Forts in Rajasthan - Tour Options -


» Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Perched on a 150 m high hill its sprawl is the most formidable and magnificent fort in Rajasthan. Rao Jodha founded it in 1459 but subsequent rulers of Jodhpur have also added to it over the centuries. A meandering road leads to the from the city 5 kms below. Battle scars of canon ball hit by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. To the left is chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot while defending the fort against the armies of Amber.

There are seven gates, which include Jayapol meaning victory built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol also meaning victory gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of Mughals. And Lohapol meaning iron gate has a moving memorabilia on palm print of the queens of Maharaja Man Singh who threw themselves on his funeral pyre in an act of sati [self-immolation]. The palm imprints still attract devotional attention and are covered by vermilion paste and paper-thin silver foil.

This is one of the finest museums in Rajasthan and certainly the best layed out. In the palanquin section of the fort museum, you can see an interesting collection of old royal palanquins including the elaborate domed gilt Mahadol palanquin, which was won in a battle from the Governor of Gujarat in 1730. The museum exhibits the heritage of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated period rooms.

» Luni Fort, Near Jodhpur
Fort Chanwa of Luni is an exceptional example of elegance and symmetry in Indian architecture of the last century. The entire fortress is carved out of the famous red sandstone of Jodhpur and with its ornately carved lattice work friezes and intricate "Jharokas", it exquisitely captures the romance and grace of a bygone age.

The fort is composed of a lyrical complex of courtyards towers, water, wheels, stables, passages and unexpected stairways to secret pavilions and panoramic roof tops spanning the village below and the Thar horizon beyond. The traditional paintings on the walls harmoniously reflect the skill of the master craftsmen and the bygone days.

The Fort has been beautifully restored to its former glory by its owners Maharaj Dalip Singhji, ( The youngest son H.H Maharaja Umaid Singhji) and his wife Rani Madhu. Each room has been created and decorated with its own particular charm and the many courtyards, verandahs and gardens all offer a setting and ambiance set to capture your heart. Fort chanwas's courtyards are peaceful havens where guests can unwind for the day and spend the afternoons leisurely reading or relaxing in the sun.

» Bila Quila Fort, Alwar
Fort, which bound the people to watch its magnetic beauty, towering on a hill dominating the town, is the BALA QILA (young fort). Amazing fortifications surround the NIKUMBHA MAHAI PALACE at the top, which has graceful Bengal caned marble columns and delicate latticed balconies. The fort is 595 mts. above the city, and extends about 5 Kms from north and south and 1.6 Kms from east and west.

The fort has 15 large and 51 small towers, which contains 446 loopholes for the musketry, its eight towers all around defend it. The most magnificent were 3,599 kanguras, each containing two loopholes for musketry. The fort can be entered through six gates, namely JAI POL, SURAJ POL, LAXMAN POL, LAXMAN POL, CHAND POL, KRISHAN POL and ANDHERI GATE.

This huge fort with its ramparts stretching 5 km from east to west, stands 304 meters above the city and 595 meters above the sea level, constructed before the rise of the Mughal empire .Babar had spent a night at this fort and took away the hidden treasures to gift to his son, Humayun. Akbar's son, Jahangir had also stayed here for some time during his exile.

» Kumbhalgarh Fort, Udaipur
Located 64 kms north of Udaipur in the wilderness, Kumbhalgarh is the second most important citadel after Chittorgarh in the Mewar region. Cradled in the Aravali Ranges the fort was built in the 15th century by Rana Kumbha. Because of its inaccessibility and hostile topography the fort had remained un-conquered.

It also served the rulers of Mewar as a refuge in times of strife. The fort also served as refuge to the baby king Udai of Mewar. It is also of sentimental significance as it is the birthplace of Mewar's legendary King Maharana Partap.

The fort is self-contained and has within its amalgam almost everything to withstand a long siege. The fort fell only once that too to the combined armies of Mughal and of Amber for scarcity of drinking water. Many magnificent palaces an array of temples built by the Mauryas of which the most picturesque place is the Badal Mahal or the palace of the clouds

The Kumbhalgarh Fort also has a great significance by being the birthplace of Maharana Pratap and as the finest examples of defensive fortification in Rajasthan. The most interesting part is that this fort has a fort within itself. Named Kartargarh, the inner fort has a palace built by Maharana Fateh Singh after he had pulled down the old palace built by Rana Kumbha.

» Junagarh Fort, Bikaner
One of the most imposing forts of Northern India-- Junagarh Fort has remained unconquered till date. This fort was built in 15th century by one of the most able and trusted generals of Akbar, Raja Rai Singh.

A high wall and deep moats surround the fort. The 37 bastions guard the fort and only two gates provide the access inside the fort. The Suraj Pol or the Sun Gate is the main entrance to the fort. The Junagarh Fort has defied all the attacks except for the brief stint by Kamaran who captured the fort but was unable to retain his victory more than 24 hours.

Inside the fort is a profusion of 37 palaces, temples and pavilions that are marvels in red sandstone construction. The palaces have exquisitely carved windows, balconies, towers and kiosks.The mirrors, paintings and carved marble panels in the Moon Palace are a treat for eyes. The Phool Mahal or Flower Palace was adorned with glasses and mirrors. The victory over Aurangzeb was celebrated by building the Karan Mahal.

» Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer
Known as SONAR QUILA, rising from the sand , the mega structure merges with the golden hues of the desert ambience and the setting suns in its most colourful shades gives it a fairy tale look. Its simply a magic, the bastions envelops a whole townships that consist of palace complex various security sources and the havelis of rich merchants carved with an incredibly light touch, several temples and the residential complexes of the armies and traders placed strategically on the trade route, from where the ancient caravans passed en-route passing all the riches for the prosperity to an otherwise non source full kingdom.

The rich merchants engaged stone - craftsmen who worked delicately on the sandstone mansions they built, filling up facades with sculptural filigree, screen windows, delicate pavilions and beautiful balconies. Today, these veritable art - museums are still inhabited, and their colourful celebrations and festivals have placed Jaisalmer Fort firmly on the world tourism map.

The golden - yellow sandstone of Jaisalmer Fort, over 800 years old, crowns the Trikuta Hill. Within its walls, defended by 99 turrets, lies the old city, nearly a quarter of modern Jaisalmer. Seen from outside, the sight must be almost identical to what was seen by merchants on their overland camel caravans to central Asia. Once this desert outpost was an important gate for the trade route, and Jaisalmer grew wealthy on the proceeds. But the advent of commercial shipping relegated the town to relative obscurity.

» Taragarh or The Star Fort, Bundi
It was built in 1345 and is great ramble around at leisure. This is rather a ramshackle fort, with its overgrown vegetation.

The view over the town and surrounding countryside from the top are magical, especially at sun set. Inside the ramparts are huge reservoirs carved out of solid rock, and the Bhim Burj, the largest of the battle- fields, on which there is mounted a famous cannon. Taragarh is reached by steep road leading up the hillside to its enormous gateway. Take a path up behind the chitra Shala, go east along the inside of the ramparts then left up the steep stone ramp just before the Dudha Mahal, a small disused building 200m from the palace.

» Fort, Chittaurgarh
A standing sentinel to the courage and valor of Chittaurgarh, it stands tall over a 180 meter high hillock covering a massive area of 700 acres. The fort is belileved to have been built by the Maurya rulers in 7th century AD.

The fort is a treasure house of history and historical monuments the approach to the fort is very difficult, the one mile steep serpentine thoroughfare is exhaustive and the fort is reached through huge seven pols of gates, which are in fact the strong points having a watch tower and massive iron spiked doors.

The fort is approached through massive pols of gates. Near Bhairon Pol, is a cenotaph or 'chhatra' in honor of the chivalrous Jaimal and his cousin Kala, who laid down their lives whilst defending Chittaur against the Mughals. Jaimal who was seriously wounded, but was not ready to die in his bed , thus he was carried into battle on the shoulders of his cousin Kala , both of them died while showing exemplary courage.

» Lohagarh Fort, Bharatpur
Lohagarh fort, or the Iron fort was built in the early 18th century and took its name from its supposedly impregnable defences, which are said to be inspired by a description given in the epic, Ramayana. Maharaja Suraj Mal, the fort's constructor and founder of Bharatpur, built two towers within the ramparts, the Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj, to commemorate his victories over the Mughals and the British.

The fort was encircled and protected by deep moats, and according to a legend would fall "only when a crocodile swalled up all the water of the moat". The gate of the Lohagarh has an interesting history behind it. It originally belonged to the fort of Chittorgarh but was carried away by Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi. In the late 17th century it was brought back in triumph by the victorious Jat armies from the imperial capital of Delhi to Bharatpur.

» Nahargarh Fort, Nahargarh
Nahargarh Fort is located on the sheer rugged ridge of Aravali Hills and it forms an impressive northern backdrop of Jaipur. It looks most classy when floodlit at night. The fort overlooks the city and presents a glittering view of the city lights. It was built in 1734 and extended in 1868. Nahargarh meaning abode of the tigers was built by Jai Singh to bolster the defence of Amber.

The legend also have it that it was named Nahargarh after Nahar Singh a prince whose spirit would destroy the construction and not allow its progress further. So after a tantrik prayer to the spirit it agreed to leave on condition that the fort is named after him. The Madhavendra Bhawan, built by Sawai Ram Singh II has uniquely a cluster of 12 identical suits for queens and at the head is a suit for the king himself.

The rooms are linked by corridors and retain some delicate frescos as well as toilets and kitchen hearths. It was used by members of the royal family for excursion in summers and is now even a favoured picnic spot. Durg Cafeteria just above the entrance sells meals and refreshments, while Padao Restaurant on the west sells drinks around sunset.

Beyond the hills of Jaigarh, stands the fort of Nahargarh like a watchful sentinel guarding Sawai Jai Singh's beautiful capital. It overlooks the city from a sheer ridge to the north, and is floodlit at night. Much of the original structures are now in ruins, but the lovely buildings added by Sawai Ram Singh II and Sawai Madho Singh II in the 19 th century are preserved in a good condition. Some of the rooms provide the most spectacular view of the city below.

» Forts & Palaces Tour
Duration : 20 Nights / 21 Days
Destinaion : Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Pushkar - Ranthambhore - Kota - Bundi - Chittaurgarh - Bijaipur - Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Bikaner - Mandawa - Delhi
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