The Asirgarh fort is said to have been built by
Tak Rajputs, who held the fort and surrounding territories of
Nimar region, which were traditionally their stronghold and were controlled by Taunk Rajputs since early 9th century till 13th century. Some sources mention that
Firishta says it was built by one named Asa ahir but this is a fake, fictitious or hearsay story, as no such inscriptions or mention has been found elsewhere of any such ruler. Ahsir or Asir word either might have been used for an impregnable height. Ashir in Hindi means Sun, Fire or Diamond.
Sultan Nasir Khan of
Khandesh of Faroqis dynasty ruled over Khandesh from Asirgarh from 14th century for more than two centuries. Nasir Khan's descendant
Sultan Bahadur Shah declared his independence and refused to pay homage to the
Mughal emperor
Akbar and his son
Daniyal. Akbar marched towards Burhanpur in 1599 and occupied the city. Akbar then besieged Asirgarh fort and captured it on 17 January 1601 by tricking Bahadur Shah. During the
Second Anglo-Maratha War, on 18October 1803,
Company forces took the
pettah of Asigarh with a loss of two killed and five wounded. The fort's garrison subsequently surrendered on the 21st after the attackers had erected a
battery. Toward the end of the
Third Anglo-Maratha War in early 1819, most Maratha forts had been captured by the British, with the lone holdout being Asirgarh Fort, which was under the command of qiladar Jeswant Rao Lar. In March of that year, a massive British contingent laid siege to Asirgarh, capturing and occupying the town next to the fort to serve as a temporary base of operations. The 1,200-strong garrison was subject to constant artillery bombardments before the British launched an assault, which led to the fort's capture on 9 April. With the capture of Asirgarh Fort, the British victory in the conflict was complete and all military operations ceased. In March 2025, mass diggings were conducted at the site by locals after the
Bollywood film
Chhava fictionally depicted the Mughal armies of
Aurangzeb burying large amount of gold looted from
Shambhaji's camp within the fort promises during the
Mughal-Maratha wars. == Architecture ==