Fame of being called the Blue City, Jodhpur is situated in the center of Rajasthan founded by the chief of Rathore clan, Rao Jodha during […]
10 most popular Forts and Palaces in Rajasthan
Rajasthan was once known as the Land of Kings and rightly so, as it had numerous rulers spread across the land. The land of Rajasthan has seen rulers from more than two millennia and hence has dozens of forts and palaces around the state. You can witness a fort or a palace in almost all the cities of the state. While some have higher significance for being part of some of the biggest dynasties in the state, others had other uses to them. Some were built as a fort for leisure while some were built to increase the fortifications. Almost all the forts and palaces follow the Indo-Saracenic architecture style with some influences of Mughal and British architecture in the forts built after the 17th century. In this article, we list down the 10 most popular forts and palaces in Rajasthan that you must visit while touring the state of Rajasthan. A lot peoples from Gujarat or Gujrati's always wanted to enjoy their Rajasthan Tours from Gujarat and it't different-different cities.
Amber Fort, Jaipur
Amber (or Amer) Fort is one of the major tourist attractions in Jaipur standing high atop a hill on the outskirts of the city. The principal tourist attraction of Jaipur highlights the glorious era of the city. The fort, built using red sandstone and marbles is the principal tourist attraction in the city of Jaipur. The fort has multiple palaces, temples, tunnels, lavish bathrooms and much more, laid out on the four different levels with a courtyard on all the levels. The hill fort has a series of gates and cobbled paths leading to it. Maota Lake lying adjacent to the fort is its major water source. The fort is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture with many fresco paintings, murals, intricate design works and statues. Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am and Sheesha Mahal are some of the key highlights of the fort. You get to have a stunning view of the city from the top of the fort, giving photography enthusiasts plenty a chance to capture some great views.
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Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur
Jaigarh Fort is located on top of the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles), overlooking the Amber Fort. Maharaja Jai Singh built the fort in 1726 to guard the main residence of the royal family, Amber fort. There is a secret passageway connecting the two forts, which the royal family used during wars and emergencies. The fort further worked as a canon foundry to provide with the necessary weapons for the wars and battles. Even the Mughals took the fort under their reign to keep the city of Amber under their control. However, the Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah gave the fort back to the Rajputs later in the reign. The highly fortified complex holds many buildings with beautiful rooms, halls, temples and arched gateways. The museum at the fort holds a wide range of artefacts from the different eras of the royalty of the city. With so many to explore in the Jaigarh Fort, it is definitely one of the 10 most popular forts and palaces in Rajasthan.
Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur
Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravali Hills and once formed a strong defence ring for the city, with Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort. Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh built the fort as a place of retreat on the ridge above the city. However, the royals built strong fortifications around the palace for leisure to connect it with Jaigarh Fort to enhance the defense mechanism of the city. The three-way setup led to Amber city being practically impenetrable for many years. You can see incredible works of mural painting and fresco painting in the royal suites, corridors and all the other structures in the fort palace. The fort provides the best view of the city of Jaipur from its roof terrace. You literally can see the complete city of Jaipur from here. To attract more tourists to the fort, the Rajasthan government recently built a wax museum with more than 35 wax statues of eminent personalities.
Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort, located in Jodhpur is the second largest fort in Rajasthan. Raj Jodha built the fort in the 15th century the way it looks but some of the buildings in the forts dates back to 10th century. The fort is filled with numerous palaces with expansive courtyards with each of them having intricate design works, paintings and architecture. The museum in the Fort is one of the best museums in Rajasthan with a variety of palanquins, arms and ammunitions, Marwar paintings, turbans and costumes are some of the artefacts depicting the glorious years of Rajasthan. In addition, the fort also houses some of the oldest Jain temples in the state. The fort standing at a height of 410ft from the rest of the city gave it an excellent advantage during the battles, making it almost impossible to break into it. All these features makes it one of the 10 most popular forts and palaces in Rajasthan.
Sonar Fort
Sonar Fort, or the Jaisalmer Fort, stands on top of the Trikuta Hill in the city of Jaisalmer surrounded by the Thar Desert. Since the outer walls of the fort are built using yellow sandstones, it gives the fort a visually stunning look with the background of Thar Desert. What makes Jaisalmer Fort a unique fort in many ways is the fact that a part of the population in the city still resides in the complex of the fort, making it truly a fort city even today. It is no mean feat, as the Sonar Fort is one of the oldest forts in Rajasthan, dating back to more than a thousand years. It thus adds a lot of historical and cultural significance to not just the city of Jaisalmer but to Rajasthan as a state. The fort has a triple ringed defense architecture and four massive gateways to make it one of the best fortified cities in the state. The Raj Mahal Palace, Merchant Havelis and Jain temples are some of the top attractions, located in the complex of the fort.
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Chittaurgarh Fort
Chittaurgarh Fort or Chittor Fort is largest fort in Rajasthan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. The fort complex, spread across a huge complex of 700 acres has several historical palaces, temples, gates and two commemorative towers. The fort has been in existence since 5th century and hence has been part of many kingdoms like Mewars, Khilji, Mughals, and under other rulers of Rajasthan. The highly fortified fort has 4 palace complexes, numerous temples and multiple water bodies. The small lakes worked as the source of water for the occupants of fort. The massive fort took two installments of construction to get the shape it has today. The initial phase of the construction took place over 700 years from 5th to 12 century. However, King Rao Jodha made the modifications in the interiors as well as the fortifications during his reign in the 15th century.
Junagarh Fort
Junagarh Fort, originally called as Chintamani, is the major fort in the city of Bikaner. It is one of the very few forts in Rajasthan not to be built on top of a hill but on ground level. The complex is dotted with palaces, temples and pavilions, built using red sandstones and marbles. Junagarh fort is one of the 10 most popular forts and palaces in Rajasthan because of the way it has been preserved over the years. Most the fort is still in its original shape, hence giving us an exact idea of how the royals used to live there centuries ago. Anup Mahal, Phool Mahal, Karan Mahal and Chandra Mahal are few palaces inside the complex that shows how stunning the interior designing of the place has been. Even though the fort does not stand on top of a hill, the fort included great military strategies during its construction.
Khumbalgarh Fort
Khumbalgarh fort is a Mewar fortress and another one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Rajasthan. Rana Khumba built the fort in 15th century. Maharana Pratap Singh, the greatest warrior king from Rajasthan, was born at this fort, adding value to the fort. This also made the fort a consistent name in the folklores of the state. The 80km long wall makes the fort one of the largest wall complexes in the world. The walls give the fort a stunning look to the fort when seen from far away. Walking on the stoned pathway to reach the fort is in itself a great experience. The main complex of the fort too has 15ft thick walls, adding to the security measures of the fort in general. The complex houses more than 300 Jain temples and 60 Hindu temples, making it one the only fort with so many temples in a single complex.
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Taragarh Fort
Taragarh Fort is one of the most impressive attractions in the city of Ajmer. It is also called as Star Fort for its location on top of a steep hill. Built in 1354 by King Ajaypal Chauhan, the fort had decent fortifications with three major gates to enter, namely, Lakshmi Pol, Phuta Darwaza and Gagudi ki Phatak. However, the fort now lies in ruins with a cover of vegetation in most parts of it. What made the fort so popular back in the days was the intricate tunnels running throughout the hill, giving various options for the occupants to flee when under attack. This made it a top attraction for rulers from around the country. Mughals managed to take the fort under their siege for more than a hundred years with Dara Shikoh being the most notable occupant of this fort.
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Ranthambore Fort
Ranthambore Fort lies within the Ranthambore National Park and was majorly used as a hunting ground by rulers. The fort has seen many rulers residing in it, like the Chauhans, rulers of Delhi Sultanate, Mewars, Hadas and Kachawas. Like many other forts in Rajasthan, Ranthambore Fort too has many Jain temples, Havelis, palaces and towers. There are multiple resorts and other options to stay in and around the fort complex and national park. Ranthambore National Park is a tourist attraction visited for its wide variety of flora and fauna and is most famous for The Great Bengal Tiger. After the independence of India, the government took over the control of the forests and turned it into a National Park. Apart from the park, Kachida valley, Surwal Lake, Malik Talao are some of the best places to visit near the fort.
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