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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
The 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
As 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. |
