Indradyumna Swami: Today we visited the town of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, just on the outskirts of Vrindavan. There we toured the Lohagarh fort built in the 18th century. Inside the fort are many beautiful old sandstone temples of Radha and Krsna, Ganga devi, Laxman ( the brother of Lord Ramacandra ) and numerous other temples with many ancient deities. The Lohagarh fort was built by a staunch Vaisnava King named Suraj Mal in the early 18th century. It is one of the strongest forts ever built in Indian history. Protected by deep moats on all sides, the fort was built to endure the repetitive invasions of the Mughal and British forces in the mid-1700’s in the region.
King Suraj Mal was a powerful king who ruled over the whole of Vraja and a greater part of North India in the 18th century. He was respected and loved by his subjects and was greatly feared by the Mughals. He was undefeated in battle. Songs and ballads of his chivalry and nobility, as well as his devotion to Radha and Krsna, are sung in different villages in North India. It was he who constructed the beautiful palace at Kusum Sarovara at the foot of Govardhana Hill. His samadhi is there.
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