Kangra Fort, India, 1905

Photograph, India, 1905.

From a page captioned, 'Pathian [sic] Fort. Kangra Valley after Earthquake. April 1905', from an album compiled by Lieutenant Colonel George Frederick Joseph Paterson (1885-1949), 34th Sikh Pioneers, 1900-1937.

Kangra Fort was a Rajput stronghold that was taken over by the Mughals in the 17th century but the site is thought to have been fortified since the 11th century. The fortress was stormed by British troops in 1846 during the 1st Sikh War (1845-1846). The fort was badly damaged by the 1905 earthquake.

The Kangra region in Himachal Pradesh was hit by a major earthquake on 4 April 1905. The earthquake destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and is reported to have killed around 20,000 people. Hansard for 10 April 1905 records the Under-Secretary of State for India, the Marquess of Bath, reporting that, 'A double company of 34th Pioneers also left Mian Mir on April 7th to render assistance at Dharmsala, Palampur, Kangra and other places in Kangra Valley'.