Kusak Fort, Chakwal: The Janjua Hill Fort Near Malot

Kusak Fort is a ruined Janjua hill fort above Kusak village in the Jhangar valley of the Salt Range, about 10 km east of Choa Saidan Shah and roughly 48 km south of Chakwal city. Tradition says it was founded in the 11th century by Raja Jodh, son of Raja Mal Khan, the Janjua chief credited with Malot. It held out against several invaders before Ranjit Singh's army took it in 1810. The fort is privately owned, overgrown and unrestored, and reaching it means a steep walk of about half an hour from the village.

This guide covers the fort's history, what you will find at the top, how to get there and ask for access, and how to fold it into a Salt Range day.

Who built Kusak Fort?

The Janjuas held much of the Salt Range for centuries, and their own traditions trace a line of forts across it. According to them, Raja Mal Khan founded Malot, and his son Raja Jodh founded Kusak in the 11th century on a hill that local people still call Jodh mountain after him. Treat the founding date as tradition rather than a recorded fact; no inscription or excavation has been published that fixes it.

Dawn's 2012 report on the fort describes a site of about 13 acres on the summit, built of local red stone and earth. Inside the walls stood a palace for the ruling chief, around 70 houses for the garrison, two gates on the northern side, two ponds for storing rainwater, grain stores and temples.

What happened to the fort?

Kusak sits on a high, defensible ridge, and its history is mostly a list of sieges:

1. The 1290s. The fort was attacked by the army of Jalaluddin Khilji, the Delhi Sultan.
2. 1398. Timur's army came through the region; accounts say Kusak was threatened but spared.
3. 1810. Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh army besieged it for about six months. The Janjua chief, Sultan Fateh Muhammad, and his family were forced to leave, and the family later settled at Haranpur.
4. After 1849. The British took over Punjab, and the Janjua families resettled in the villages around the hill.

The fort was never reoccupied as a stronghold, and it has been decaying since.

What is left at the top?

Expect ruins, not a monument. The palace and the barracks survive only as low walls and rubble, and when Dawn visited in 2012 the whole area was covered in thick grass and bushes, with the ponds silted and their walls crumbling.

A 2021 account in The News on Sunday describes what still stands out:

• Stretches of defensive wall with slits through which defenders could pour boiling water.
• The two rainwater ponds, still recognisable.
• Corner watchtowers along the walls.
• A small old temple at the summit, with its roof still standing.

The view is part of the reward. From the top you look over the Jhangar valley and the folded ridges of the Salt Range in every direction, which explains why the Janjuas chose the hill.

Who owns it, and can you visit?

Kusak is private property, held by descendants of Sultan Fateh Mohammad Khan; Dawn named Mehwish Azmat Hayat as the family member managing it in 2012. Wikipedia describes the ruins as open to the public, but there is no ticket office or caretaker on record. The polite and practical approach is to ask in Kusak village before you climb, and to take a local guide, which Dawn also advised.

Ownership is also why nothing has been restored. The Punjab archaeology department told Dawn it could not work on the site without a no-objection certificate from the owners.

How do you get to Kusak Fort?

The usual approach is by car to Choa Saidan Shah, then east into the Jhangar valley towards Kusak village. The News on Sunday describes taking the Choa Saidan Shah exit at Kallar Kahar and following the road towards Watli. Park in the village and walk.

• The climb takes about 30 minutes uphill on a rough path. Dawn described reaching the fort as a real climb, so wear proper shoes.
• Go in the cooler months. October to March is comfortable; Salt Range summers are hot and the hillside has little shade.
• Carry water and start early enough to be down well before dark.
• Keep off loose walls. Nothing has been stabilised.

How to pair Kusak with the Salt Range

Kusak works best as one stop in a Salt Range day rather than a trip on its own. The Katas Raj temples are near Choa Saidan Shah, a short drive back west, and Malot Fort, which Janjua tradition links to Raja Jodh's father, gives you the other half of the Janjua story with its carved red sandstone temple. Kallar Kahar and its lake are on the motorway side for lunch or a night.

Our Salt Range guide maps these stops together, and places to visit in Chakwal covers the rest of the district.

Is Kusak Fort worth the climb?

For anyone interested in Salt Range history, yes, if you go knowing what it is: an overgrown private ruin with a fine view, a small temple and a long story. It is a good half-day for a couple or a small group of friends who like walking and do not mind asking around in a village.

It is less suited to families with small children or older relatives, because of the climb and the unprotected walls, and it has none of the restored stonework of Katas Raj. If you only have one Salt Range day, put Katas Raj first and add Kusak only if you have the legs and the time. Our experiences page has more ideas for northern Punjab.

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