Saturday, May 30, 2009

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

Along with palaces, and other attractions we set our eyes on exploring the most important tourist attractions of the city i.e., the forts. In Jaipur there are 3 most amazing forts - Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort. In this as the title of the post suggests we will explore Nahargarh Fort.

This fort is also known by the name Tiger Fort. When seen from the air it forms marvelous sight along with other two forts. It occupies the Northern part of Jaipur on the Aravalli Hills. It is strategically placed to cushion Amer from the enemy attacks.


According to the legend, this fort was named after a dead Rathore prince, Nahar Singh, whose spirit used to haunt the site and would cause collapse of the construction of the fort. Later a Tantrik's prayer was arranged to drive away the spirit, who agreed to leave on the condition that the fort should be named after him. Hence the name. The entrance of the fort leads one into spacious and impressive main courtyard, with large ‘dwars’ on both sides embellished with decorative motifs of elephants, warriors on horseback, flowers and birds. There are also weather-worn cannon carriages that have faced the ravages of time.

The Monsoon Palace



This palace was designed by eminent Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Built in two floors, the ground was for summer and the first floor for winter residence. It has nine suites, one for each of the nine queens of the maharajah. There are bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens, all well-lit and ventilated. An interesting feature is the long and architecturally elegant, but narrow, corridors, some with windows overlooking the main courtyard. It is believed that the these corridors were used by the maharajah to access each queen independently without the others having knowledge of his whereabouts, but hopeful of a visit nevertheless!

The doors and windows had colored panes, some of which are still intact. And some of the rooms still have Belgian mirrors adorning the walls. Even the brass door latches work. Each suite has the same design of floral and bird motifs. Even the hooks used for hanging the manually operated fans have painted designs to blend with those on the arches and in the niches. The plaster on the walls is of limestone, clean and smooth.

This is the top of the various suites of the palace.

Next we will explore the Jaigarh Fort.

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.

53 comments:

Baron's Life said...

Superb shots and outline.Just one question though: I thought Bengali names had a Singh in them...am I wrong?

Unknown said...

Fantastic post and photos.


BTW I've left a little gift for you on my blog
:-)

alicesg said...

Very lovely photo. Love the beautiful architectural designs of the building. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a nice weekend.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rajesh: What a neat fort from history. I certainly will enjoy the rest of the trip.

Bengbeng said...

I sometimes think everybody would love to visit India but due to financial, commitments and time constraints, most of us have to depend on blogs like yours :) for our little venture into India.

Maggie May said...

Lovely architecture and roof top scenes.

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

Nice one, again. Love the pictures. And learning to respect the Rajputs for their love of art as well as their courage

SandyCarlson said...

An extraordinary place!

linda may said...

Those buildings are works of art in their own right. Thanks for sharing.

Reader Wil said...

Exquisite photos of very beautifully decorated buildings.

Debra Trean said...

The details on the buildings are amazing and I like the colors they are soft

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

A very interesting post Rajesh. I like the story on how it got its name. Its design and architecture is beautiful.

Sehraeuber said...

wow ... what a beautiful place and an impressive building!

joo said...

Hi, superb photos and post!
Greetings:)

Sucharita Sarkar said...

Being a Bengali myself, I found the information about the Bengali architect very fascinating.

Bradley Hsi said...

It is always interesting to go through your blog with the detail information and photos that better than most tourist guide.

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for the nice words.

Baron: Thanks, it is not Bengali's, but it is Punjabi's have the surname as Singh

Alice: Thanks for the appreciation.

Christopher: Thanks for the award.

Maggie: Thanks for the appreciation.

Fishing guy: Thanks, I hope to make it interesting.

Sandy: Thanks for the appreciation.

Bengbeng: Yes, with financial hard times, it is difficult to travel. Do come here when the time is good.

Linda: Thanks for the appreciation.

Raji: Thanks, they had great love for architecture. It can be seen in their forts and palaces.

Joan: Thanks for the appreciation.

Reader: Thanks, they are really beautiful and lasted the test of time.

Walter: Thanks for the appreciation.

Debra: Thanks. This is one palace where colors are soft.

Joo: Thanks for the appreciation.

Sucharita: I came to know from the guide at the place and surprised.

Grace & Bradley: Thanks, it is best compliment I have received.

magiceye said...

that sure was a lovely post!

sujata sengupta said...

Beautiful description.. lovely pictures!!

Jyoti Ajay said...

nice photos with good information

Anonymous said...

What an amazing post!!! lovely pictures...

The more I read your Jaipur posts... the more I want to pack my bags and go on holiday!!

Anya said...

Great post !!
Love the architecture :)
Fantastic shots, as always ;)
greetz from us =^.^=

Unknown said...

LOVE that header Rajesh and this is a wonderful post. tks for sharing India with us. Happy week too.

Sharon said...

Magnificent architecture!

Phivos Nicolaides said...

Since I have been in this amazing place last year you reminded me that I have to write an article myself on it! Namaste!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for the nice words.

Patriica: Thanks, you are welcome to Jaipur in your next vacation.

magiceye: Thanks for the appreciation.

Sujata: Thanks for the appreciation.

Sharon: Thank you

M.Kate: Thanks, I am delighted you liked the header.

JyotiAjay: Thanks for the appreciation.

Femin Susan: Thank you

Anya: Thanks for the appreciation.

Ajeya: Thanks for the appreciation.

Phivos: I am looking forward to your take on this place.

Anonymous said...

I have never traveled to India. The architecture, color, and beauty of the people and places makes me long to visit. There is nothing in the west to rival India's buildings. Just stunning. The history is fascinating. A world so different than I can imagine. I love the blog community for sharing its places. Thank you for visiting!

George said...

Thanks for the history and tour of this fascinating fort.

JRandSue said...

Fantastic Images, outstanding Country and Blog.
Well done and thankyou for your kind comments on our Blog.
Once again Rajesh thankyou.
John. UK.

Girl Tornado said...

You always capture the most amazing photos of India... the architecture of these forts is incredible. Great job!

chrome3d said...

Very hazy and smooth feeling in this one. India has so many wonderful forts I haven´t ever hear about until now that I´ve started to read blogs!

Tammie Lee said...

Beautiful palace. Thank you for sharing the history, very interesting.

Kcalpesh said...

Beautiful fort. It must be a great experience visiting all these places. Thanks for sharing!

Ailurophile said...

Love the Tiger Fort. Thanks for the pictures and the history of this beautiful place!

Pallavi said...

Jaipur has a charm of its own... :)
Loved the pics.. good account... will be back.

Regina said...

Hi another great post!

Anonymous said...

Such rich design.. beautiful work.

Indrani said...

I could not visit this fort, may be next time. :)

betty-NZ said...

Those are amazing photos! The details on the buildings are incredible. Thanks for all the info.

pradipwritenow said...

Came to your blog and the word came out is wow!. Dear friend you do not know what precious information you are giving to us. Please educate me how to make a Planned visit to Rajasthan?

roughterrain crane said...

You have visited so many nice places in India! Very interested.
Thank you for visiting my blog.

Barbara Martin said...

Rajesh: thank you for visiting my blog.

I am fascinated by the history of India and it looks I should be able to find much of that here, accompanied by magnificent photos.

Pietro Brosio said...

What a splendid building. Fantastic place indeed!

Rajesh said...

Thanks to all for the nice words.

The Things We: Thank you. Each country is unique in its own way and beautiful.

George: Thanks for the appreciation.

Oz Girl: Thank you. Yes, the architecture of each one of them is amazing.

JRandSue: Thanks for the appreciation.

chrome3d: Thanks, you should plan to see this place.

Tammie: Thanks for the appreciation.

Kcalpesh: Thanks. Indeed it is a beautiful experience.

Ailurophile: Thanks for the appreciation.

Pallavi: Thanks, it is a nice palce.

Regina: Thanks for the appreciation.

Indrani: It is a nice palce worth a visit.

Faye: Thanks for the appreciation.

Pradip: Thanks. In a brief I get in touch with few tour operators and organise them through. You know what may be I will soon post on this.

Bettyl: Thanks, it is a nice place.

roughterrain: Thanks.

Pietro: Thanks for the appreciation.

Barabara: Thanks, come again to see more.

Kirigalpoththa said...

Beautiful architecture and a fantastic post!

biologion said...

Beautiful pics!

Unknown said...

Hi Rajesh,
I'm glad you stop by my blog,Thank You.Your blog have interesting post & nice photos,all of them:)
Your place has a fascinating history,thanks again & have a nice day.

Rajesh said...

Thanks to Kirigalpoththa, biologion, uncleawang for the appreciation.

Barbara Martin said...

Rajesh, I love the way you weave the history in with the present which provides a colourful background with the amazing photos.

Rajesh said...

Barbara: Thanks for the appreciation.

Gunn said...

I am looking at your blog again, and I find so many beautiful places! Thanks for sharing.

Rajesh said...

Gunn: Thanks, Good to see you commenting on my posts again.

India and the Indians said...

Nice post... Felt like I am in the fort while I was reading... Superb work