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THE NOMAD TRAVELLER presents THE MEHRANGARH FORT, JODHPUR, RAJASTHAN

2017-12-14 13 Dailymotion

THE NOMAD TRAVELLER presents THE MEHRANGARH FORT, JODHPUR, RAJASTHAN <br /> <br />Mehrangarh, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, is one of the largest forts in India. <br />Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 410 feet above the city and is enclosed <br />by imposing thick walls. Inside its boundaries there are several palaces known for their intricate <br />carvings and expansive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. <br /> <br />The imprints of the impact of cannonballs fired by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on <br />the second gate. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on <br />the spot defending the Mehrangarh fort. <br /> <br />There are seven gates, which include Jayapol (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to <br />commemorate his victories over Jaipur, Udaipur and Bikaner armies. Fattehpol (also meaning 'victory') <br />gate was built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals. The palm imprints upon these <br />still attract much attention. <br /> <br />The history of the fort : <br />Rao Jodha, the chief of the Rathore clan, is credited with the origin of Jodhpur in India. <br />He founded Jodhpur in 1459 (Jodhpur was previously known as Marwar). He was one of Ranmal's <br />24 sons and became the fifteenth Rathore ruler. One year after his accession to the throne, <br />Jodha decided to move his capital to the safer location of Jodhpur, as the one thousand years <br />old Mandore fort was no longer considered to provide sufficient security. <br /> <br />With the trusted aid of Rao Nara (son of Rao Samra), the Mewar forces were subdued at Mandore. <br />With that, Rao Jodha gave Rao Nara the title of Diwan. With the help of Rao Nara, the foundation <br />of the fort was laid on 12 May 1459 by Jodha on a rocky hill 9 kilometres to the south of Mandore. <br />This hill was known as Bhakurcheeria, the mountain of birds. According to legend to build the fort <br />he had to displace the hill's sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. <br />Upset at being forced to move Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with "Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer <br />a scarcity of water!". <br /> <br />Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fort very near the cave <br />the hermit had used for meditation, though only to the extent that even today the area is plagued by a drought <br />every 3 to 4 years. Jodha then took an extreme measure to ensure that the new site proved propitious, <br />he buried a man called "Raja Ram Meghwal" alive in the foundations. "Raja Ram Meghwal" was promised that in return <br />his family would be looked after by the Rathores. To this day his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, <br />"Raja Ram Meghwal's" Garden, an estate bequeathed them by Jodha. <br /> <br />Rao Jodha then invited the famous female hindu warrior sage of Charan caste, Shri Karni Mata, to lay down the <br />foundation stone of the Mehrangarh Fort and the same was carried out by her. Today only the forts of Bikaner <br />and Jodhpur remain in the hands of Rathors, both had their foundation stone laid by Shri Karni Mata. <br />All other Rajput forts of Rajasthan were abandoned for some or the other reasons by the respective clans. <br />Only the Rathors of Jodhpur and Bikaner have their forts with them till date. This fact is considered a miracle <br />by the local population and is attributed to Shri Karni Mata. <br /> <br />Rao Jodha also granted villages of Mathania and Chopasni to the two Charan warlords who were sent by him to <br />request Shri Karni Mata to come to Jodhpur. <br /> <br />Mehrangarh (etymology: 'Mihir' (Sanskrit) -sun or Sun-deity; 'garh' (Sanskrit)-fort; i.e.'Sun-fort'); according <br />to Rajasthani language pronunciation conventions,'Mihirgarh' has changed to 'Mehrangarh'; the Sun-deity has been <br />the chief deity of the Rathore dynasty. Though the fortress was originally started in 1459 by Rao Jodha, founder <br />of Jodhpur, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh of Marwar (1638–78). <br /> <br />The fort is located at the centre of the city spreading over 5 kilometres on top of a high hill. Its walls, which <br />are up to 36 metres high and 21 metres wide, protect some of the most beautiful and historic palaces in Rajasthan. <br /> <br /> <br />Entry to the fort is gained though a series of seven gates. The most famous of the gates are: <br />Jai Pol ("Gate of Victory"), built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 to celebrate his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner. <br /> <br />Fateh Pol, built to celebrate a victory over the Mughals in 1707; <br /> <br />Dedh Kamgra Pol, which still bears the scars of bombardment by cannonballs. <br /> <br />For reservations, information and packages, please contact us at : <br /> <br />Phone : +91 9910036960 <br />Email : ian@thenomadtraveller.in <br />Web : www.thenomadtraveller.in

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