Skardu Fort

{{Short description|Historic site in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan}}

{{Infobox historic site

| name = Kharpocho Fort
{{nq|قلعہ کھرپوچو }}

| image = Kharpocho Fort, Skardu.jpg

| caption = A view of fort from the foot of Mont Kharpocho

| locmapin = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan

| location = Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan

| coordinates={{coord|35.30406|75.63957|region:PK_scale:2000_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| built = 16th Century CE

| restored =

}}

File:THOMSON(1852) p232 ISKARDO FORT.jpg

Skardu Fort or Kharpocho (Balti:{{Nastaliq| کھر فچو}}; {{langx|ur|قلعہ سکردو}}), meaning The king of Forts, is a fort in Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The fort mainly served as a military stronghold and strategic lookout. Australian mountaineer and film maker Greg Child writes that the fort is "perched above the junction of the rivers" and overlooks the Rock of Skardu.{{cite book|author1=Greg Child|title=Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas|date=1998 |publisher=The Mountaineers Books|isbn=9780898865882|page=[https://archive.org/details/thinairencounter00chil/page/72 72]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/thinairencounter00chil/page/72}}

History

The fort was built by king Ali Sher Khan Anchan at the end of the sixteenth century.{{cite book|author1=Shiri Ram Bakshi|title=Kashmir: Valley and Its Culture|date=January 1997 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=9788185431970|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC/page/n134 124]}}

The fort remained capital of Maqpoon dynasty till fall of the Maqpoon Monacrch Ahmad Shah in the hands of Dogras in 18th century.{{Cite web |title=Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology & Museums Department {{!}} District Tours |url=https://visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk/tour/id/7 |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk}}

During his invasion of Baltistan in 1840, the Dogra general Zorawar Singh stormed it and razed it to the ground.{{cite book|author1=Shankar Prasad|title=The Gallant Dogras: An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment|date=2005 |publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=9788170622680|page=18}}{{cite book|author1=GD Bakshi|title=Footprints in the Snow: On the Trail of Zorawar Singh|date=2002 |publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=9788170622925|page=155}}

The fort remains in a state of disrepair, with no visible maintenance efforts. However, the access path has recently been made safer through the installation of metal railings. The fort remains open to public with no entry fee.

Dogra Fort

Zorawar Singh had another fort built on level ground next to the Kharpocho hill. The fort remained till the First Kashmir War in 1947, when the Gilgit Scouts laid a siege to it fighting against the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces under the command of Lt. Col. Sher Jung Thapa. Thapa eventually surrendered after running out of rations.{{cite book|author1=J Francis|title=Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947|date=2013 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd|isbn=9789382652175|pages=26–27}}{{cite book|author1=Jagjit Singh Arora|title=With Honour & Glory: Wars fought by India 1947–1999|date=2000 |publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=9788170621096|page=13}}{{cite book|author1=B. Chakravorty|title=Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners|date=1995 |publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=9788170235163|pages=352–353}}