The Rohtasgarh Fort located in Rohtas district is 45 km far from Dehri and 39 km away from Sasaram. This fort is situated on the top of the Kaimur Hills. It got its name from mythological character Rohitashwa, the son of King Harischandra. The king stayed in this fort in exile for several years realizing danger to his life. On the top of the hill the Fort is constructed on a plateau at a height of 1500 ft above the sea level. There are about 2000 limestone cut steps from the foothill to the top. After the end of these steps there is a gate which is the first gate to the fort. From this gate Rohtas Fort lies at a distance of 2km from this gate. The Rohtas fort is an outstanding example of Mughal architectural style. Once one the largest and strongest fort in India now is in ruins.
History of Rohtas Fort is very long and interesting. Although the exact origin of the Rohtas fort is lost in history, the earliest monuments here dated back to king Sashanka of seventh century AD. In mediaeval times this fort was captured by Prithviraj Chauhan. However this fort rose to prominence only after captured by Sher Shah Suri in 1539 from a Hindu king. During the Sher Shah's reign 10000-armed men guarded the fort. During Sher Shah rule a Jama Masjid was built in this complex by Haibat Khan a soldier of Sher Shah. This fort came under Man Singh, Akbar’s General in 1588. He built a palace for himself inside the fort complex which is known as Takhte Badshahi. He also built Aina Mahal a palace for his main wife and Hathiya Pol the main gate of the Fort.
There are other structures outside the palace like Jami Masjid, Habsh Khan's Mausoleum and the Makbara of Shufi Sultan. About half a kilometers west of Man Singh's Palace is a Ganesh temple which was built in Rajputana style of architecture. After battle of Buxar the British captured the fort and destroyed most part of it. Spreading across for 4 miles in east-west and for 5 miles in north-south direction this fort was an invincible one owing to its inaccessible location and defenses. Militarily the fort has a strategic location being on the top of a steep sided hill. The presence of various Hindu and Islamic structures within the precincts of the fort indicates the long and rich past of the great fort. The buildings display a blend of Indo-Islamic style of architecture along with many local influences.
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