Kalinjar Fort, Monument of National Importance in Banda district, India.

Kalinjar Fort is a hilltop fortress with massive stone walls, multiple gates, and ancient water storage systems positioned across its strategic defensive layout. The complex displays building styles from different periods in how its structures are arranged and constructed.

Kalinjar was a pilgrimage centre before the Chandela kings made it their military capital and built it as one of their eight famous forts. In 1023 Mahmud of Ghazni raided it without taking the fort, and on 22 May 1545 Sher Shah Suri died here when a shell from his own cannon, fired at the wall, rebounded and exploded. Akbar captured it in 1569 and gave it to Birbal; the British took control in 1812.

The Shiva temple here is called Neelkanth, "blue-throated", after the poison Shiva swallowed at the churning of the ocean and the flame he quenched by meditating at Kalinjar. The Karthik Purnima fair draws pilgrims to the fort each autumn.

The site is open to visitors year-round, with guided tours available, and the winter months provide the best conditions for exploring. Wear sturdy shoes and bring water, as the terrain is uneven and shade is limited throughout the grounds.

The name Kālañjara comes from Sanskrit kāla, "time"; the 17th-century commentator Nīlakaṇṭha Caturdhara read it as "one who subdues time", linking the hill to Shiva as lord of time. The Rauravasūtrasaṃgraha opens by calling Kalinjar the abode of Sadāśiva.