Chunar

Chunar stands by the Ganges beneath a rocky spur of the Vindhya hills. Its great fort commands the river and has been held by a succession of rulers. Tradition links its foundation to Vikramaditya of Ujjain and his brother Bharthari, who is said to have renounced the world here. The fort's stones and buildings also preserve memories of the Afghan and Mughal rulers who contested this stronghold.

Sher Shah Suri gained possession of Chunar through his marriage to the widow of its governor. In 1537 Humayun marched from Agra and besieged the fort for three months; he later offered Chunar and Jaunpur to Sher Shah in exchange for Bengal. Akbar captured it in 1574, and it remained under Mughal rule until the East India Company took it in 1772. During the rising of Chait Singh of Banaras in 1781, Warren Hastings withdrew to Chunar for safety.