Nahargarh Fort | |
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Location | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
Coordinates | 26°56′14″N75°48′56″E / 26.937255°N 75.815490°E |
Elevation | 213 m (700 feet) [1] |
Built | 1734 |
Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring for the city. The fort was originally named Sudershangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'. The popular belief is that Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia, [2] whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort. [3] Nahar's spirit was pacified by building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known by his name. [4]
Built mainly in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the king of Jaipur, the fort was constructed as a place of retreat on the summit of the ridge above the city. Walls extended over the surrounding hills, forming fortifications that connected this fort to Jaigarh, the fort above the old capital of Amber. Though the fort never came under attack during the course of its history, it did see some historical events, notably, the treaties with the Maratha forces who warred with Jaipur in the 18th century. [5] During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the Europeans of the region, including the British Resident's wife, were moved to Nahargarh fort by the king of Jaipur, Sawai Ram Singh, for their protection. [6]
The fort was extended in 1868, during the reign of Sawai Ram Singh. In 1883-92, a range of palaces was built at Nahargarh by Dirgh Patel at a cost of nearly three and a half lakh rupees. [7] The Madhavendra Bhawan, built by Sawai Madho Singh had suites for the queens of Jaipur and at the head was a suite for the king himself. The rooms are linked by corridors and still have some delicate frescoes. Nahargarh was also a hunting residence of the Maharajas. [8]
Until April 1944, the Jaipur State government used for its official purposes solar time read from the Samrat Yantra in the Jantar Mantar Observatory, with a gun fired from Nahargarh Fort as the time signal.
Some scenes in the movies Rang De Basanti , Shuddh Desi Romance and Sonar Kella were shot at Nahargarh Fort.
The ticket for the historical fort of Nahargarh costs ₹50 for Indian nationals. [9] For foreign tourists, the cost goes up to ₹200 (US$2.40). Students enjoy discounted prices. For foreign students, the ticket costs ₹50 (60¢ US), and ₹25 for Indian students.
Nahargarh fort is open from 10:00 and the gates of the fort closes in the evening at 17.30 [10] The visitors are not advised to stay any later than that because the fort is surrounded by dense deciduous forest. The forest is part of Nahargarh Biological Park [11] and home to many wild animals.
Amber or Amer, is a city near Jaipur city in Jaipur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is now a part of the Jaipur Municipal Corporation.
Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan. As of 2011, the city has a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Located 268 km from the national capital New Delhi, Jaipur is also known as the Pink City due to the dominant color scheme of its buildings in old city.
Sawai Jai Singh II, was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He became the ruler of Amber at the age of 11, after the untimely death of his father, Mirza Raja Bishan Singh, on 31 December 1699.
The Hawa Mahal is a palace in the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Built from red and pink sandstone, it is on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur, and extends to the Zenana, or women's chambers.
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The Jantar Mantar is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur, Rajasthan. The monument was completed in 1734. It features the world's largest stone sundial, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is near City Palace and Hawa Mahal. The instruments allow the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye. The observatory is an example of the Ptolemaic positional astronomy which was shared by many civilizations.
Jantar Mantar is located in the modern city of New Delhi. "Jantar Mantar" means "instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens". It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site is one of five built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1723 onwards, revising the calendar and astronomical tables. Jai Singh, born in 1688 into a royal Rajput family that ruled the regional kingdom, was born into an era of education that maintained a keen interest in astronomy. There is a plaque fixed on one of the structures in the Jantar Mantar observatory in New Delhi that was placed there in 1910 mistakenly dating the construction of the complex to the year 1710. Later research, though, suggests 1724 as the actual year of construction. Its height is 723 feet (220 m).
Amer Fort or Amber Fort is a fort located in Amer, Rajasthan, India. Amer is a town with an area of 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Located high on a hill, it is the principal tourist attraction in Jaipur. Amer Fort is known for its artistic style elements. With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.
A Jantar Mantar is an assembly of stone-built astronomical instruments, designed to be used with the naked eye. There were five Jantar Mantars in India. All were built at the command of the Rajah Jai Singh II, who had a keen interest in mathematics, architecture and astronomy. The largest example is the equinoctial sundial belonging to Jaipur's assembly of instruments, consisting of a gigantic triangular gnomon with the hypotenuse parallel to the Earth's axis. On either side of the gnomon is a quadrant of a circle, parallel to the plane of the equator. The instrument can be used with an accuracy of about 20 seconds by a skilled observer to determine the time of day, and the declination of the Sun and the other heavenly bodies. It is the world's largest stone sundial, and is known as the Samrat Yantra. The Jaipur Jantar Mantar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jaigarh Fort is situated on the promontory called the Cheel ka Teela of the Aravalli range; it overlooks the Amer Fort and the Maota Lake, near Amer in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The fort was built by Mirza Raja Jai Singh in 1726 to protect the Amer Fort and its palace complex and was named after him.
The Kingdom of Amber, later the Kingdom of Jaipur or the Jaipur State, was located in the north-eastern historic Dhundhar region of Rajputana and was ruled by the Kachwaha Rajput clan. It was established by Dulha Rai, possibly the last ruler of the Kachchhapaghata dynasty of Gwalior who migrated to Dausa and started his kingdom there with the support of Chahamanas of Shakambhari in the 12th century. Mostly through 12th to 15th century, the kingdom faced stagnation, sources were scarce. Under its ruler, Raja Chandrasen of Amber became a Sisodia vassal and fought in the Battle of Khanwa under Raja Prithviraj Kachhwaha.
The culture of Rajasthan includes many artistic traditions that reflect the ancient Indian way of life. This historical state of India attracts tourists and vacationers with its rich culture, tradition, heritage and monuments.
The Royal Orient is an Indian luxury tourism train that runs between Gujarat and Rajasthan, covering important tourist locations in the two states.
The City Palace, Jaipur is a royal residence and former administrative headquarters of the rulers of the Jaipur State in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Construction started soon after the establishment of the city of Jaipur under the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. Jaipur remained the capital of the kingdom until 1949—when it became the capital of the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan—with the City Palace functioning as the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur. The construction of the Palace was completed in 1732 and it was also the location of religious and cultural events, as well as a patron of arts, commerce, and industry. It was constructed according to the rules of vastushastra, combining elements of Mughal and Rajput architectural styles. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. The royal family has around 500 personal servants. The palace complex has several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices of the Museum Trust.The MSMS II Museum Trust is headed by chairperson Rajamata Padmini Devi of Jaipur. Princess Diya Kumari runs the Museum Trust, as its secretary and trustee. She also manages The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School in Jaipur. She founded and runs the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation to empower underprivileged and underemployed women of Rajasthan. She is also an entrepreneur. In 2013, she was elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan from the constituency of Sawai Madhopur.
Garh Ganesh(a) Temple is an 18th-century Hindu temple of the god Ganesha in the city of Jaipur. It is located on the Aravali hills near Nahargarh Fort and Jaigarh Fort.
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Kanak Vrindavan is a garden in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. It is built in a valley surrounded by Aravali hills and is located on the way to the Amer Fort at the bottom of the Nahargarh hill. The place is approximately 8 kilometers north of the Jaipur city. The garden has many nearby tourist attractions such as the Amer fort Palace, Jaigarh fort and Nahargarh Fort along with lush greenery.
Gopal Swami Khetanchi is an Indian painter based in Jaipur. Hailing from an artistic family in north Rajasthan, Khetanchi studied fine art in Jaipur and worked for some time as an assistant art director in Bollywood and an illustrator for magazines, before returning to Rajasthan to focus on painting.
Chandramani Singh was an Indian art historian, textile expert, writer and a museum archivist based in Jaipur, Rajasthan. As a writer, Singh had edited and authored numerous works on museums, culture, and heritage. Her notable works include Jaipur Rajya ka Itihas, Art Treasures of Rajasthan, Performing Arts of Rajasthan: Lok-Rang, and Protected Monuments of Rajasthan among others. She was associated with Banaras Hindu University, the Sawai Mansingh II City Palace Museum and Jawahar Kala Kendra. She had also worked for the restoration of the Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur. She died in 2022 after a prolonged illness.