About
Nahargarh Fort
In 1734, seven years after his
new capital was built Jai Singh II began
to build this small fort. Two and a half-centuries
later it still stands tall on a steep rocky
face with massive walls and bastions for
company. The fort provides an excellent
view of the Pink City spread out at its
foot. Jai Singh II named it Sudarshangarh
(sudarshan chakra: Lord Vishnu’s discus;
garh: fort).
Nahargarh Fort is the first of the three
forts built by Maharaja Jai Sawai Singh
of Jaipur. The Fort stands at the top of
rugged point of the Aravalis and offers
a spectacular view of the City. Keeping
this fact in mind, the fort was made to
serve as a means of supporting the security
of Amer. The term "Nahargarh"
refers to "the Abode of Tigers",
so it is also known as the Tiger Fort. The
Fort was constructed mainly in 1734, however
further additions were made to it, by the
succeeding rulers in the 19th century.
According to a legend, the Fort was named
after a prince, whose spirit used to haunt
the construction site. As a result, a tantrik
was called and the ghost agreed to leave
the fort only if, the fort was named after
him. There are numerous buildings situated
inside the Nahargarh Fort and amongst them,
Madhavendra Bhawan appeals the most. It
was built by Sawai Ram Singh II and has
a series of interconnected rooms with colorful
corridors and hallways. This Place was used
as a picnic spot for the members of the
Royal family.
Another major attraction of the Fort is
that, it provides an eye catching view of
the Man Sagar Lake and the suburbs. The
geometrically designed Nahargarh Fort looks
at its best in the night, when it is dazzlingly
lit. To add flavor to your trip, the cafeterias
inside the fort offer the finest drinks
and snacks. Nahargarh Fort forms a remarkable
backdrop of Jaipur and offers a glittering
view of the city lights.
The
Mysterious Tale
There is a strange story behind the change
of name of the fort.
When work began on it, strange things happened
here at night. Every morning the workers
would find that the previous day’s
entire construction was destroyed. Jai Singh
then found out that the land had once belonged
to a dead Rathore prince named Nahar Singh
and his spirit did not like the sudden disturbances
in his spiritual abode. To appease the soul
a small fortress was built at Purana Ghat
where the spirit could reside, and then
the fort was renamed Nahargarh. Later a
shrine was also added where the warrior
could be worshipped. Nahargarh was used
as the treasure of the Jaipur kingdom and
even the highest state officials would only
be allowed to approach the fort blindfolded.
Constructed
into a Pleasure Palace
In the 1880s Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh
transformed Nahargarh into a monsoon retreat.
He ordered the Raj Imarat, responsible for
royal construction projects, to design a
pleasure palace within the fort known as
the Madhavendra Bhawan. Vidyadhar Bhattacharya,
the designer of Jaipur, built this palace
with its beautiful interiors of frescoes
and stucco designs that was used mainly
by the harem women.
Fort
was Protected from Encounters Nahargarh
Fort Palace
The fort dominates the skyline by day and
forms a breathtaking sight when floodlit
at night. However, much of the original
fort now lies in ruins except the walls
and the 19th century additions including
the rooms furnished for the maharajas. The
cannons ranged across the Hazuri Burj were
supposed to protect the fort but as the
city never faced an attack from either the
Mughals or the armies of other Rajput kingdoms,
they were usually fired to signal the time
to the city below. The queens used to come
for a stroll here and the royal treasure
were kept in the palace until Man Singh
II moved it in the 1940s to Moti Doongri.
You have to walk past the quiet streets
at the base of the hill and then trek 2km
up a steep, rough winding path to reach
the top of the fort. Once you reach the
top you’ll have a wonderful view of
the Man Sagar Lake, in the middle of which
Jai Singh II built a palatial duck blind
for his shooting parties. |
