18 Splendid Must Visit Forts And Palaces of Rajasthan

1. 18 Splendid Must Visit Forts And Palaces of Rajasthan https:/ /htoindia.com/blog/forts-and-palaces-rajasthan/ sheesh@htoindia.com https:/ /htoindia.com +91-9829488511

2. Index - 18 Splendid Must Visit Forts And Palaces of Rajasthan Ranthambore Fort Amber Fort, Jaipur Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur Chittorgarh Fort Taragarh Fort, Bundi Sonar Fort, Jaisalmer Junagarh Fort, Bikaner Garh Palace, Bundi Kumbhalgarh Fort City Palace, Udaipur www.htoindia.com

3. Index - 18 Splendid Must Visit Forts And Palaces of Rajasthan Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur Gagron Fort, Jhalawar City Palace, Jaipur Lohagarh, Bharatpur Deeg Palace, Bharatpur Hawa Mahal, Jaipur Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur Jal Mahal, Jaipur w w w . h to i n d i a . c o m

4. Amber Fort, Jaipur You can find some massive red sandstone work and marble artifacts in this Amber Fort and the fort is spread over the lake. The fort is divided into four segments and each of these parts has separate entrances and an attached courtyard. The main entrance named Suraj Pal or the Sun gate is situated near the Jaleb Chowk. Earlier, the armies returned from war and did their victory parade on the ground inside this fort. During that time, the royal families stayed inside the fort, and the royal family women saw the army through the small windows. According to numerous epistemological facts, the name Amber was actually derived from the AmbikeshwarTemple, which is situated on the top of the CheelKaTeela. Here Lord Shiva is known as Ambikeshwar. However, according to Rajasthani folklores, the name Amber was derived from the name of Amba, which is the local name of Goddess Durga.

5. Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur The museum of Mehrangarh Fort is a renowned tourist spot and you can find several old paintings including the famous art of palanquins. You can find some precious things in the Mehrangarh Fort gallery like Elephant Howdahs, palanquins, Marwar Paintings and Armory.You can also see the finest art forms displayed on the gallery of DaulatKhana in Mehrangarh Fort. Some ancient arts are restored in this place, and you can find some historical facts through these art forms and understand the lifestyle of Rathore rulers of Jodhpur and of the Mughal emperors.

6. Sonar Fort, Jaisalmer The fort has countless rooms with small decorated windows, doors and balconies. The most important attraction of this fort is the presence of royal families inside the Sonar Fort. Some part of this fort has also been transformed as museum, and still some royal family members stay inside these parts. On the other part, you can find the great Vyas Haveli where the descendants of the main royal builders still live inside this part. The other Haveli known as Shree Nath Palace, where the prime minister of feudal Rajasthan stayed, and you can also find some carving wooden panels on the ceiling and the doors of this Sonar Fort.

7. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner The Junagarh Fort has seven gates, which is the main entrance of several palaces and pavilions. During the 16th century numerous Hindu and Jain temples were built inside this fort, and these entire temples were crafted with red and gold sandstones. Every king who lived inside this fort made separate sets of rooms for their own use because they did not want to use their predecessor’s rooms. Therefore, you can find several rooms inside this fort and each of them has separate designs and elegant intricate carved furniture. You can find a perfect blend of British, Mughal and Rajput Architectural designs in this fort because many rulers from different empires occupied this Junagarh Fort during their dynasty, and they later restored and reconstructed some parts of this fort.

8. Kumbhalgarh Fort During 1443 CE, RanaKumbha started building the great wall surrounding the fort and he faced some difficulties during the construction. Then he consulted the religious preceptors and they suggested building a temple inside the fort to remove the construction hurdles. Then MaharanaKhumbha built the temple inside the fort and started building the walls of the Kumbhalgarh Fort. According to the Rajasthani folklores, MaharanaKhumba used to light up the surrounded villages by using fifty Kilograms of ghee and hundred kilograms of cotton every day. RanaLakha built the largest tank named Lakhola Tank inside the fort and you can find the Aaret Pol gate at the western side of this fort. Apart from this, the Halla Pol gate is constructed on the slope area, and Ram Pol and Hanuman Pol are the major entrances of this fort.

9. Ranthambore Fort In the year 1226, the Delhi Sultan Iltutmish occupied this fort and in the year 1236, the Chauhans recaptured the fort. The fort is situated on the top of the hill and you can find dense forests in the surrounding places to this fort. During sunset, the fort gets highlighted with vermillion shades, and you can also find the surrounding greenery and sandstone structures with some ancient arts inside the fort.

10. Chittorgarh Fort Chittaur Fort has seven different gates and they are known as Padan Pol, Hanuman Pol, Ganesh Pol, Jodla Pol, Laxman Pol and Bhairon Pol. These gates were designed with strong sandstones, and you can find some massive stonework on all the walls of these gates. TheMewar people have constructed these gates to defend the foreign intruders, and they have encrypted some cannon and elephant statues in front of these gates. You can find a circular pathway inside this fort, which is connected with each temple and the ruins of this fort. Here one can feel the pain of the Mewar people who sacrificed their life for protecting their royalty and prestige. You can also find two victory towers called the Vijay Stambha and Kirtistambha inside the Chittaur Fort. The Rana Kumbha built the Vijay Stambha and the Bagherwal Jain built the KirtiStambha. You can also explore some oldest palaces inside this fort like Rana Kumbha Palace, Fateh Palace and Padmini’s Palace. Rana Kumbha Palace is the oldest palace in Rajasthan, which is located near the Vijay Stambha, and you can find some temples of Lord Shiva inside this palace. Apart from that, MaharanaUdaiSingh who is the founder of Udaipur was born in this place.

11. Taragarh Fort, Bundi During the Chauhan dynasty, the rulers built some large water reservoirs inside this fort and they used to store huge amount of water in these reservoirs. You can see the gorgeous Rani Mahal inside this fort, which has now become a ruin, but still, you can understand the enriched glasswork on the windows and the stonework on the wall and ceilings of this Mahal. The MiranSahebkiDargah is another tourist attraction which is situated inside the fort. Mughal ruler DaraShikoh occupied the fort until 1776. This fort is situated on top of the Aravalli ranges, and you can find several temples, palaces and ruins inside this fort.

12. Garh Palace, Bundi As you find several Mahals in other forts of Rajasthan, you can also see the same Chhatra Mahal, Phool and Badal Mahal in this palace. The famous Ummed Mahal is known as Chitrashalaor Art Gallery – there are thousands of miniature paintings in this part and it is one of the best things of this place. The MiranSahebkiDargah is another tourist attraction which is situated inside the fort. Mughal ruler DaraShikoh occupied the fort until 1776. This fort is situated on top of the Aravalli ranges, and you can find several temples, palaces and ruins inside this fort. If you want to enter this place through its main entrance, which is followed by some large garden area, then you do need to pay the entry fees, but the other entrances are free and you do not need to pay any amount to access the other entrances.

13. City Palace, Udaipur Several rulers starting from MaharanaUdai Singh-II constructed different parts of this place, and they found several Mahals inside this area. The full City Palace and its ground were designed with marble and granite stones, and you can find heavy artworks, stone carving, marble and mirror work and wall paintings inside the City Palace. You can find some palaces inside this area which are designed with several balconies, towers, cupolas, and you can find some quadrangles with large corridors inside the palace. These corridors are mainly connected with the surrounding areas and the worriers designed these corridors to avoid surprise attacks by enemies. Some of the notable palaces or Mahal here are the Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Krishna Mahal, Surya Chopar and Dilkhush Mahal situated inside this City Palace. Also you can find the royal residence named ShambuNiwas in the palace. The Bari Mahal or the Big Palace is also situated inside this area and this palace is designed with the surrounding gardens named Bhim and Amar Vilas. Crystal Gallery is the biggest attraction of City Palace and one can take separate entrances to visit this amazing collection.

14. Gagron Fort, Jhalawar The Gagron Fort has situated seven kilometers away from Jhalawar and this fort is surrounded by three large rivers. This site is famous as the place of Jauhar lakes because during wars many Mewar and Rajput women committed suicide in these lakes. Juhar was known a ritualistic mass suicide and the Mewar and royal family members, especially women attempted suicide to save their prestige from the Mughal Kings. Later, Mughal emperor Akbar occupied this fort. You can see the significant mesmerizing view of this fort from the top of Changari. This is a small village situated at the eastern side of this fort, and you can also visit the Gagron village, which is situated at the western part of this port. In this village, you can see the Shrine of Mittheshah who was a Sufi Saint. Akbar built this Shrine in the year 1580, and every year some colorful festivals and fairs are conducted inside this Shrine during the Islamic Muharram.

15. Lohagarh, Bharatpur The main entrance of this fort is known as the AshtadhatuGate, which was constructed with eight different metals. You can find several palaces inside this fort including the Mahal Khas, the Badan Singh Palace, the Kamra Palace, and you can also find some historical monuments like Kishori Mahal, KhotiKhas, Moti Mahal and Mahal Khas. There are two main victory towers named Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj founded by the Jat rulers inside the fort.Badan Singh’s Palace is one of the oldest palaces in Rajasthan, and you can find some heavy carved brackets, balconies, mirror work and stone studded pillars inside this fort, which were designed according to the Jat royal styles.

16. Deeg Palace, Bharatpur You can find several gates of this palace, which are designed with stone carving work, and you can see some arcades inside the palace, which is designed with surrounding pavilions and fountains. During Holi, colors added in these tanks and small clothes are inserted into the holes of the reservoirs to block the outlet. Then the colorful water circulated through inter-connected pipelines and the fountains spurt out colored water.

17. Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh –II built the Nahargarh Fort in 1734. The fort is surrounded by large walls, which is extended to over the Aravalli Hills and connected the fort with the Jaigarh. Sawai Ram Singh reconstructed the fort in the year of 1868 and he was built up two different blocks inside the fort. You can find many rooms and palaces inside this fort, which are linked with the inter-connected corridors. Some famous films like Rang De Basanti and a famous Bengali cinema named Sonar Kella were shot inside this Nahargarh Fort.

18. Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur The Aram Mandir and the garden are duly designed within the courtyard, and you can find these places at the northern side of the fort. Along with that, the main entrance of the fort known as the “The AwaniDarwaza” is an excellent art piece, and you can find some Mughal artwork on this arched door. On the east-west wide of the fort, you can find triple arch entrances, and all these gateways are painted with red and yellow colors. According to the folklore of Rajasthan, earlier people could see the artificial lake named Sagar Lake from this fort, and the people used to stock the water in this artificial lake for their future uses. They carried the water by human carrying pots and loaded on the elephant backs to reach the fort and in this way, they supplied the water to the royal families and their subordinates. There are some large underground canals installed at the western side of the Aravalli range, and you can also find three large water tanks or reservoirs at the basement level of the fort. The largest tank of this fort can hold more than 6 million gallons of water, and people in Rajasthan believed that the Royal family members of Kachwaha rulers used to preserve their treasures inside these tanks.

19. City Palace, Jaipur The main entrances to this palace are known as the Virendra Pol and the Udai pol, which are located near the Jaleb Chowk. The triple gateways named Tripolia Gate is still reserved for the royal families and commoners cannot access this gate. Common people can enter this palace through some other gates like the Udai pol, Atish Pol, and through the Virendra Pol. You can find the finest artworks in Mubarak Mahal, and this Mahal is designed with some intricate Islamic and European artworks. Some auspicious royal costumes, shawls and artifacts are protected in the City Palace Museum, and you can also find some clothes used by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh-II in this museum. Chandra Mahal is the another attraction of City Palace in Jaipur, and you can find several buildings like, SukhNiwas, PritamNiwas ,ChabiNiwas, MukutNiwas and RangaMandir inside this Mahal. You can also find many murals, ancient paintings, floral decorative walls, screened windows, courtyards, pavilions, carpets and manuscripts inside the Chandra Mahal. The main entrance to this Mahal is enriched with the peacock artwork, which is known as Peacock Gate. You can also see some places like the PritamNiwas Chowk and find the largest audience hall named Diwan-i-Aam in the City Palace. The gold paintings and artworks on the ceiling of Diwan-i-Khas will mesmerize you and you can also see the Maharani Palace, which was the residence of Royal Queens.Now this palace has been converted into a museum, and several artifacts and weapons are protected inside these museums.

20. Hawa Mahal, Jaipur You can find more than thousands of jharokhas in this Hawa Mahal, which were designed with some intricate artworks.Royal women used to observe the city life through these small windows because they were not allowed to come outside without wearing the face cover or purdah. During the hottest summer, the huge amount of natural air can easily flow through these intricate windows, and the palace remains cool all the time. This is a natural air conditioning system, which was used by the royal families, and people could easily see the Hawa Mahal from the street because this Mahal is located on the busy roadways of Jaipur. Hawa Mahal is a five-storied building, where you can find only two different grand rooms on the top two floors, and other floors are decorated with some patios and pavilions. The Mahal was designed with several portholes, and each of these portholes has a small window and all these windows are designed with sandstone grills. You can find some fountains inside the Mahal, and when the wind enters through these small windows and passes through the fountains, the Mahal becomes cool automatically.

21. Jal Mahal, Jaipur Jal Mahal was designed with some Rajput and Mughal artworks and this is a five storied building constructed on the lake. When the lake becomes full, the ground floors to third floors remain under the water, and only the upper floor is visible from the outside. The palace suffered from some damages and seepage due to water logging and the government of Rajasthan reconstructed and restored the different parts of this Mahal. You can find some intricate pillars, marble floors and impressive intricate Rajasthani artwork on the walls of this Jal Mahal. In the last ten to fifteen years, the Government has done some restoration work in this Mahal, and they mixed some organic ingredients with their plaster materials like jaggery, methi and guggal to prevent the water damages.

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