The Mesmerising Mehrangarh Fort - The Work Of Giants
A self respecting king wanted a grand and secure fort. When one fine day he stumbled upon the ideal location, an isolated hill, he ordered his men to clear the place of its inhabitants. A holy man, who was known as Chidiya Wale Baba was the only one residing on the hill. The hermit was known to feed the birds and talk to them. Hearing the king's plan he became all furious and cursed the king with recurrent droughts in his kingdom. The appalled and apparently terrified king asked for forgiveness to which the hermit laid a condition. A man had to be buried alive upon the hill before they could lay foundations for the fort's construction. The king was dejected for there was no one who he believed would volunteer for the noble yet deadly cause. The fort' construction felt like a lost cause and just before the king decided to call it off, a man by the name of Rajaram Menwal volunteered for the deed. Ecstatic, as the king was, he accepted the offer and on an auspicious day, Rajaram was buried alive and that's how Mehrangarh Fort's construction began in 1459, with a curse.
The fifteenth Rathore ruler, Rao Jodha built the Mehrangarh Fort in 1459 when he shifted his capital from Mandore to Jodhpur in a quest to secure the capital. Enclosed by imposing thick walls and standing at a height of 410 feet above the city on a rhyolite hill, the mighty Mehrangarh Fort guards over the blue city of Jodhpur. A magnificent spectacle and an architectural masterpiece, it is one of the largest forts in India. As the time passed and other rulers acquired the throne, they all made their additions to the fort.
Stuffed with history and legends, Mehrangarh comprises of 64 feet wide walls that elevates to around 117 feet.Entry to the fort can be gained through seven subsequent gates. The most famous ones being Jai Pol (built in 1806), Fateh Pol (built in 1707), Dedh Kamgra Pol and Loha Pol (final gate into the main complex). The Dedh Kamgra Pol, which is the second gate, still stands witness to the cannonballs hits they once withstood and reminds the visitors of the bygone skirmishes. Just like in a lot of Rajput forts, the last gate displays the haunting sati handprints. Bedecked in their jewels, widowed queens passed through this gate for the last time and immolated themselves in the funeral pyres.
Once through the gates, one can see magnificently crafted sandstone palaces with sprawling courtyards and lawns. These include Pearl Palace or Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal/Flower Palace, Sheesh Mahal or Mirror Palace, Daulat Khana and Sileh Khana. They are exquisitely ornamented and covered with gilt, murals and mirror work. Moti Mahal houses Jodhpur's royal throne known as Sringar Chowki.
Rudyard Kipling once called the Mehrangarh Fort to be a palace that might have been built by the Titans and coloured by the morning sun. Standing hundreds of feet in splendor and imposing a haunting beauty, 'the work of giants' is rightly acknowledged as the best fort of India.
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Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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