007. Kusak Fort

The Salt Range is an area rich in ancient ruins, prehistoric sites, and many historically significant places. One of these is Kusak Fort. It has a long history and has always been a stronghold of the Janjua tribe. This small but historically significant fort in the region is now almost completely in ruins. The remnants of its defensive walls are crumbling, and there is little left to see inside the fort. The fort is located about ten kilometers away from Choa Saidan Shah, at 32° 42' 31" N, 73° 03' 56" E. 

On November 24, 2012, Dawn newspaper published an article about this fort, written by Mr. Nabeel Anwar Dhakku. An excerpt from the article is given below:

"As the Salt Range served as an ideal pass for invading kings from Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, the Kusak State was attacked regularly with its rulers trying their best to save their motherland sometimes by responding the foreign invaders with the same coin and sometimes by making alliance with them to help them in establishing their domain in India. According to historians, the Kusak State suffered a brutal blow when Jalaluddin Firoz Shah Khilji, the first king of Khilji Dynasty in India, attacked it in 1290 AD. After receiving a crushing defeat by Khilji, the Janjua Rajputs reestablished their hold in the area by the passage of time. The Kusak State was about to be destroyed again in 1398 AD when Amir Taimur started marching towards it but the then ruler of the state along with Janjua Sardars assured the invader that they would provide him logistic support in conquering Delhi. Thus he spared the fort from the attack.

The year 1810 proved worst for Janjua Rajputs as in the first month of this year the founder of Sikh Empire in Punjab, Mahraja Ranjit Singh, besieged the fort. The then king of Kusak State Sultan Fateh Mohammad Khan gave a tough time to Ranjit Singh.

The Sultan kept on fighting for six months and kept Ranjit Singh at bay. Finding no other option, Ranjit Singh had to strike a truce with Sultan Mohammad. However, the long siege of six months cast heavily on the lives of the inhabitants of Kusak Fort as they ran short of drinking water and food. Having left with no other option, the Sultan along with all other members of his tribe relocated to Haranpur and stayed there for 40 years. The Sultan died in Haranpur in 1830 and his family returned to their motherland in 1850 where they laid the foundation of Lehr Sultanpur village which is adjacent to Kusak village. The lost Kusak State remained in the possession of Sultan Fateh Mohammad Khan’s siblings and is still owned by his successors.

Sultan Mohammad Hayat became a member of District Council Jhelum and was also elected as the chairman of Union Council Choa Syedan Shah during the British Raj. After his death, his son Sultan Azmat Hayat was crowned as the Sultan of the state. He was also elected as an MPA from the platform of the PML-N in 1997. After his death in 2003, his son Sultan Mohammad Azamul Ameer became the owner of the Kusak State.Currently, Sultan Ameer is in United Kingdom for his study while the state is being looked after by his sister Mehwish Azmat Hayat who is an active leader of the PML-N and also one of the inspirers for the ticket of MPA from PP-21 (Chakwal-II) in the upcoming elections.

She may be taking care of the people of her area but the present plight of the historic Kusak Fort has yet to get her attention. The ponds at Kusak Fort have been filled with grass and their walls crumbled. The palace, the 70 houses for soldiers, the two gates and warehouses are no more their but their remains. Only a temple built for Hindus stands there but it is also crumbling. The stones from the wall of the fort are also falling down. The whole area of the fort is covered with thick grass and bushes."

Kusak Fort as seen from a distance. (13.03.2009.)

Kusak Fort with a pond in the foreground. (13.09.2009.)

The Remnants of the walls and the temple can be seen. (13.09.2009.)

An open field with ruins of a guest house on the hill. (13.09.2009.)

The remnants of the wall are visible. (13.03.2009.)

A view of the Kusak village from the fort. (1309.2009.)

Ruins in the fort. (13.09.2009.)

The only surviving building at the highest point in the fort. (13.09.2009.)

This structure is referred to as a Hindu temple, as mentioned in the article I cited earlier. However, the hexagonal building with a dome does not resemble a traditional Hindu temple. Another point worth considering is the likelihood of a Hindu temple being located within the fort of a Muslim chieftain, in a predominantly Muslim region.

Nasir Mahmood. (13.09.2009.)

Portions of the wall. (13.09.2009.)

 L to R: Tariq Amir & Umair Riaz (13.09.2009.)
 
 Women of Kusak are busy with their chores. (13.09.2009.)

 A Hindu temple on the top of the hill. (13.09.2009.)

A nearby old rest house. Completely abandoned and in ruins. (13.09.2009.)

The cutest guides in the world. They took us to the fort. I forgot their names, God bless them. (13.09.2009.)

The road is rough, especially the last couple of kilometers, which was just a dirt track when I visited the site on March 13, 2009. The fort itself is in very poor condition, and it’s clear that no care has been taken over the past two centuries. Only a few remnants of the defensive wall remain. Apart from that, there is just a small building located at the highest point of the fort. Nothing else remains. The panoramic view from the top is beautiful. 

Tariq Amir

May 15, 2014.

Doha - Qatar 

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