Throchi Fort
Throchi Fort or Throchi Fort is a historic fort located in Kotli District, Kashmir, Pakistan. It is situated on the left bank of the Poonch River. It is about 13 km south of Kotli and next to Gulpur town, at the junction of Kotli-Mirpur and Kotli-Rawalpindi roads.
Throchi Fort has always been an important military point due to its strategic position. As well as control over surrounding areas and roads, including Kotli-Mirpur road, Rawalpindi-Kotli road, Sehnsa road, Gulpur city, and adjacent areas of Kotli city, Nar, and Khuiratta. It was easy to exercise vigilance and have control over the surrounding areas and roads from the fort. Throchi Fort has had its strategic worth since its first occupation by Maharaja Gulab Singh.
After climbing the stairs, there is a platform with a gateway to the fort on its left side, which is now boarded up with an iron gate. The gate is six and a half feet high and three and a half feet wide, decorated with a pointed arch and niches. Unfortunately, the fort is in a deteriorating condition, with some structures on the right side of the main entrance completely overtaken by nature. However, visitors can still explore the surviving structures and gain insight into the fort’s archaeological, historical, and ethnological significance.
The Watchtowers of Throchi Fort
The fort has six watchtowers at irregular intervals, covering all sides of the hill, and all of them have arrowslits.
The North-western Tower is located on the left corner of the entrance wall. While the South-western Tower is situated on the right corner of the entrance wall. The South-eastern Tower has an irregular semicircular layout and has two entrances, both of which are three feet three inches wide.
The Southern Tower is situated at the corner near Water Tank I and was also once a double-storied structure. The Northern Tower is a double-storied structure whose upper story and roof no longer exist. The only surviving tower is located at the eastern end of the fort and is fourteen feet three inches tall.