History of Chunar

Oriel Window, Chunar Fort  / Image Credit 

Chunar, about 25 miles south-west of Varanasi, is in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. History weighs on this place. 

Many of the monolithic columns of the Mauryan period in the 3rd century BC bear Ashoka’s inscriptions. These columns were made of the sandstone from the same quarry at Chunar. The 10 meter long fifth century AD statue of the reclining Buddha  housed in the Mahaparinirvana Temple at Kushinagar (where the Buddha breathed his last) is made of the sandstone of Chunar. 

Chunar has an immense fort perched on a high rock overlooking the Ganga. This place has been the scene of many battles between Mughals and Afghan ruler Sher Shah. Second Mughal emperor Humayun’s treaty with the Sher Shah in 1533 allowed the latter to retain the Chunar Fort. The third Mughal ruler Akbar recaptured it in 1575.

Chunar is home to a magnificent tomb of Iftikhar Khan, an official under the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627.  

Iftikar Khan Tomb Chunar / Image Credit

Famous for his bravery and courage, Iftikhar Khan died in Bengal in a battle in 1612. A fine specimen of the Mughal architecture, the tomb is made of the sandstone of Chunar.

In the mid - 18th century it was appropriated by Awadh and subsequently, the British. The fort has a sun - dial and a huge well, and affords a splendid view of the Ganga.