Ita fort Travel Guide

The Ita Fort at Itanagar was built in the 14th or the 15th century. It is said that the city of Itanagar got its name from the fort itself. The fort is built in an irregular shape by a king of Jitari dynasty, Ramachandra. It is believed that 80 lakhs of bricks were used for constructing the structure of the fort. The fort is enclosed by natural ridges and brick ramparts. There are two brick walls and three gates, the brick ramparts can be seen in the western and eastern sides. There is more than half a kilometre long rampart in the eastern side with just one gate; while the western rampart is more than 1.40 kms in length and has two gates. In the north and south of the fort, irregular steep ridges of more than a kilometre length can also be witnessed. The bricks of the fort are typically of medieval and pre-Ahom period.

Itanagar the capital of Arunachal Pradesh is named after Ita Fort, a place of utmost historical importance to the state. It is literally translated from the Ahom language as ‘fort of bricks’. It was built in the 14th or 15th century and the total brickwork consists of 16,200 cubic metre lengths. Ita Fort has three entrances- each on the West, the East and the South and the fort is believed to have been built by king Mayapur of Ramachandra, from the Jitari Dynasty. 

 Ita Fort’s claim as a place of historical importance cannot be disputed however in terms of being a tourist destination it is overrated. Perched on top of a hill, cut by steep cliff on one side the view of the valley from here is astonishing, but as for the fort nothing much remained except for few blocks of bricks. The fort is different in the way that most forts I've come across are built with imposing-size stones, but here the fort is made of bricks. Efforts are being made to turn this into a serious tourist destination. When I went there it was already closed for renovation but I managed to sneak in and explore the place. A small view tower by the fort is a nice place to rest with the breeze brushing your face, with a view of the valley behind and an odd view of the fort.