The story behind the Fortress of Fire

A princess trapped inside a fort falls in love with a prince, who rescues her from an evil parent. Sounds quite like the plot of the old fairy tale of Rapunzel, we have heard during our childhood, doesn’t it? Well, this is a similar story, except, in this case, it may have been more than just a fairy-tale. This is a story that shaped the history of what we now know as the site of Agnigarh, in Sonitpur, Assam.

The site of Agnigarh, located in Sonitpur, Assam. Image source: Assaminfo

Mythology is intrinsic to our very existence because it allows us to identify with our socio-cultural roots. Myths and folklores are questioned for their lack of authenticity, but these stories help us make sense of the origin of people, culture and civilizations. Such is the purpose of the story that we are about to narrate.

Sometime in the history of ancient Assam, a love story bloomed between a woman and a man, leading to a major battle between their families. The woman in this story was Usha, the daughter of a powerful rakshasa (demon) by the name of Banasura, residing in Sonitpur.

According to the ancient Puranic scriptures, the thousand-armed Banasura was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. Because of his strong devotion and piety, Lord Shiva made an appearance before him and agreed to grant any wish of Banasura. The rakshasa asked for the unquestioned protection of the powerful Lord and hence became invincible. Even other deities began to fear the might of Bana and refused to cross him, lest they incur the wrath of Shiva.

Over time, Banasura became arrogant and cruel. He became the powerful ruler of Sonitpur and ruled over many people, who lived in constant terror.

Banasura was extremely protective of his beautiful daughter Usha and kept her confined in a fortress at all times. Many suitors had tried to seek the hand of Usha, but Banasura found them unworthy of his daughter and kept her secluded from everyone.

One night, Usha dreamt of a handsome prince with whom she instantly fell in love. They spent many hours together and enjoyed each other’s company. Alas, all dreams come to an end and this one was no exception. Upon waking up, Usha fell into despair as she had no idea who this prince was, who stole her heart. Fortunately, Usha’s friend, Chitralekha, was a talented artist, who prepared a sketch of the prince based on Usha’s description.

The handsome prince was identified as Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna. In an effort to bring the fated couple together, Chitralekha, through her magical powers, abducted Aniruddha from his palace and transported him to Usha’s fortress in Sonitpur. When Aniruddha woke up next to the beautiful princess, he immediately reciprocated Usha’s feelings.

But before this blooming love story could fully mature, news of the prince’s presence in Usha’s quarters reached Banasura, angering the Asura king. He immediately imprisoned Aniruddha and isolated Usha completely from the outside world.

Further, with his magical powers, Banasura built an indestructible wall of fire around Usha’s fortress that could not be breached without his permission. Hence, the fort came to be known as Agnigarh (Agni- Fire, Garh-Fort).

Yet, the flames around Agnigarh could not burn away the love between Usha and Aniruddha.

In the meantime, Lord Krishna was informed of his grandson’s capture at Sonitpur, compelling him to make a visit to the powerful Asura King. As negotiations failed, Krishna and Banasura got locked in a severe battle, leading to countless deaths. Krishna, knowing that Banasura had the boon of invincibility and protection from Shiva, used his wit and put Shiva into slumber. Without Shiva’s help, the Asura king found it difficult to keep up with the might of Krishna. Soon after, Banasura accepted defeat and sought forgiveness from Krishna. Aniruddha was reunited with his lover, Usha, and they lived happily ever after.

Present-day Sonitpur is an administrative district located in upper Assam. The site where Agnigarh supposedly stood, is now a hillock from which the entire city of Tezpur is visible. Agnigarh is popularly known as the ‘site of love’, immortalizing the romantic story of Usha and Aniruddha.

Krishna locked in a battle with the thousand armed Asura. Image source: Wikipedia