Kamlah Fort

At a distance of 66 km from Joginder Nagar, and 81 km from Mandi, Kamlah Fort is a 17th-century fort located at Kamlah village in Himachal Pradesh. Also known as Kamlahgarh, it is one of the popular historical places to visit in Mandi.

Situated at an altitude of 4772 m on the Sikandar Dhar Ranges, the construction of Kamlahgarh was initiated by Raja Hari Sen of Mandi in 1625 and was completed by his son Raja Suraj Sen. The fort remained invincible for long; but it fell into the hands of Bentura, the general of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the year 1840. Later, the fort was refurbished by the kings of Mandi in 1846. The fort had the reputation of being the most secure repository of the reputed 360 forts of the Mandi state from the rule of Suraj Sen to that of Ishvari Sen (1788-1826).

The fort is said to be named after Baba Kamlaiyah, a local saint who arrived on the Dev Bhoomi of Himachal Pradesh from Jammu along with Baba Balaknath. He was overwhelmed with the sacredness of this land and found this place very ideal and started to meditate here under a tree. Since then the fort got its name from the name of Baba Kamlaiyah. There is a temple of Baba Kamlah Siddh on the top.

Earlier, the fort was spread over 350 bighas, but the area has now been reduced to about 110 bighas. Many villages like Naun, Kathed, JamanDhar, Chamba, and Shamsherpur are located in proximity to this fort. With its entrance present almost in the form of a maze, the landscape around is lush green and picture-perfect. Today, the fort is a trekker's paradise as one needs to climb 1000 steps through the rugged terrain to reach the fort.

Timings: 7 AM - 5 PM