The origins of Bannu Fort lie in the years following the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46). The Khalsa kingdom effectively came under the occupation of the British East India Company. Under the Treaty of Bhairowal (1846), the Company imposed a British Resident on the Khalsa government, who directed the state’s administration. The East India Company dispatched several of its officers—nominally as agents of Maharaja Duleep Singh, but in reality to enforce British authority—across the frontier districts.
One such officer was Herbert Benjamin Edwardes, who arrived in Bannu in late 1847. He observed that nearly all villages in Bannu were surrounded by mud walls, erroneously described by the British as “tribal forts,” which had been built to defend against raids. Edwardes first ordered the dismantling of these Bannuchi village walls. To consolidate the new occupation, he then constructed a fort, naming it Duleepgarh, as he was nominally acting in the name of the young Maharaja. The settlement that developed around it became known as Duleepnagar.
Over time, the area surrounding Duleepgarh evolved into a cantonment town. In 1869, it was renamed Edwardesabad, in recognition of the services of H. B. Edwardes. However, this colonial name never gained much currency, and the site continued to be more commonly referred to simply as Bannu Fort.
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