Fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Phillaur, Punjab
  • Fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Phillaur, Punjab
  • Fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Phillaur, Punjab
  • Fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Phillaur, Punjab
Fort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Phillaur, Punjab

Located along the Grand Trunk Road (NH 44) in southern Phillaur in Jalandhar district of Punjab, this site originated as a Mughal-period sarai (rest house), likely established in the early seventeenth century and associated with Shah Jahan’s reign (r. 1628-1658). In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh converted the sarai into a fortified complex by adding defensive walls, bastions, and a ditch, transforming it into what is now known as Phillaur Fort. The monument was notified as protected by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2010 and presently houses the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy. Only limited elements of the original sarai survive, notably the Lahori and Delhi gateways, while later Sikh-period and subsequent adaptations dominate the existing fabric.