Iak Stories's video: Shorts View From The Fort of Raja Gira in Odigram Swat Valley

View From The Fort of Raja Gira in Odigram | Swat Valley The castle of Raja Gira, the last king of the Hindu Shahi period before the advent of Muslims in Swat. Perched on a rocky spur of a hillside overlooking the plains of Udigram village, the Raja Gira’s castle with its jutting towers and privileged position guaranteed total control of the city below as well as the entire valley. According to archaeologists, the principal occupational phases of the stronghold can be placed in a later period between the 7th and 10th century. The fort is said to belong to the last Buddhist ruler, Raja Gira. It is located on the peak of Odigram, 15 kilometres from Mingora city. “The structure has been marked as one of the world’s oldest places ruled by the Hindu Shahi Raj. “Udigram where the castle is located was the capital of Swat during the Hindu Shahi period between the 8th and 10th century. The region was identified as Ora by Aurel Stein, the city where Alexander the Great fought one of his battles. It was this castle which was captured by the Muslims after a fierce battle and thus Islam spread in the valley. The battle for the fort It has been around 1,100 years since Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi waged war to conquer the mountainous region. The water supply from Swat River was suspended to Raja Gira fort and later the Buddhist ruler, Raja Gira, was defeated and his fort seized. Ghaznavi also constructed a mosque in the area – it still stands; said to be the third oldest mosque in the world. The fort, however, was discovered by an Italian mission in 1956 and taken over by the government. The 447-canal land claimed by the fort was excavated by Georgia Gullini. The entire process took from 1956 to 1962, after which Gullini explored the fort, Ali said. “The place has geographical importance, it gives a panoramic view of Swat.” Instagram : www.instagram.com/iakstories Facebook : www.facebook.com/iakstories Twitter: www.twitter.com/iakstories Tiktok : @iakstories