Phillaur Fort

One of the places in Ludhiana is the historical Phillaur Fort. Deriving its name from Sanghera Jat Phul, this place has been built on European architecture. The place has an extensive moat around it and has 4 bastions on four corners, two watchtowers, tall gates, and a high wall of 4.7 meters making it ideal for military operations.
Each gateway of the fort has been named after Mughal cities. The two hundred years old fort is now used for police training and fingerprint bureau. Tourists often get lost in the historical grandeur of the place be it a visit to the Dargah inside the fort or the lush green golf course outside.

History

The fort enshrines under one of its domes the mausoleum of a saint fondly remembered as Pir Baba Abdullah Shah Ji. He had sacrificed his life to uphold the human values of love and kindness as per the following legend. A wall of the fort constructed during day time under orders of Maharaja Ranjit Singh would mysteriously collapse during the night and thus affected the work. The Maharaja was advised by religious heads to offer the sacrifice of some male person belonging to the priest class who should be the only son of a widow. A Brahmin boy of Phillaur, who fulfilled these conditions, was brought before Maharaja Ranjit Singh for the sacrifice, The wails and lamentations of the boy's mother attracted the attention of Pir Abdullah Shah who lived nearby. The Pir offered himself for the sacrifice and petitioned the Maharaja to accept him as he fulfilled all the conditions. The Maharaja agreed to the offer and the boy was released. Pir Abdullah Shah, it is said, was then immured alive in the northeastern wall of the fort and the construction of the fort was thus completed. The Mazar, over the years, has been a source of great spiritual inspiration to the police personnel and the people who come from near and far away places to pay their respects to the revered Pir and his legend.

Architecture

The Phillaur fort was built during British rule and there was huge chaos and pressure during that time. The Phiilaur Fort was constructed and its pattern resembled one of the other forts named Bahadurgarh. Today, one can find the Fingerprint Bureau run by the state government and the Punjab Police’s training academy on the premises of this fort.

It was more of an artillery and a unit of armory until the Great Mutiny of 1857. The bastions that were deployed in this Fort contributed in a big way to the nation’s Independence struggle. This fort is located in a small town called Phiilaur, the initial name of which was Phulnagar. This quiet and comfortable town changed into a hub of battles during the various exigencies, both political and military, that happened in the state during that time. This fort served as the perfect guard for the town with its huge citadels, strong walls, and secretive architecture. It protected the city from all possible attacks from enemies.