Skardu Fort or Kharpocho , 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.
History
The fort was built by king Ali Sher Khan Anchan at the end of the sixteenth century.2
The fort remained capital of Maqpoon dynasty till fall of the Maqpoon Monacrch Ahmad Shah in the hands of Dogras in 18th century.3
During his invasion of Baltistan in 1840, the Dogra general Zorawar Singh stormed it and razed it to the ground.45
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.678
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skardu Fort.Gallery
External links
References
Greg Child (1998). Thin Air: Encounters in the Himalayas. The Mountaineers Books. p. 72. ISBN 9780898865882. 9780898865882 ↩
Shiri Ram Bakshi (January 1997). Kashmir: Valley and Its Culture. Sarup & Sons. p. 124. ISBN 9788185431970. 9788185431970 ↩
"Tourism, Sports, Culture, Archaeology & Museums Department | District Tours". visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 March 2025. https://visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk/tour/id/7 ↩
Shankar Prasad (2005). The Gallant Dogras: An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment. Lancer Publishers. p. 18. ISBN 9788170622680. 9788170622680 ↩
GD Bakshi (2002). Footprints in the Snow: On the Trail of Zorawar Singh. Lancer Publishers. p. 155. ISBN 9788170622925. 9788170622925 ↩
J Francis (2013). Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9789382652175. 9789382652175 ↩
Jagjit Singh Arora (2000). With Honour & Glory: Wars fought by India 1947–1999. Lancer Publishers. p. 13. ISBN 9788170621096. 9788170621096 ↩
B. Chakravorty (1995). Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. pp. 352–353. ISBN 9788170235163. 9788170235163 ↩