Qila Mubarak, Bathinda

Qila Mubarak, also called Gobindgarh or Bathinda Fort, rises in the centre of Bathinda in Punjab and is described as the oldest surviving fort in India. Its bricks go back to the Kushana period, and tradition credits Raja Dab, in the time of Kanishka, with building it against the Huns, though another view dates it to Bhatti Rajput rulers of the 9th century. In the late 10th century it belonged to Jayapala of the Hindu Shahi dynasty, and it was later taken by Mahmud of Ghazni.

Razia Sultan, the first woman to rule from the Delhi throne, was imprisoned here after her defeat. The Imperial Gazetteer described 36 bastions and walls about 118 feet high, a landmark visible for miles. A gurdwara on the ramparts marks a visit by Guru Gobind Singh, and the Rani Mahal over the entrance is a later addition. Much of the fort is closed, but its lawns and gurdwaras are open.