Palamu Fort

The Palamu forts are two ruined strongholds in the forest of Betla National Park in Jharkhand, about 3 kilometres from the park and some 20 kilometres from Daltonganj, both overlooking the Auranga River. Rocks exposed in the riverbed look like jagged teeth, which may explain the name Palamau, 'place of the fanged river'. The old fort on the plain is said to have been built by the Raksel kings and was rebuilt for defence by the Chero king Medini Ray (1658–1674), who added the hill fort to its west in 1673. The forts faced Mughal attacks, including Daud Khan's campaign of 1660, and fell to the East India Company in 1771–72.

The old fort covers about 3 square kilometres, walled in lime-surkhi brick and entered through three gates, the largest called Singh Dwar. Inside are a two-storeyed courtroom, a ruined aqueduct and three Hindu temples partly altered into mosques, and two hilltop watch towers, one holding a small Devi shrine. The hill fort is entered by the Nagpuri gate.