About
the Fort
The Junagarh Fort, Bikaner was constructed by Raja Rai Singhji who was a
contemporary of Mughal Emperor Akbar and Emperor Jehangir. He had attained a
very high position in the royal court of these emperors. His areas of
influence extended up to half of Marwar and half of Gujarat so the revenues
that he could use for the construction of this fort was huge and ample for
the purpose. Raja Rai Singhji was a much travelled person during the service
of the royalty which gave him many ideas regarding construction and
architecture which were brought into execution during the construction of
the Junagarh Fort.
History
Legends abound regarding the reasons for selecting this very site for the
construction of the fort. The most popular version is about a sheep that got
separated from its herd and gave birth to young ones here. In the night
wolves tried to kill the babies but the sheep bravely protected its young
ones. This incident was interpreted by the elders there who said that the
place would produce brave men and if a fort was constructed here, it would
be unassailable by the enemies. Raja Rai Singhji issued a special order to
his Diwan (Prime Minister) to construct a fort at the said place in Bikaner.
Architecture
The Fort in its present form is a composite structure which is a result of
additions by the many succeeding rulers through four centuries. The
fortifications in this fort followed the pattern of the Turkish Forts in
which the walls slanted towards the interior of the fort. The bastions are
not as big as in other forts, but are good enough to serve the purpose. The
fort's palaces provide a very good view of the town, again on the pattern of
the Mughal palaces that provided a good view of the rivers, towns or other
landscapes.
The Junagarh Fort is in the shape of a quadrangle, having a strong curtain
wall on its periphery with deep moats on all sides. The Junagarh Fort is one
of the few rare forts which have not been built on a hill top. The fact that
this fort was never conquered in its history speaks volumes about its
architecture.
Karan Mahal
This
is the first monument in Bikaner which has the imprint of typical Mughal
style on it. The concept of the Karan Mahal germinated in the reign of Raja
Karan Singhji. However, it was constructed only in 1690 by Maharaja Anup
Singhji in the memory of his father.
Chander Mahal
The Chander Mahal is made up of small rooms and has been named after
Maharani Chand Kanwar, one of the queens of Maharaja Gaj Singhji. The most
interesting thing that you'll notice here are the paintings that look just
like the stone inlay work of Agra.
Anup Mahal
This is basically the Privy Council Room which is known for very intricate
works of art on its walls. Also see the throne from where the rulers used to
entertain their guests and other high officials.
Other attractions of Bikaner
» Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary
» Lalgarh Palace
» Gajner Palace
» Shiv Bari Temple
