cast in the year 1531 in the country of Egypt, the famous canon was left back by a Turkish admiral, Sulaiman Pasha, who served as an assistant to the Sultan of Gujarat during the tensions against Diu in 1538.

History of The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

From the little chronological information that we get regarding the historical origin of the Uperkot Fort, Junagadh was built by Chandragupta Maurya in 319 B.C. Later, around the 10th century, Rah Grahar reconstructed the entire palace out of the ruins and built the fort along with all the updated requirements of a proper one. However, according to whatever evidence is available, it can be said that the fort was erected in or around the third century or in the times of the Mahabharat.

Concrete historical pages since 875 A.D say that the Uperkot Fort had served as the capital to 20 rulers of the following dynasties: Maurya, Gupta, Mandlik, Mahipal, Khengar, and Navghan, sustaining 16 assaults, the last one being in 1784 all with little success though. Further down, the fort has been put to use by the British as military quarters for the country till the year 1947.

Other Attraction At The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

The major monuments inside are Jami Masjid, the mosque, the pillared Buddhist caves, and the most interesting of them all, the two-step wells or irrigation tanks.

The mosque of the Uperkot Fort, Junagadh, originally the palace of Ranakdevi and later turned to a mosque by Muhammad Begada, stands more or less in a pathetically dilapidated state of non-maintenance and encroachment.

The 1500-year-old Baba Pyara Buddhist caves, originated in times of Ashoka, are artificially carved out, going deep into three stories and archeologists date it back to around the 2nd century. The air conditioning system circulated through the channels of water running through the passages is unique. The 6 pillars bear beautiful carvings on them.

The stepwell, named as Adi-Kadi Vav and Navghan Kuvo exhibits excellent architectural specimens by Chudasma Rajputs The former goes down to 250 steps and the latter has a winding staircase of 52-meter depth.

Timings Of The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

06:00 AM to 06:00 PM

Best Time To Visit At The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

The best time to visit is between November and February.

Places To Visit In Junagadh

• Mahabat Maqbara
• Girnar Hill
• Adi-kadi Vav & Navghan Kuwo
• Gir National Park
• Edicts of Ashoka

How To Reach The Uparkot Fort, Junagadh

Junagadh is accessible by ST and Private buses from other cities of Gujarat.