Deogarh is a village in Lalitpur district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located on the right bank of Betwa River and to the west of Lalitpur hills. It is known for Gupta monuments and for many ancient monuments of Jain origins inside and outside the walls of the fort.
The fort on the hill is dominated by a cluster of Jain temples on its eastern part, the oldest of these dating to the 8th or 9th century. Apart from Jain temples, the wall frescoes of Jain images of "iconographic and the stylistic variety", are special features of the fort. The three ghats (ghat means "flight of stone steps leading to the river"), which provide approach to the Betwa river edge from the fort – the Nahar Ghat, the Rajghat and the ghat with the Siddh ki Ghufa (saints cave) – are also of archeological significance.
The Deogarh monuments are protected by the Department of Archaeology of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and managed through its Northern Circle Office located in Agra. ASI maintain an archaeological museum at the Deogarh site, which is noted for its treasured archaeological sculptures.
Etymology
"Deogarh" derives from the Sanskrit Deo and garh, "God" and "fort", compounded to mean "fort of the Gods". This term, "House of God", is also widely used as a place name for villages in the vicinity of temples within fort-walls throughout India.
Geography
Deogarh village, which has an area of , lies on the right bank of the Betwa River, at the point where it joins the reservoir formed by the Rajghat Dam. The village also has two rock cut valleys known as Nahar Ghati (ghati means "valley") and Raj Ghati on its southern side along the river. The village is at the western end of the Lalitpur hill range, situated south-east from Lalitpur town in Lalitpur district, south of the divisional administrative centre at Jhansi, and 235 km from Gwalior. The nearest railway station is away at Jhaklon. The village has an average elevation of .
The fort of Deogarh is in a valley which generally has a gentle slope. The valley is formed by the Betwa River at the western end of the hills of the Vindhya Range. Known earlier as Vetravati (Sanskrit, meaning "containing reeds"), the Betwa River is a tributary of the Yamuna River, and skirts the fort hill on its southern side. The river, flowing at a bend near the fort, has a rocky bed. It flows in a cascade of deep pools with steep rocky banks of sandstone formations. The fort is located on a precipice of the steep cliff, just above the river on its right bank.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census, the population of the Deogarh village was 783 spread over 152 households. Hindi and Bundeli are the languages spoken in the area. The distribution of male and female population was 406 and 377 respectively. The village had the presence of 331 Schedule Tribe population (165 male and 166 female) and one male of Schedule Caste. The literacy rate recorded was 377 persons (211 male and 110 female).
History
Deogarh's strategic location in Northern India on the ancient route to the Deccan Plateau made it a historically important place. It was part of the Bundelkhand region which had trade and cultural links with the Deccan. Its antiquarian, archaeological and epigraphical importance are linked to the Gupta period, the Gurjara–Prathiharas during the 9th century (an inscription dated 862 found on the Shantinath temple attests this), the Chandela rulers in the 11th century, Gonds, the Muslim rulers of Delhi, the Marathas and the British eras. During the Jaina period temples were built in the Nagara style of architecture from 8th to 9th centuries extending to 17th century AD. In the Siddha-ki gufa (cave) near Raj Ghati valley inscriptions dated from 1285 to 1751 have been found.
The earliest religious influence in the Deogarh area can be traced to the Gupta period (320-550), (on the basis of an inscription on the Nahar Ghati) known as the "golden period" of Indian history. This was followed by the Jain period between the 8th and 17th centuries, where innumerable temples have been traced.
The present village's history has not been examined at depth, even though many inscriptions have been located in the fort and the valley, relating to various stylistic and palaeographical denominations. Although the dynasties who ruled over the territory are known, who built what is not clear, except for the Jain temples, which were built by the merchant Jain community. More archaeological explorations would therefore be essential, to establish the linkages of building activities with the dynasties who ruled over the territory, considering the enormous amount of Hindu and Jain temple remains and artifacts found here.