Pithoragarh Fort ( Soargarh Kila)

I have witnessed the change taking place at this historical place from my childhood when Pithoragarh Tehsil was functional at this Kila. My primary school i.e. Gandhi Vidya Peeth was adjacent to the fort and I along with my some friends use to come to this place after our school time was over & enjoy playing here. Tehsil was shifted from here few years back and it has been renovated. Few shops namely the city icon Kumaon Namkeen Udyog, Bhav Rag Tal Academy practice center, Hotel, Museum exhibiting city folk attracts the tourists from the city and also to the visitors coming to visit Soarghati. There is a ticket of Rs Twenty to be purchased by all visitors to the Kila. The scenery of city pithoragarh looks very beautiful while walking along with the perimeter fence track.

A small fort in the city center. Tells you the story of Gorkhas. It looks more beautiful in evening with lights. You can see the view of a part of the city.

This place is situated in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and from here one can see the view of the market and city of Pithoragarh. This place is here during the time of British and Gorkha period. Gadh i.e. Fort was built in gorkha period and since then it is famous for the people. It has been opened to the public.

Pithoragarh Fort (Hindi: पिथौरागढ़ किला) is a fort in Pithoragarh in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It was built during Chand period by regional ruler Peeru Alias Prithwi Gusain. According to some records, this fort was constructed by the Gorkhas in the year 1789, after invading the town. The Pithoragarh Fort is situated on a hill on the outskirts of the town of Pithoragarh. At present, the fort is in dilapidated condition.

Pithoragarh Fort, also known by many other names like the London Fort, Baulaki Fort (bowl-shaped fort), and the Gorkha Killa is among the top places to visit in the Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand. This small fort gives a majestic top view of Pithoragarh nestled in the Kali Kumaon Hills.

So, let us explore this tiny but beautiful fort…

Pithoragarh Fort is located in the easternmost district of Uttarakhand state, Pithoragarh, also famous by the name of Mini Kashmir of Uttarakhand.

It is situated at an approximate altitude of 1650 meters from the sea level, as written on the plaque outside the fort.

Distance of Pithoragarh from main cities of India is given here- Delhi-496 km, Mumbai-1885 km, Chennai-2356 km, Kolkata-1423 km, Haridwar-436 km, Dehradun-489 km, Jaipur-736 km, Shimla-803 km, Lucknow-441 km Ahmedabad-1409 km and Bengaluru-2363 km.
The fort is said to be constructed by Peeru Alias Prithvi Gusain, who ruled the region in the Chand Period, in the year 1789.

The town was ruled by the Chand dynasty and got its name Pthoragarh from the ruler Pithora Chand. Also, the fort was named as Pithoragarh Fort after the name of the town Pithoragarh.

In 1815, the area of Kumaon was captured by the Britishers and they changed the fort’s name from Baulaki Fort to London fort under the leadership of E.Gardner.

For more than 130 years, since 1881, this fort was used as a working office for tehsil, but now it is being converted to its original form to attract tourists.

Efforts are continuously made to save this fort from getting ruined and adding new features like museum to it for promoting tourism and declaring as a National Heritage.

It is spread over an area of about 6.5 Nali or 1300 sq. meters. Nali is a unit to measure area of land and is mainly used in Uttarakhand. 1 nali (drain land) =200.6 sq. m.

It mainly contains open grounds, with around 6-7 feet high walls, meant to be safe from attacks of enemies. The length of the walls is about 88.5 meters.

The thick walls also have 152 holes for firing guns on the enemies without being get noticed by them.

A memorial plaque is also located inside the fort that states that 1005 soldiers participated in the World War I from Pithoragarh and 32 of them lost their lives.

Many rooms with tilted maroon roofs, are also present within the fort premises to house museum and art collections in them.
The nearest Railway Station to the Pithoragarh Fort is the Tanakpur Railway Station, which is located at a distance of 148 km from the fort. Cars and taxi services can be used to reach the fort.

The nearest Airport to the Pithoragarh Fort is the Naini Saini Airport, at a driving distance of 7 km and can be accessed within 20 minutes.

Pithoragarh district is well connected with the other parts of the state through roads also. Buses are the best mode of transport from nearby areas in Uttarakhand.

Entry Fee-
The entry fee charged to the visitors is INR 10 per person and that seems to be optimum with the less management and development works done there.

No entry fee is charged to children below the age of 5 years.

Timings of the fort-
The timings of this fort are from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. And it is open for the visitors on all the days of a week.

Hotels and Restaurants Nearby-
Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam guest houses and hotels are the best accommodation that one can have in the close vicinity of the Pithoragarh Fort.

Saraswati Restaurant, Meghna, and Jyonar are some of the places to eat nearby the fort. A canteen is also located within the fort premises.

What a great place to visit. Weather is also awesome.
Nice view point.
Nice people of theirs.

Beautiful place to visit in Pithoragarh city. It is very near to the market area, almost each part of the city can be viewed from the view points in the fort.

Local art and crafts centre is being set up inside the fort(pics attested). There is still much work to be done, like making a museum inside. Still a great place to hangout with friends and visit with family.

A good place to visit

Gorkha Killa is a historical fort of Pithoragarh. It belongs to the Gorkha ampire.It is situated in the middle of the city where you can see all the pithoragarh in one just place. Its design somehow feels like the forts of Rajasthan.

This place is calm, quite and unexplored. People visit Manali, Shimla etc but the beauty of this place is enhanced by the low population density. The food quality is also good.

A Historical place..... very good place to see history of kumau...

A great view point of pithoragarh city .....to know about our history .....and much more things like local crafts.....and a kumaoni restorant.....which is the best part of it and it has a perfect view of the city too...

Best panoramic view of pithoragarh city from one place, must visit

Nice place and the view is awesome.

Feeling like a heaven.. Such a natural vintage place..

It was built during chand period. Named after the king Pithor . Historic architecture and also known as london fort.
Nice place to get scenic view of Pithoragarh.

Good place to visit when in Pithoragarh. Gives a panoramic view of whole Pithoragarh district.

A very beautiful place to hangout.

One of the most beautiful place in Pithoragarh. Multiple places to sit and have a beautiful 360 view of Pithoragarh. I would suggested to visit here early morning or evening time. That time you will get best views from here. There is a cafe here if you want to eat and an art gallery to purchase souvenirs.

Nice work done by the team of sai computer

Pithoragarh Fort is one of the most beautiful historical buildings of the town...... it is situated in the middle of the city and one can see the view of entire City from this Fort ........this Fort is magnificently built and it is surrounded by a wall.... this fort has seen Rulers of Gorkha dynasty as well as the the British rulers so it is a symbol of history as well as architecture magnificence....

visit this place and see the architectural brilliance.... 👍