Type: Monument - Fort
Province: Gilgit-Baltistan
District: Skardu
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 16th Century CE
Description: Kharpocho Fort stands on the eastern face of the Khardong hill/rocky spurs that divides Skardu from the Indus River. The fort can be attributed to Ali Sher Khan Anchan (1560-1625), which commands a grand view of the city. On the top of the hill there was a watch tower, the remains of which can still be seen. At the foot of the hill on a sandy plain, there are several graves with marble flat sealing slabs on their top, belonging to the ancestors of the present Raja of Skardu. The present fort was rebuilt by the Dogra ruler Ranbir Singh as his stone slab inscription in Persian and Hindi, in which the date given is 1941 Vikram S. 1884 CE. On the southern slope of the hill provides an access to the Fort, there were some constructions, which were burnt down and destroyed in the past. On the northern face of the hill at the bottom, there is a small mud structure and this side a garden was laid by Gul Khatoon. The mud structure is called Mindoq Khar. The construction of the fort is entirely different from the older fort as it betrays battlemented round tower like constructions of Mughal taste. The main fort occupies a higher flat area, about 305 m above the present sandy deposit of the graves. Water arrangement has been made for a water reservoir.
Latitude: 35.301817000
Longitude: 75.643133000
Ownership: Private
Legal Status: Not Protected
Title of Publication: Built Heritage of Gilgit Baltistan by Baltistan Culture and Development Foundation
Published In: Unpublished
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Anonymous
