Consider the following statements regarding the Mughal annexation and administration of the Kangra Fort: 1. Akbar assigned the Kangra fort and its surrounding territory as a jagir to Birbal, but effective Mughal control was consolidated much later under Jahangir. 2. The Kangra Fort finally surrendered to the Mughal forces in 1620 CE after a prolonged siege commanded by Raja Suraj Mal and Nawab Ali Khan. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Both statements are historically accurate; Akbar indeed granted the revenues of Kangra to Raja Birbal as a jagir, though it remained nominal until Jahangir's forces successfully captured the impregnable fortress in 1620 CE under the command of imperial officers and local loyalist chiefs. This event marked the firm establishment of direct Mughal hegemony over the hill states of the Punjab-Himachal borderlands. A resident Mughal faujdar was subsequently stationed inside the fort to administer the territory.