Nandana Fort is a ruined hilltop fort and Hindu Shahi-era temple in the Salt Range near Baghanwala village, in Jhelum district, reached by a short but steep hike of around thirty minutes. It matters for two reasons: it was briefly the capital of the Hindu Shahi dynasty in the early 11th century, and it is the spot where the polymath al-Biruni carried out his experiment to measure the radius of the earth. This guide covers the history, what survives of the ruins, the hike in, and how to get there.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where | Near Baghanwala village, Pind Dadan Khan tehsil, Jhelum district |
| Hike from Baghanwala | About 30 minutes, steep and rocky in places |
| Height | About 1,500 feet (460 m) above the surrounding plain |
| What survives | Fort walls and bastions, a ruined Shiva temple, a rainwater pond |
| Historical significance | Hindu Shahi capital, briefly, in the early 11th century; site of al-Biruni's earth-radius measurement |
| From Islamabad | About 2 to 3 hours by road, via the M-2's Lilla interchange |
A brief history
Nandana was built by the Hindu Shahi dynasty, who ruled from the Salt Range in the 9th and 10th centuries. After the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud of Ghazni took their earlier capital at Udabhandapura in 1001, the Hindu Shahis moved their seat here, and Nandana held that role until Mahmud's forces took the fort itself in 1014. What's left today is the outline of a fortified hilltop settlement: stone walls running for several hundred feet, semi-circular bastions, and the remains of a mosque and a Shiva temple built in the Kashmiri style of the period, with a ribbed dome and carved cornices, though its eastern face has been badly worn down by time.
Al-Biruni's experiment
The reason Nandana is known beyond the Salt Range is a single episode from around 1017: the Persian polymath al-Biruni, travelling with Mahmud's court, used the fort's height above the plain to measure the earth's radius, aligning an astrolabe with the horizon from the hilltop and a nearby peak to the south that is reportedly still identifiable today. It was a new method at the time, based on the dip of the horizon as seen from a known height, and later analysis of his figures has found his result within a small margin of the true value, a considerable achievement for an instrument-based measurement nearly a thousand years before satellites. The site has since been proposed as the centrepiece of a heritage tourism project built around his work, though this has moved slowly.
What you'll see today
Nandana is a ruin, not a restored monument, and it helps to arrive with that expectation. The perimeter wall is traceable along much of its length, with corner bastions still standing in places, and the temple, though damaged, retains enough of its structure to show the dome and decorative stonework that mark it as Hindu Shahi work rather than a later, plainer building. A stone-lined pond near the centre of the site, likely built to collect rainwater for the settlement, is one of the clearer features to pick out. There are no information boards and no facilities on site, so a little reading beforehand makes a real difference to what you get out of the visit.
The hike from Baghanwala
From Baghanwala village, the walk up to the fort takes about thirty minutes, gaining roughly 1,500 feet over a short, rocky path that gets warm quickly once the sun is up, so an early start in summer is worth it. There are natural springs on the way that make a reasonable stop to cool off on the way back down. The path isn't difficult in a technical sense, but sturdy shoes matter more here than at most Salt Range stops, since the surface is loose in places.
Getting there
From Islamabad, the route runs via the M-2 motorway to the Lilla interchange, then east towards Pind Dadan Khan, turning off near Dharyala Jalap and continuing through Garibwal towards Baghanwala village, a drive of around two to three hours in total before the walk up begins. There's no public transport to Baghanwala itself, so a private car is necessary, and it's worth asking locally in the village for directions to the start of the path, since it isn't signposted from the road.
Is Nandana Fort worth the trip?
For anyone interested in the Salt Range's history rather than its lakes and gardens, yes: Nandana is one of the few sites in the region tied to a specific, well-documented moment in the history of science, and the ruins themselves, though modest, are genuinely old rather than reconstructed. It's not a stop for a rushed day or for visitors who want facilities and explanation on site, since there's neither. Pair it with Katas Raj, which shares the same broader Hindu Shahi-era history and lies within reach on the same side of the Salt Range, and use our trip-planning guide to work out how much driving a combined day involves.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the hike to Nandana Fort?
About thirty minutes from Baghanwala village, on a steep, rocky path gaining roughly 1,500 feet. It's a short hike but not a flat one, so wear proper shoes.
What did al-Biruni do at Nandana?
Around 1017, he used the fort's elevation above the surrounding plain to measure the earth's radius, using the dip of the horizon as seen from the hilltop, a method he was the first to apply in this way.
What remains of Nandana Fort today?
Sections of the perimeter wall and bastions, the ruins of a Shiva temple with its dome and carved stonework, and a stone-lined pond near the centre of the site. There is no restoration or visitor infrastructure.
How do you get to Nandana Fort from Islamabad?
By road via the M-2 motorway to the Lilla interchange, then east towards Pind Dadan Khan and on to Baghanwala village, a drive of around two to three hours before the walk up to the fort.
Is a guide necessary to visit Nandana Fort?
Not essential, but the path from Baghanwala isn't signposted, so asking locally in the village for directions before starting the walk is worthwhile.
