Kankwari is a 17th-century fort located in the Sariska Tiger Reserve. It is famous for its strategic isolation and for being the site where Aurangzeb imprisoned his brother Dara Shikoh.
Detailed Historical Chronicle
Kankwari Fort: The Forest Citadel of Sariska
Kankwari Fort, situated in the rugged heart of the Sariska tiger reserve in Alwar district, was constructed by Raja Jai Singh I of Amber in the 17th century.
1. Imperial Prison of Dara Shikoh The fortress is immortalized in Mughal-Rajput history as the isolated state prison where Emperor Aurangzeb banished his elder brother, the philosophical crown prince Dara Shikoh, following his capture after the Battle of Deorai in 1659. Surrounded by sheer precipices and dense tiger-inhabited forests, Kankwari provided an escape-proof redoubt.
2. Architecture & Ramparts The fort features three tiers of bastions, stone-paved ramparts, a central palace pavilion, and deep stepwells.