Meherangarh

Mehrangarh is a powerful fortress on the Marwar stone plateau, overlooking the city of Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan. It is one of the largest and most well-protected defensive structures of antiquity.

The fortress was built by a prince from the Rajput dynasty, Roa Jodha, in 1459, and members of the dynasty lived here until 1943. In those turbulent times, it was especially important to have a powerful fortress, and the capital of Rajasthan was also moved here. The Mehrangarh Fortress is located at an altitude of 125 meters, and its name translates from Hindi as "conquered place". An interesting legend is connected with the construction of the fortress. According to her, the lord of birds, Cheeria Natji, used to lead a hermit lifestyle on the hill. After he was kicked out, he cursed Roa Jodha, which caused a shortage of water in the fortress. To appease the lord of birds, the prince built a house and a temple for meditation near the cave in the fort. Also, in order for everything to be fine in the fort, he ordered to find a volunteer who would be buried alive in the foundation of Mehrangarh. He became Raja Ram Meghwal, who was promised to take care of his family in return. To this day, his descendants continue to live in the fort.

Mehrangarh can be reached through 7 gates, the most famous of them is the Victory Gate, erected in honor of the victory over the cities of Bikaner and Jaipur by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806. Traces of cannon balls can be seen on some gates and walls, and handprints can also be seen on one of the walls. They were left by 15 wives of Maharaja Man Sing, who died in 1847. After his death, the wives entered their husband's funeral pyre and burned alive there, but before that they left handprints with henna on the wall so that everyone would remember the customs and loyalty. Later, these prints were knocked into the wall for fixing, the walls themselves are 36 meters high, and in some areas they are 21 meters thick.

Nowadays, the fortress is a museum, in which only a part of the buildings are open to the public. This is the place where the rulers were crowned - the Palace of Pearls, the Palace of Flowers - the royal harem, the Palace of Glimpses. Palaces are separated by small courtyards, and the halls will amaze anyone with their luxury. Lovers of antiquity should visit the museum of the Mehrangarh Fort, which features musical instruments, costumes, furniture, a golden throne, jewelry, palanquins, weapons, paintings. In the fort itself, you can still see the ancient cannons that were fired at the enemy in the old days.