File:00512 Gates and Walls of Kangra Fort, Himachal Pradesh 004.jpg

English: Durg (IAST: दुर्ग), sometimes called Hindu forts, are one of the structures discussed in historic Sanskrit texts on architecture. They differ from Mughal forts and other Indo-Islamic forts in several ways. The traditional Hindu architecture favors symmetry. The gateway of Hindu forts have sculpted toranas in contrast to the arched entrances in Indo-Islamic and Mughal forts. The gateways of Hindu forts are typically found at least in four cardinal directions when feasible, these entrance and nearby fort walls often have reliefs or sculptures of Hindu deities such as Durga, Chandi, Ganesha, Hanuman, Brahma, avatars of Vishnu, Shiva and others. In contrast, the historic Indo-Islamic forts do not include Hindu deities, are either plain or show geometric patterns, Persian or Arabic inscriptions. After the 12th-century, many Hindu forts were conquered and either converted or built anew as Islamic/Mughal forts. The conquered and reused historic forts show signs of iconoclasm and the use of different materials of construction in sections of the fort.

The Kangra fort is the largest and oldest known fort in the central Himalayas. Over 460 acres and set on a steep rocky hill, it is midst the confluence of Banganga and Patalganga rivers. The earliest section is from the Gupta era period, but the fort as it survives now was constructed by Katoch kings of Kangra. The fort was repeatedly attacked by Sultanates and the Mughals as it was considered the defender and gateway of Himalayan kingdoms. The fort had beautifully carved Hindu and Jain temples, but these are all in ruins. The fort has an archaeological museum that includes Brahmi, Tagri and Nagari script inscriptions – attesting to its importance from pre-5th century period.

Some of the gates and fort walls of Kangra fort have Hindu iconography, such as one shown above. The sections that were reconstructed during Mughal era lack Hindu artwork.