Kalinjar Fort

Kalinjar Fort (Sanskrit: कालंजर, IAST: Kālañjara) is one of the largest fortified cities in India. It was one of eight famous forts built by the Chandela emperors and served as the military capital of the Chandela Empire. The fort occupies an isolated rocky hill at the eastern end of the Vindhya Range, rising 1,203 feet (367 meters) above sea level and 800 feet (244 meters) above the surrounding plains. It now forms part of a National Geo-Heritage Site by GCI, and lies in present-day Banda district. Before its fortification by the Chandelas, Kalinjar was an important religious centre, and some of its earliest religious structures date back to the Gupta period. The site was ruled by several dynasties before and after the Chandelas, including the Kurus of Chedi, Guptas, Pushyabhutis, Varmanas of Kannauj, Pratiharas, Rashtrakuta, Bundelas, Baghelas of Rewa, Mughals, Marathas, and the British.