Motorcycling to Dhamoni and Pidaruwa

     Hi there .
        It was a beautiful weekend,since for he first time I had planned a bike ride over 400km first for me.I had planned to ride to the fort of Dhamoni and Pidaruwa.Both these forts have a glorious past .I had began the ride preparation a day prior, basically reading about the destination ,checking the route on the google etc. 

     The ride began at 0705am on a chilly morning,

     Route           - Jhansi-Lalitpur-Rajwas-Dhamoni-Pidaruwa-chhoti Pali-Lalitpur.
     Road side assitance   - Avlb at number of places.
     Condition of roads-
          Rd Jhansi-lalitpur-Rajwas-Excellent road fit for all types of bikes and you can easily              hit 100 km plus.
          Rd Rajwas-Dhamoni  - At places it is good but unmettled at many places,has sharp              bends.One has to be careful driving.
          Rd Dhamoni-Pidaruwa - It goes through reserve forest, it is very scenic.
          Rd Pidaruwa-Chotti pali-Excellent.
          Rd Chotti Pali-Jhansi - Mega highway.
    Eateries      - This time I tried a dhaba ,food was great and super cheap.

Dhamoni

     It was a important trading centre in Malwa region.It was originally a garhi,build in 15th century by gond chief Surat Shah.Bir Singh captured the fort from Gonds ,strengthen it ,rebuilt its walls.It occupies an area of 52 acres. Bir singhs son Narhardas ruled from this fort.It was later on captured by Aurangzeb,however surrounding areas remained with Bundelas.

     After resurgence of Chattrasal ,it was always a target for the Bundelas as it was a thorn in the crown of the Bundelas .Aurangzab had planned to make Dhamoni as a launch pad for his deccan operations, however the Bundelas did not allow it to materialise. Chattrasal like his inspiration Shivaji Maharaj killed a number of Mughal generals in battle for Dhamoni. In the final battle of Dhamoni, Bahlol Khan was killed this led to surrender of Dhamoni to Chattrasal in 1700. 

    In 1799 it was captured by Bhonsles of Nagpur ,during their campaign in Sagar region.It eventually fell to British in 1818,after a stiff battle by Bhonsles against Maj Gen Marshall's forces.

     During the campaign of Shahjehan against Orchha King Jujhar singh ,it was used by Jujher singh from temporary refugee .The rivalry between the two goes back when Jujhar Singh captured the fort of Gond chief Prem Narayan and killed him.Gonds were protectorate of Sahajehan,inspite of warning, Jujhar had captured the fort,the mughals resolved to teach a lesson to Bundela Jujhar singh.

    The campaign was led by Aurangzeb,who after a bitter fight was able to capture the fort but not Jujhar singh and his son. Jujhar had moved deep in Gond territory along with his wives,however the gonds surrounded them. In true rajput tradition the Bundelas resolve to fight to finish and to remove any possibility of their women being caught by mughals ,they killed many and disfigured others .The mugals finally captured and brutally slained all the men.The heads of Jujhar Singh and his son were hung on gates of Sihore town.    

    The fort is spread across 52 Acres,as of now only a few buildings are  surviving.

    If you want to see how your bikes suspension works on  traffic less jungle road than pls travel on this road,infact from Dhamoni town to Dhamoni fort there is no sign posted nor does any  road exits,its a jungle track. After going about a kilometre you fist come across a masjid.

    

      As you move further 500mts you come across the giant gates of the fort.

      Its a worth visit for a biker ,its totally away from population,in midst of jungle ,complete fort is full of trees barring few buildings.if not for history go for bike ride,challenge yourselves to  do cornering on this jungle roads ,halt at any place and listen to jungle noises,only traffic is 2 wheelers and bullock carts.

   Some of the important buildings in the fort,are Rani Mahal,Baradari etc

All above snaps of Rani mahal

Baradari

Remnants of old Bundeli painting at least century old

     The Dhamoni village also has a mazar  of Baljati Shah teacher of Sheikh Faizal who was poet in Akbar's court and main instrument in, many of religious experiments by Akbar on his quest for spiritualism.

Pidaruwa

        The route from Dhamoni to Pidaruwa fort is through reserve forest,its an absolute pleasure to  drive on this road,the forest cover is thick.The Pidaruwa was built by malwa sultans to guard the route coming form Lalitpur.It rose to eminence when it was captured by Mardan Singh during 1858.It was used by Mardan Singh to check the english moving from Sagar to Jhansi.It lost its significance as the fire of first war of independence in Bundelkhand died down in 1859.There is not much to see,as accept for fort walls rest nothing is there.

Centuries old Jain temple in Pidaruwa

     On my way back I had lunch at this dhaba at Betna,about 30 km from Lalitpur on Sagar Road,excellent food,however avoid his dal tadka it is full of oil,try his lip smacking Sev Bhaji in Masala.

    The best part of Biking is it takes you samll hidden treasures of India,through many unknown places,almost all people are curious and very friendly always ready to help.

Excellent tea shop on Jhansi-Banpur rd near Lalitpur

Beautiful country roads near Dhamoni

Kids always ready to come along with you

   It was a well spent day ,i feel that our country is so diverse and beautiful that one life is not enough to see it .Adios and Merry Christmas to all.