Kamlah Fort

Kamlah fort stands on formidable terrain but it can be trekkersÔÇÖ delight. Named after Kamlah Baba, a local saint, the fort stands on jagged ranges of Sikandar Dhar. Kamlahgarh contains six forts: Kamlah, Chawki, Chabara, Padampur, Shamsherpur and Narsinghpur. Raja Hari Sen, gauging the significance of the strategic location of Sikandar Dhar started to build the fort around 1625, which his son Suraj Sen completed and fortified.

Kamlahiya fort stands at a height of 4772 feet and around it there are some villages ÔÇô Chamba, Naun, Kamlah, Kathed, Shamsherpur, Jamandhar and others. The main entrance to the fort is almost labyrinthine. The fort remained invincible for centuries; but it fell in 1840, into the hands of Bentura, Maharaja Ranjit SinghÔÇÖs general. It was restored to Mandi kings in 1846.

Location: Kamlahgarh is around 80 kms from Mandi town on Sarkaghat-Joginder Nagar via Dharampur road.

Reaching there: by road up to Dharampur bifurcation and climb up thereafter.

Other places of interest: Kamalah Baba shrine; Janetri Devi shrine.

Baba Kamlahiya and Baba Balaknath arrived on the Dev Bhoomi of Himachal Pradesh from Jammu. They were very impressed with the holiness of this land. Baba Balaknath settle down at Shahtalayi and Baba Kamlahayia travelling through Palampur, Sarkhaghat arrived on the hills of Kamlahgarh. He was found this place very ideal and started his bhakti under a tree. Everyday Baba used to collect milk from an old lady. One-day baba had to wait for a long time as lady had gone to bring fodder for her cattle. When babaji asked reason for delay, tired & angry lady started yelling on him. On hearing this baba returned empty handed and never seen again. There after every effort to search did not bear any fruit. There after a shepherd, whose sheep & goats used to graze on those hills, saw that one of his goat is spraying her milk under a tree where Babaji worshiped. When shepherd reached there he saw statue and hence a believe came into existence that Babaji has scarified himself. He started that place and found that his herd growing a phenomenal face. Since then day after day glory and fellowship of Babaji started growing and Babaji never let his true devotes going empty handed. It is said that once the tree dried, devotes build a temple
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