page_title: Munger Fort
section_title: Other monuments in the fort
hierarchical_section_title: Munger Fort / Other monuments in the fort
caption_attribution_description: English: The old palace buildings within the fort along the riverside at Monghyr (Bihar).
context_page_description: The Munger Fort, located at Munger, in the state of Bihar, India, is built on a rocky hillock on the south bank of the Ganges River. Its history is not completely dated but it is believed that it was built during the early rule of Slave dynasty of India. The Munger town where the fort is situated was under the control of Muhammad bin Tughluq of Delhi. The fort has two prominent hills called the Karnachaura or Karanchaura, and the other a built up rectangular mound deduced to be the location of a citadel of the fort with historical links. The Fort had a succession of Muslim rulers
context_section_description: The famous monuments located within the fort are:
  Tomb of Pir Shah Nufa
  Pir Shah Nufa, originally of Persin origin, was a Sufi saint who was sent to Munger by his guru Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. His tomb dating his death to A.H. 596 (1177 AD) is located near a rampart in the fort close to the southern gate. It was built over an area of 100 feet (30 m) square with retaining walls supporting all round, on a 25 feet (7.6 m) high heap of earth (conjectured to be ruins of former Hindu or Buddhist structure). The carved stones of these ancient temples were pitted by holes and depressions, with the belief that such disfiguring would cure certain diseases of children. The domed tomb chamber, 16 feet (4.9 m) square with circular turrets, also encloses a prayer room and a restroom. Some ruins of ancient Hindu temples are also seen in the vicinity of this tomb.
  Palace of Shah Shuja
  Though locally known as the 'Palace of Shuja', the Mughal Prince, it is inferred to have been built earlier by Nawab Mir Qasim Ali, who also ruled from Munger. The palace is bounded by high rise walls on three sides and the Ganges river on the west side. As in any palace of the Mughals, it consisted of a Khas Mahal or 'Zanana Palace', the 'Diwane-I-Am' or Public Audience Hall and the Tope-Khana or Armoury (made of 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m) thick walls) (now a dormitory).  There was also a mosque on the west side of the palace, now in ruins, but used as storehouse. There was a Turkish bath (hammam) and a dressing room to the west of the present day jailer's office. An interesting feature noted below the floor of the mosque is a dry well or pit of 10–12 feet (3.0–3.7 m) depth, which leads to several tunnels running in different directions. The well was, in earlier times, connected to the river through an opening, which has since been shored up. The Khas Mahal of the palace and the Public Audience Hall inside the fort, which are now seen mostly in ruins, are used as a jail and a school for the convicts.
  Tomb of Mulla Muhammed Said
  Tomb of Mullah Mohammed Said was situated on the bastion at the south-west of the fort, but has since been removed. Mulla Mohammed Said hailing from Mazandran near the Caspian Sea, was a Persian poet (under the nom-de-plume of Ashraf). He was employed by Emperor Aurangzeb to tutor his daughter Zebunnisa Begum. He was also under the employment of Azim Shah, grandson of Aurangzeb, and who was the viceroy of Bihar. The Mullah, while on his way from Bengal to Mecca, died at Munger fort in 1704 and his tomb existed inside the fort.
  The Kashtaharini Ghat on the Ganges
  The Ganges river that flows in front of Munger fort takes a turn in its flow direction towards the north ('Uttara vahini' in Sanskrit means: "north flowing"). At this location, a ghat (stepped approach to the river edge from the high bank built in stones) was constructed, which has a legend linked to it. An inscription at Kannauj records that Govind Chandra of Kannauj, a Gahadvala King, granted land on the bank of the river to build a ghat, after bathing in the Ganges river at Mudgagiri (Munger) on the occasion of the Hindu festival known as Akshaya Tritiya. There are several antiquities that have been unearthed at this ghat such as: an inscription of about the 10th century AD on the wall of the gateway that refers to king Bhagiratha and the construction of a Shiva temple; discovery of carvings and sculptures by archaeologist Bloch in 1903; an inscribed image of Dhyani Buddha (Buddha in meditation pose) describing the Buddhist doctrine; preserved now in the Indian Museum at Kolkata). Hence, this location is venerated by the Hindus.
  Chandisthana
  Chandisthana (meaning: place of goddess Chandi) is the location of a shrine, which is a village deity of goddess Chandi (Chandi or Caṇḍīika is the name by which the Supreme Goddess is referred to in Devi Mahatmya). It is considered as one of the 64 shakti peethas (a tantric cultural centre) in India. It is depicted in the form of a hole in a rock dated to the rule of king Karna Vikrama. The conjecture that it could be part of a
caption: The old Shuja palace buildings within the Munger Fort
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