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Meherangarh Fort
Earlier called the Chintamani fort, the fort was built in 1459 by Rao
Jodha the founder of Jodhpur on the summit of a steep hill called the
Bakharchiriya or bird's nest. The citadel was fortified by eight Pols or gates
(now reduced to seven) regulating entry into the premises. The expansive
ramparts of the castle span some 10km, and if you stand atop the fort, you do
get a bird's eye view of the city with its whitewashed homes. Bakharchiriya was
an apt name for the hilltop on which the fort now sits, is perched on top of
Meherangarh and from there you get a commanding view of the landscape. In fact
from that vantage point, you can even sight the Kumbhalgarh fort situated a good
125 km away. The fort stands 122 metres above the plain and rises on sheer bare
rock. It is fortified by walls ranging from seven to twenty-four metres in
thickness, and rising upto a height of 40 metres.
The Main Poles or Gateways To Fort
It would have presented a forbidding sight to any invading army with its maze of
imposing towers at frequent intervals. Jai Pol, the main entrance to the fort
was built in 1808 celebrating the great victory of Raja Man Singh over his great
rival Jagat Singh of Jaipur. Also the doors of Jai Pol are embellished won by
Raja Abhay Singh from Ahmedabad. The western gate of the fort is called the
Fateh Pol (victory gate) which was built to commemorate an important event in
Jodhpur's history- the reclaiming of the fort from the Mughals by Ajit Singh in
1707. The Lakhna Pol, also called the Dedh Kangra Pol was added on in the 19th
century, constitutes an important historical landmark in Jodhpur. It was built
during Rao Maldeo's reign in the 16th century, but it bore the brunt of the
attack launched by the Jaipur army in 1807. It still bears the dents from the
cannonballs launched at it by the aggressors. To the left of the Lakhna Pol is
the Amrit Pol, also built by Raja Maldeo, on passing which you come to the
original entrance of the fort which was built in 1459.
The then entrance consisted of a boulder, which had two holes in which were
inserted wooden logs to provide a provisional barrier. Beyond the Lakhna Pol is
the Loha Pol (Iron Gate) dating back to the 15th century, although the façade
that you see today was again the contribution of Rao Maldeo in the 16th century.
The handprints of 15 royal satis, Jodhpur queens who burnt themselves on the
funeral pyres of their husbands, are a chilling reminder to the barbaric custom,
which was very much in vogue in Rajasthan. It was the considered an honour by
the women themselves to sacrifice their lives for their menfolk. So much so,
that when Maharaja Ajit Singh died in 1731, no fewer than six of his wives and
fifty-eight of his concubines burnt themselves on his funeral pyre. and although
sati was made illegal by the British governor general William Bentick in 1829,
the last recorded case of sati occurred in Jodhpur as recently as 1953. Just
next to it is the Suraj Pol or Sun Gate, one of the oldest gates in the complex.
This gate is one of the oldest in the Mehrangarh fort, and on entering it you
will come across a flight of stairs which takes you to the Moti Mahal, one of
the loveliest palaces in the complex.
Fort Temples
Nagnechiji Temple
To the extreme right of the fort complex is located the Nagnechiji temple, the
family temple of the Rathore dynasty. The Nagnechiji idol was brought to Marwar
in the early 14th century by Rao Dhuhad, and after Meherangarh was constructed
the idol was placed there.
Chamunda Devi Temple
Adjacent to it is a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, called the Chamunda Devi
Temple. The idol of Durga was brought by Rao Jodha (the founder of Jodhpur)
himself, but it was destroyed in a gunpowder explosion in 1857. It was
reconstructed by Takhat Singh who reigned between the years 1843 and 1873. The
precincts of the fort house two tanks as well, which was the main source of
water to the residents of the complex. The Gulab Sagar or Rose-Water Sea is the
larger of the two and situated to the south of the complex. The other tank is
called the Rani Talao or Queen's Lake which, as the name suggests reserved for
the ladies of the zenana (royal ladies).
Moti Mahal
The Moti Mahal or the Pearl Palace was built during Maharaja Sur Singh's reign
in the last two decades of the 16th century. Moti Mahal was where the king used
sit on his throne and meet all his subjects. The size of the hall indicates that
it must initially have been utilised as a Public Audience Hall. The alabaster
throne which lies resplendent and one end of the room is magnificent to behold
and the enire palace has a very ostentatious look to it with the entire ceiling
covered with mirrors and gilt. It is has been very well maintained and the walls
and ceilings are still sparklingly smooth. Its latticed screens and superb
balconies are in many ways similar to the Anup Mahal in Bikaner, and both of
these palaces by way of coincidence were built in the 1670s. The Moti Mahal is
where every Jodhpur ruler since the founder Rao Jodha has been crowned. The red
sandstone coronation seat or Sangar Choki is spectacular and so is the white
marble facing which was added on by Bakhat Singh in the 1750s. The palace houses
the royal palanquins, and silver howdahs (special seat for riding on elephants),
one of which was gifted by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to Jaswant Singh. Other
howdahs are resplendent with the flags of the nine Rathore states of medieval
times, eight of them offshoots of Jodhpur itself.
Khabka Mahal
Situated right above is the Khabka Mahal,which literally means sleeping palace.
It has two main rooms; the Dipak Mahal built by the then Prime minister of
Jodhpur and Chandan Mahal, which was the council room of the ruler, where he
discussed the affairs of state with his ministers and held meetings with
visiting dignatories. A picture by itinerant painter A.H. Muller depicts the
great hero of Jodhpur in the 17th century Durga Das, carrying off the infant
Ajit Singh, (who was to be the future ruler of Jodhpur to safety) to protect him
from being slaughtered by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Jhanki Mahal
The Palace of Glimpses, as this palace is commonly known, is next door to Khabka
Mahal. It is called so because it was from where the women of the royal
household to take a look at the outside world. Purdah was strictly enforced by
the Rajputs in medieval times and the women's quarters were deliberately fitted
with latticed screens to allow the royal women to peek outside without being
observed themselves. Like the Moti Vilas (mentioned below), the sandstone jalis
(latticed windows) were so fine as to look like lace from a distance. The Jhanki
Mahal is virtually covered with mirrors where no doubt the royal ladies attended
to themselves. Other interesting aspect of the palace is the numerous royal
cradles you will find here, all of them exquisitely embellished. One of the
cradles is actually motor-powered and was presented to the Maharaja of Jodhpur
in 1948.
Phool Mahal
The Phool Mahal or Flower Palace which is right adjacent to the Moti Mahal is a
more recent building, constructed by Abhay Singh (reigned between 1730-50) and
was further decorated between 1873 and 1895. The best part about the palace is
the wall paintings, which on close inspection reveal a distinct European
influence. Hardly surprising because these decorations were carried out during
Maharaj Pratap Singh's reign, who was very much an Anglophile. The Phool Mahal
was utilised as a Private Audience Hall and it depicts the many classical ragas
(a pattern of notes of melody and rhythm) of Indian music on its walls.
Daulat Khana Palace
Right beneath the Phool Mahal is the Daulat Khanaa place of great historical
interest. The curios present here include heavy locks, liquor bottles wrapped in
wet cloths to which the warriors drank to fortify themselves before an imminent
battle, coin boxes, carpet weights, vanity boxes of the royal women and
intricately decorated hookahs (long pipe for smoking tobacco). But what really
stands out in the Daulat Khana is silk tent made of red and gold brocade which
was made for the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, but captured from his son Aurangzeb
by the Raja Jaswant Singh in the latter half of the 17th century.
Moti Vilas & Sardar Vilas
Meherangarh Fort Jodhpur, India Travel GuideThe next two palaces you come across
are the Moti Vilas and the Sardar Vilas. The unique feature of the Moti Vilas is
its beautifully carved latticed screens. The detailing is so fine that from a
distance you could be forgiven if you mistook the jalis (latticed screens) to be
built out of lace. Neighbouring the Moti Vilas is a zenana court, built in 1640
and comprising of beautifully chiselled stonework. The Sardar Vilas located
nearby is chiefly characterised by its exquisite woodwork. The doors and the
panelling in the interiors of Sardar Vilas is marvellous to behold. Much of the
woodwork is gold-plated and embellished with ivory. It also houses a splendid
marble table, which was presented to it by the king of Kabul.
Umaid Vilas
Next door to Sardar Vilas is the Umaid Vilas, which has a gallery of miniature
paintings mostly belonging to the Jodhpur school. Earlier, the Jodhpur school
was strongly influenced by Jain art, but later with Jodhpur establishing close
ties with Delhi the Mughal influence began to dominate. The magnum opus of Umaid
Vilas is a painting of Maharaja Pratap Singh painted by a Jodhpur artist called
Amar Das. You will also find a portrait of Maharawal Jaswant Singh of Jaisalmer
here. There are plenty of pictures of Rajas playing Holi (Hindu festival of
colour) with their consorts, splashing colour on each other.
Takhat Vilas
The Takhat Vilas is located above the Sardar Vilas and was added to the fort by
Maharaja Takhat Singh who ruled between the years 1843 and 1873. The entire
palace is laced with pictures painted on wet plaster depicting stories from the
Krishna-Lila (the life and times of Lord Krishna the blue-god) and the legend of
Dhola and Maru which is well known throughout Rajasthan.
The Romantic Tale Dhola Maru
The story of Dhola and Maru is fairly typical of the tales of Rajput romance
with love finally conquering all. Apparently a long time ago there was a small
kingdom called Poogal in which lived a king called Pingal. One day he decided to
have his infant daughter Maru married off to Dhola, the son of Nal, the king of
Narwar and his good friend. So Dhola and Maru got married at childhood but
before they attained adulthood Nal died, and not surprisingly his son Dhola
forgot the marriage vows he had exchanged with Maru at birth. So Dhola got
married again to Malwani, while Maru pined away for him as her father king
Pingal sent umpteen messages to Dhola which he never received as his wife
Malwani had all the messengers either arrested or bumped off.
But as they say 'where there is a will there is a way.' Maru got through to
Dhola finally through a group of folk singers, and Dhola on learning about his
first wife started off for Poogal immediately. However the cunning Malwani was
not going to let the two childhood sweethearts meet if she could help it. As
Dhola set off she sent word through a messenger that she had died and Dhola
ought to hurry back. Dhola not oblivious of the ways of Malwani saw the lie for
what it was and carried on. His journey to Poogal was uneventful apart from an
inopportune encounter with Umar Sumar, the leader of a band of robbers who tried
to persuade him that his wife Maru had been married off to somebody else. Umar
Sumar was himself very keen on Maru, but Dhola was having none of it. He arrived
at Poogal to a tumultuous welcome and Dhola and Maru were united at last.
However the star-crossed lovers' troubles were not over yet.
On the way back to Narwar, Maru was stung by a desert snake and died.
Overwhelmed with grief Dhola decide to become the first 'male sati' in Rajput
history by ascending the funeral pyre of his wife. But was saved in the nick of
time by a yogi and yogini who claimed that they could bring Maru back to life.
They played their musical instruments, and believe it or not these modern day
seers actually brought back Maru to life, similar to what Jesus Christ did to
Lazarus in the Bible. But the remarkable story doesn't end here. Enter the
villain of the piece Umar Sumar once again. He hadn't rid himself of his
infatuation for Maru and invited the gullible couple to spend an evening with
them. However the couple's fairy godmother was obviously working overtime and
again they were warned of the dacoit's evil intentions, this time by some folk
singers. Whereupon the couple jumped atop their camel and made off for Malwa in
double quick time. and like all Cinderella-endings, the couple along with
Malwani lived happily ever after. When you visit the Takhat Vilas and see the
murals depicted there remember the Dhola-Maru story- a legend repeated all over
Rajasthan.
Jaswant Thada Cenotaph
Travel to Meherangarh Fort in Jodhpur, IndiaAs you peer over the high castle
walls, you notice the Jaswant Thada Cenotaph. It was built in 1899, with all the
rulers before him being cremated at Mandore, the previous capital of Marwar.
Jaswant Singh who ruled Jodhpur from 1873-95, is worsipped in the city almost
like a god and was credited during his lifetime as someone who possessed
remarkable healing powers. His cenotaph is built like a temple and was
worshipped like one by the public, and the stones with which it was constructed
came from a quarry located at Markana, a village on the outskirts of Jaipur. The
marble walls of the cenotaph are extremely thin, at some points only about six
inches thick. Needless to add all the wives and concubines of Jaswant commited
sati on his funeral pyre and their memorials are found alongside him.
Other Attractions
The other major palaces in Meherangarh fortare the Sheesh Mahal and the Rang
Mahal. Sheesh Mahal or Mirror Palace as the name suggests is resplendent with
mirrors. Although not in the same league as the Sheesh Mahals you will find in
Bikaner and Amber but it is still wotrh a look. The highlight of the palace are
the wall paintings you will find of various Hindu deities. The most exquisite
pictures are the ones depicting Krishna, Shiva, Parvati, Rama, Sita, hanuman,
Ganesh, Vishnu, Brahma and Durga. The Rang Mahal too is laced with mirrors and
ornamented with fine mirror work.
Sileh Khana
Another place worth seeing while you are visiting the fort is the Sileh Khana or
the armoury. Rajputs being a warrior tribe loved their weapons and they took
great care of them. The Sileh Khana is bursting at the seams with all kinds of
antique guns, maces, shields and ornamented swords. The armoury is similar to
the Sileh Khana at Jaipur as far the variety of weapons go. The items include
the sword of Rao Jodha called Khanda weighing over seven pounds. Also present
are swords used by Tamerlane, the ancestor of the Mughals who sacked Delhi in
1398.