Chunar Fort
| Chunar Fort | |
|---|---|
| Part of Chunar City | |
| Mirzapur Uttar Pradesh, India | |
North view of the fort from across the Ganges River. | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Code | CAR |
| Controlled by | Archaeological Survey of India Ministry of Tourism |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 25°07′32″N 82°52′29″E / 25.1255°N 82.8747°E |
| Height | 280 feet (85 m) |
| Site history | |
| Built | Eleventh century and improvements in sixteenth century |
| Built by | King Sahadeo in 1029 |
| Materials | Chunar sandstone |
The Chunar Fort (also known as Chandrakanta Chunargarh and Charanadri) is located in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, in India. The fort and Chunar town, near Mirzapur city, situated below the fort, are two historic places with common history and legends. It is located 34 kilometres (21 mi) northwest of Mirzapur. The southeastern part of the fort is on the rocky bank of the Ganges River. The fort's history spans from 56 BC, Sher Shah Suri's (1532) rule, the Mughal Empire rule (Humayun, Akbar and many others including Nawab of Awadh) up to 1740, late Kashi Naresh Maharaja Balwant Singh had conquered it from nawab of awadh in 1740 and kept under his control till 1768 as British military officer Hector Munro had taken over it from Kashi Naresh and used it as a military base. Kashi Naresh Maharaja Chet Singh had again gain control on this fort till 1781. Lastly, the British Raj occupied the fort till 1947 when India gained independence. Chunar railway station is on the Mughalsarai–Kanpur section of Howrah–Delhi main line.