No records remain to show wen Bandhavgarh fort was constructed. It is thought, however, to be some 2,000 years old, and there are references to it in the ancient books, the Narad-Panch Ratra and the Siva Purana. Various dynasties have ruled the fort: for example, the Maghas from the 1st century A.D.. the Vakatakas from the 3rd century; the Sengars from the 5th century and the kalachuris from the 10th century. In the 13 century A.D., the Baghels took over, ruling from Bandhavgarh until 1617, when Maharajah Vikramditya Singh moved his capital to Rewa. The last inhabitants deserted the fort in 1935.