Temple in Ajeygurh Fort

Photograph of a ruined temple in the fort of Ajaigarh in Madhya Pradesh from the Album of 'Views of Central India by Deen Dayal, Indore', taken by Deen Dayal in the 1870s. The fort of Aijaigarh is perched on the southern crag of a granite hill 531 metres above the sea level. The hill is encircled by an outer rampart with ruined fragments of ancient Hindu sculpture and carvings used by the Muslims to strengthen the walls. The fort was built in the ninth century by the Chandela kings who were defeated by the Chauhan emperor of Delhi in 1182. In the 18th century Ajaigarh was part of the territory ruled by the Bundela Chhatar Sal until his death in 1734. In 1800 the Marathas seized the fort under the Nawab of Banda and in 1809 the British guided by Colonel Martindell forced the marauding local chieftain Lakshman Daowa to capitulate. This view shows a ruined temple with a curvilinear superstructure inside the fort area.