Unveiling
the Fort
One of India's largest forts, the Mehrangarh fort is a majestic mascot of
the picturesque city of Jodhpur. Located on top of a steep hill, this
glorious fort is spread over five kilometers. Though the construction of the
fort was started by the founder of Jodhpur Rao Jodha in 1459, most of the
work on the construction of the fort was completed by Jaswant Singh.
You'll have to cross seven gates to reach the Mehrangarh fort. These
include Jayapol which was built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his
victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fatehpol is another victory gate
built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to commemorate his victory over the Mughals.
Evidently, the fort has been a witness to various battles in the past and
some of the gates still retain the visible marks of the wars. Particularly
the second gate still has the marks of canon ball hit on it. See the Chhatri
of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on this very spot while fighting
against the army of Amber.
The Fort's History
In 1458, Rao Jodha became the fifteenth Rathore ruler and just one year
after his succession, he was advised to shift his capital to safer place as
the Mandore Fort was about a thousand years old and it was not safe to live
there anymore. Thus arose the need to construct a fort at Mehrangarh. The
fortifications here are about 6 meters thick and on some of the walls we can
still see the canon marks that were once withstood by these walls during
previous attacks.
Glittering interiors
To
enter, you start with the Jayapol which is the main gate of the fort.
Thereafter you reach the inside of the fort where you can see many
attractive palaces and large courtyards. The palaces such as Moti Mahal,
Phool Mahal, Sukh Mahal today have been converted into museum. These palaces
have their own captivating points that attract you in myriad ways. The Moti
Mahal has five alcoves along the west wall. There are other smaller alcoves
along the wall as well that are meant to hold oil lamps. The glass tiles and
golden paints on the ceiling are beaming with light. Phool Mahal was the
place where the audience were entertained with traditional dance
performances. The Phool Mahal has a golden ceiling with images of various
Maharajas of Jodhpur inscribed on it. The sub-heading of this paragraph uses
the word glittering because the stained glass on the golden plates inside
the building make it look even more regal than ever. The museum has
exquisite collection that covers a wide range of things such as elephant
carriages, maharaja's palanquin, weapons, canons and paintings etc.
Fort Museum
Fort Museum is among the finest in museums in Rajasthan and definitely the
most well appointed. You'll specially like the palanquin section which has
the collection of old royal palanquins. Other items on display are arms,
paintings, costumes etc. The Fort Museum gives us a very fair idea of the
grandeur of the past royal life of the Rajputs in India.
General Information
The Mehrangarh Fort remains open from 0900 hrs to 1300 hrs and then from
1400 hrs to 1700hrs. You will be charged a token fee to enter the Mehrangarh
Fort compound. There is an elevator service also which you can use after
paying a small amount. However, those who are physically challenged need not
pay anything for using its services.
Other attractions in Jodhpur
» Jaswant Thada
» Umaid Bhawan Palace
» Mandore
