Raja Bahulochan is said to have built the Bahu Fort around 1000 BC on the rocky plateau of the left bank of Tawi called Tuhi in Nilamata Purana. It remained the seat of kingdom until the times when the present site of Jammu, previously a dense forest, was converted into the new seat of kingdom at a site now called Mubarak Mandi. With the passage of time rulers of Jammu region repaired and maintained the Bahu Fort and the last of them Maharaja Gulab Singh had made many renovations and additions to the fort. This fort has seen many battles and many warriors have graced it including Maharaja Gulab Singh and Maharaja Pratap Singh.
The actual history of the fort goes back to more than two thousand years. Close to the fort is the forest of Mahakali where stands the temple of Dogra deity Kalidevi. This entire complex has great historical significance and reminds us of the days when the writ of Jammu Rajas ran over a vast region from the banks of Chandrabhaga to that of Ravi. The fort, therefore, has historical and cultural connections with the people of Jammu. In the course of time, weather has done much damage to the fort. In August last, about a hundred meter long sector of the wall of the fort collapsed owing to heavy rains. This is being repaired now. The Department of Tourism has developed the entire fort complex and provided it with terraced park like the Mughal Gardens in Kashmir. It has become a place of visitation by tourists and lovers of nature. The Bahu Fort complex is becoming more and more popular with the Jammuits. As such, we expect the Tourism Department and ASI to pay more attention to regular maintenance of the complex and ensuring its pristine purity. Some shabby shops and vending sites have come up in close proximity of the complex making access to the fort complex somewhat tricky. The JMC should ensure that such encroachments as have become source of obstruction to free movement of vehicular traffic and pedestrians are removed. More space is needed for car parking outside the fort. More decent restaurants and eateries are strongly recommended for the site. We would also recommend that the site should also become a centre for regular cultural shows and especially entertainment source for the children.
Lastly, it may not be out of place to convert the Bahu fort along with its existing structure into a very comprehensive museum of J&K State. Even it could be a museum the biggest in Northern India which would give insight into the history of the region. We have a museum in Srinagar and also one in Jammu. But these are very small ones and do not do justice to the history and culture of the region. A proposal should be mooted in the Legislative Assembly to set up a vey comprehensive museum in this historical fort preferably by a joint effort of the State and the Centre.
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