Jaigarh fort, Jaipur

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The Amber Palace is protected by two forts. Jaigarh Fort is on top of the hill and Amber Fort is at the bottom. While Amber Fort is easy reachable, is Jaigarh Fort on the top of the hill. It takes an hour to walk up the steep hill, even though it looks so close. You can also drive up the mountain road with a car. It takes 20 minutes.

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Jaigarh Fort was built in 1726 by Jai Singh. It was originally constructed to tighten the security of Jaipur and Amber Fort which is located just below. Since it is located high on a high hill you will have spectacular views of Jaipur and also of Amber Fort. The two forts are actually connected by passages although you cannot go through any of them. Most interesting about Jaigarh Fort is that almost all its original facilities are intact.

This fort served as the treasury of the Kachhwahas and many people are convinced that there is still some of the royal treasure there. (We didn’t find any!) The fort with its maze of corridors has water reservoirs, palaces/residential areas, temples, a tower, and even a puppet theater.

At the cannon foundry is the world’s largest wheeled cannon, Jaya Vana. A pigeon couple were taking a break in the barrel of the cannon while we were there.

Although we normally don't make purchases at the tourist stops, we couldn't resist the great shop on the way out where we made some purchases including a gorgeous silk bedspread and a hand painted bedspread.

You can make a day out of visiting Amber, Jaigarth, and Nahargarh Forts, starting at the bottom with Amber. I think Amber rates as #1, Nahargarh as #2, and Jaigarh as #3.

Open daily 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Admission is free with a ticket to City Palace that is less than 2 days old, otherwise Admission Rs 15 for Indian Citizens, Rs 20 for Foreigners

Extra Charge Rs 20 for Camera

English guides are available near the entrance.

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This fort is on a hill named Cheel ka Teela- which translates into the Hill of Eagles. It is around 400 ft above Amer Fort. It truly is a spectacular fort offering you some great views .
The climb to this fort was arduous and one that proved quite difficult for an auto certainly! Even as we snailed up the tortuous paths we managed to get some good photos of the Jaimahal Palace and other sights enroute. A narrow alley is the only access to and fro from this fort ensuring a loss of time due to certain traffic jams both ways. If you are upto it we would definitely recommend parking your vehicle way outside the fort and walking up to the fort. It will certainly save you a good hour of waiting in the heat and pollution!!
Hordes of monkeys/langurs outside the fort are a sight to see! A short line to the tickets and we were inside. There is quite a bit to see in here, a map of the same helped us some what navigate inside on our own. The ‘thope’ or cannon (largest canon in the world) that famously shot to a village 43 kms away is showcased for all to see, ensure you have a ticket for the camera so that you are not sent back for the same as there is rigorous checking for the same here. We proceeded along the walls of the fort for some great pics of the adjoining Amer fort and the Jaimahal palace. We also got some good close up shots of some really healthy parrots here, such colorful birds really!
By now the heat was getting to us, so we decided to head back to the city for some lunch, however as already explained there was a nasty jam and by the time we got out to the roads our rick had a flat tyre!

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Jaigarh Fort is located on the top of the hill, by the name of Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles). Jaigarh Fort is also known as the 'Victory Fort', located at a comfortable distance of 15kms from Jaipur. Jaigarh Fort is considered as one of the spectacular forts in India. This Fort is on top of the hill, while Amber Fort is at the bottom. Many people regard the two as one complex however both of them are well connected with well guarded passages. Jaigarh Fort positioned centrally in the thorn-scrub hill, leaves a stern impact on the spectator at once.

Jaigarh Fort was made to tighten the security of Jaipur and Amber. Due to this fact, one may not find this fort as artistic as other forts and palaces, but it certainly has its own charm. The Fort has many structures of medieval India, which are worth exploring. It has several palaces, granary, well-planned cannon foundry, several temples and a tall tower. Jaigarh Fort used to serve as the center of artillery production for the Rajputs.

The highlight of this Fort is the massive cannon by the name of Jaivan, which was made in the same production house. Jaivan, the cannon, is believed to be the largest cannon in the World and the main attraction of the Jaigarh Fort. The Fort discloses the mastery over architecture of the former age. Jaigarh Fort has many wide water channels, which were a part of a rainwater harvesting system. The Fort also has 3 underground tanks, the largest one of which can store 60, 00,000 gallons of water. One can plan to visit the armory and museum, which are worth seeing.

The museum has a remarkable collection of coins, puppets, photographs of the royal kings, buildings, processions and even a circular pack of cards besides many other remnants of the past. The armory has numerous swords, shields, guns, muskets and even a 50 kg cannon ball, which would take you back to the gallantry days of the Kings. One can also see a few weather beaten sedan chairs and drums at the Shubhat Niwas or the Meeting Hall of Warriors. Above all, the Fort offers a wonderful view of the city below. Jaigarh Fort is a perfect destination for a traveler, interested in the majestic past of India.

The furnace measured 24ft x 12ft x 10ft and used to bear heat as high as 1200 degrees C. Moulds of the cannon were made from coarse sand, silica, mica, clay and fodder were prepared in two halves and joined together. Iron sleeves or bracings were used for gripping the moulds tightly so that it could withstand the pressure of molten metal.

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The founder of the Mughal dynasty in India, Babur, brought gunpowder with him in 1526 and with it changed warfare. The knowledge of making cannons as past down the generations and this foundry started making them from the late 16th century until the 19th century. The foundry within the fort was respondsible for making the huge 50-tonne Jai Vana cannon that can be seen on the forts southern side.

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Jaigarh Fort is said to be 400 metres above Amber Fort so you get great views of it when you view it from the eastern side of Jaigarh Fort. There's a path that leads down (or up!) from the fort which is what I did.

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This Sagar or lake is easily seen from the northern end of the fort where the garden is located. Notice that the walls extend down from Jaigarh Fort which probably mean that it was used to provide water for the fort.