Mehrangarh

BySamiran Nandi

At a distance of 6 km from Jodhpur Junction, an ancient hill fort at Jodhpur, Mehrangarh is a renowned fort in Rajasthan, and among the must visited fort in Jodhpur.

At above 407 ft, it was built by Rao Jodha in 1459, he transferred his capital from Mandore to Jodhpur. The fort was named Mehrangarh, – ‘Fort of the Sun’. Though the fortress was originally started in 1459 under Rao Jodha, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh of Marwar (1638 -78). Today, Mehrangarh fort is preserved and is under Maharaja Gaj Singh II – the current Rathore ruler.

According to folklore, it is believed that to develop Mehrangarh fort, Rao Jodha displaced a hermit called Cheeria Nathji (The lord of birds), who was the hill’s only human occupant. Being angry with this forced displacement, he cursed Rao Jodha that his kingdom will suffer from a serious scarcity of water and even today the area is plagued by droughts in every 3 to 4 years.

Another tale is that during construction of Mehrangarh, Rao Jodha buried Raja Ram Meghwal alive in the foundations and promised him that his family will be taken good care of, in return of his sacrifice. Even till today, his descendants live in the fort, on an estate named Raj Bagh.

Among the Jodhpur tourist places, the fort is enclosed by 120 ft. high and 70 ft. thick walls. The fort has 7 gates and the famous among them is Jayapol (victory gate). This gate was constructed by Maharaja Man Singh to celebrate his victory over the armies of Jaipur and Bikaner. The Fatehpol was raised under Maharaja Ajit Singh to commemorate the defeat of the Mughals.

Imprints of cannonball hits by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate. Loha Pol is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex. Immediately on the left, handprints of the Ranis who immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Raja Man Singh – 1843. To the left of the fort is the chhatri of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who fell on the spot while defending Mehrangarh Fort.

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