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Mehrangarh Fort
A sample architecture at Mandore
I in fort!
drums
Jaswant Thada lies to the left of the Mehrangarh fort complex. It is a royal cenotaph made up of white marble. It was built to commemorate Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Some rare portraits of the former rulers of Jodhpur are also displayed here.
Rising sheer out of a 125m (410ft) high rock, the Mehrangarh Fort (meaning Sun Fort) is prehaps the most majestic of Rajasthan's forts and one of the largest in India. Described by an awe-struck Rudyard Kipling as "the creation of angels, fairies and giants", Mehrangarh's forbidding ramparts, (which measure some 5km in length), conceal flamboyantly decorated palaces. It was built by Rao Jodha in 1459 and was added to by later rulers mostly between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries. This majestic and impressive structure can be entered through seven gates approached by a winding road. Its 68ft x 117ft high walls dominate the surrounding plain. Inside the fortification are some magnificent palaces with exquisitely carved panels, latticed windows and elaborately garnished windows and walls. Most noteworthy among them are Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), Jhanki Mahal (Queen’s Palace) and Sheesh Mahal. The royal apartments now form part of an outstanding museum which was one of the most impressive I visited in India. Take the audio tour which is included in the admission as it one of the best. Photo's of the fort and museum can be found in my travelogues.
Open daily: Summer timings: 08:30 to 13:00 hrs and 14:30 to 17:00 hrs.
Winter timings: 09:00 to 13:00 hrs and 14:00 to 17:00 hrs. Admission: Rs250 for foreigners which includes camera charge and the audio tour.
Every room is worth exploring (use the FREE audio headset to guide you through the rooms), highlights are the gorgeous royal chamber where the maharaja entertained his 50-plus wives and concubines; the Moti Mahal, featuring the throne on which every Marwar maharaja was coronated: and the Phool Mahal, (dancing hall) with a pure gold ceiling. After visiting the courtyard of the Chamunda (Sun Goddess) temple, walk a bit further to view what is apparently among the rarest collections of cannons in India. There is a very good museum shop (check out the silk made by Tyeb Khan, awarded the Master Craftsman award in 2001 by the president of India) and restaurant where you can catch your breath.
In most of the rajasthani state you will see a display of weapons and here are some from mehrangarh fort.
This Gallery displays a rare collection of armour and weapons from every period in the history of Marwar Jodhpur. On display are swords and daggers with hilts of jade, silver, rhinoceros horn, ivory; shields studded with rubies, emeralds and pearls; guns with delicate gold and silver; and other rare and unusual instruments of war.
The gallery also has on display personal swords of many Maharajas and Emperors; among them the Khanda of Rao Jodha, weighing over seven pounds, and the sword of Akbar the Great .
One of the featured exhibits is the silk tent made of red velvet and gold brocade. This was made for the Mughal emperor Shahjahan for the Mughal campaigns, but was taken from his son Aurangzeb by the Raja Jaswant Singh in the latter half of the 17th century.
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