Mangla Devi Fort - Nowshera Rajouri | मंगला देवी नोशेरा ALC India Pakistan Border🇮🇳🇵🇰

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Mangla Devi Fort is one of the and oldest forts of Rajouri district constructed during Dogra rule and remained the centre of power for about 100 years. This fort is about 30 kilometer in the south of Sunderbani and 17 kilometers in the north of Nowshera town. This old monument is connected with a 7 kilometers approach road which leads from Seri township towards Mangla Devi Fort. The village where the Fort is located is also known as Mangla Devi village. The Fort is spreaded over 60 an elevated mound from where the whole valley of Nowshera and Sunderbani is exposed upto to Beja Bai, Gagiote, Lamberi, Kalal range, Beri Pattan, Thanda Pani, Ding Mangiot etc. The buildings within the fort walls have been damaged completely while the surrounding walls are intact. The length of these walls varies from 30 feet to 85 feet. The chiselled stone and lime have been used in the construction of the fort. The inner portion of the fort is divided into two parts. Presently the lower part is occupied by Doordarshan where a TV tower has been installed. The upper portion comprises of two temples out of which one temple older than the fort which is situated on the extreme elevated site. Apart from temples there is wide open space spread over about 20 kanal area. The ruins of old buildings and rooms within the fort in the upper portion indicates that this portion was used for residential as well as administrative purposes. There were two ponds within the fort where the rain fed water was conserved and used for drinking purpose in the past. Another temple has recently been constructed near the main gate of the fort. Presently a rest house is available at site for tourists. However, there is a need of more guest houses near the fort so that this ancient monument could be converted into the destination of religious and heritage tourism.
Presently there are three temples in Mangla Devi Fort. The first one is the ancient temple constructed during 1827-1846 AD while the second temple has recently been constructed within the fort building. Another temple has been constructed near the main gate of the fort. During Navratra days a big Mela is organized in the ancient temple in Mangla Devi Fort in which more than fifty thousand pilgrims from Lamberi, Kalakote, Siot, Sunderbani, Beja Bai and Nowshera area participate and celebrate the occasion with religious ceremonies.
In 1827 AD Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of Punjab bestowed Chabal Jagir (Nowshera-Bhimber) to his Prime Minister Raja Dayan Singh, the brother of Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. Raja Dayan Singh never came to this area but he appointed his Governors to rule the principality. This principality along with Poonch Jagir remained under the possession of Raja Dayan Singh and his sons Raja Moti Singh and Raja Jawahar Singh upto 1846 AD. During this period five forts were constructed in this track including Mangla Devi Fort where these forts were used by the forces of Raja Dayan Singh for storing of grains collected from the farmers in the shape of revenue. The prisoners and the rebels were also kept in these Forts. Later on when Jammu and Kashmir state was established after the Amritsar Pact of 15 March 1846 AD the Chabal principality including Mangla Devi Fort came under the possession of Maharaja Gulab Singh.
It is said that before the construction of Mangla Devi Fort there was the shrine of of Mangla Devi at this place. The masons deployed for the construction of the fort by Raja Dayan Singh had broken the stone idol of Mangla Devi into three pieces without knowing that this was the idol of Mangla deity. Therefore the walls which were constructed by the masons broken again and again. In the meantime, Raja Dayan Singh had a dream in which deity Mangla Mata told him that unless her temple is constructed on the top of the mound and her idol is established in the temple the fort will not sustain. Raja Dayan Singh immediately passed orders for the construction of the Temple Mangla Mata at the elevated place within the fort. Therefore the construction of Fort was taken up only after the construction of the Temple of Mangla deity within the premises of the Fort. Raja Dayan Singh also named the Fort as Mangla Devi Fort. The village around the mound where Fort is constructed was also renamed as Mangla Devi village. It is interesting to note that during 18th and 19th centuries the natives of Mirpur, Bhimber and Nowshera area were the devotees of Mangla Mata or Mangla Mai. There was a big Mangla Devi Temple at Mirpur (now in POK) before independence. Presently a dam has been constructed by Pakistan at the site of Mangla Mata Temple and surrounding areas which is still known as Mangla Dam after the name of Mangla Mai.