The town is known for its fort built in the late 18th century when Arki was the capital of the erstwhile princely hill state of Baghal.

Its main attraction, Arki Fort is now a heritage hotel managed by the ruling family and a lovely place to visit.

From 1806 to 1815, the Gurkha General Amar Singh Thapa holds Arki as his headquarters to make further advances into Himachal Pradesh as far as Kangra.

The Rana was a far-sighted ruler and built horse and mule tracks to connect Arki with Shimla and Bilaspur.

Many artisans, scholars and businessman from other parts of India settled in Arki during his reign as he provided them with tax-free land free of cost.

[2] The Last ruler of Baghal was Shri Raja Rajendra Singh (1928–2010) who overhauled the administration and introduced radical constitutional reforms.

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Rana Kishan Singh assisted the British forces and for which he was presented the title of Raja.