A Photo Blog of Jaipur and Bhangarh

India has some of the most massive ancient and medieval age forts in the world. Nothing comes close to sheer size and strategic geographic location of some of these. Of these forts, the best are to be found in the state of Rajasthan, the land of the brave and chivalrous Rajput warriors. Most of their forts are what are called hill forts, situated on a hill or ridge line and considered the most difficult to conquer for an invading army. Six of these majestic forts in Rajasthan are also a UNESCO World Heritage site (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/247).

No other place will mesmerize a history lover as much as the state of Rajasthan, and in my last visit to India, I was lucky enough to get a chance to visit the city of Jaipur. The capital of Rajasthan is also home to one of the 6 UNESCO forts, the Amer fort and palace, also known as Amber. I wanted to do a detailed photo blog of my visit, but the sheer number of things to see in Jaipur, plus my increasing laziness made me do a short write-up. So, here are some sites I enjoyed visiting in and around Jaipur.

The beautiful Amer palace. While the structure is designed as a combination of a palace and fort, it was never meant to be a defensive fort but a luxurious palace for the Kachwaha rulers of Amer. The most famous rulers in history from this clan were Raja Mann Singh, the military commander of Akbar’s Mughal army, and Raja Jai Singh, who was Aurangzeb’s general as well as a good friend of the Maratha king Shivaji, a staunch adversary of Aurangzeb.

You can see the Jaigarh fort in the background on the far left. Situated much higher in the hills than Amer, this is where the royals would retreat in the time of an attack. Jaigarh was also where the royal army was stationed on a permanent basis. Unlike Amer, Jaigarh has massive ramparts which were lined with cannons. A subterranean tunnel (which I trekked) connects the 2 complexes. The gigantic Jaigarh fort is still privately owned by the royal family of Jaipur.

The entrance to the tunnel connecting Amer fort to Jaigarh fort. Notice that tunnel entrances were only big enough for 1 person to enter at a time. This ensured that if an enemy force tried to enter the tunnel, the defenders would be able to defend it with minimum manpower.

The main entrance gate of Amer fort. This is the same gate that generations of Amer kings would have used to enter the fort/palace. Tourists have an option of taking the elephant ride from the base to the fort, and getting a feel of that experience. I have my own ethics on animal treatment and preferred trekking the distance. Though I did observe the animals were well treated. The elephants had no more than 2-3 persons on their back, and all along the route, palace guards ensured that people walking along did not make loud noises that would startle the elephants. The rides are only in the morning session, which also ensures the animals are not stressed in the noon sun.

The main courtyard of the complex. The main gate can be seen on the right. This is where the royal army would have assembled for the king’s inspection. This is also the place where the king would give audience to the public and for regular public celebrations. On the left of this complex is a staircase which leads to the Diwan-i-Khas where the king would give audience to special guests. One gets a majestic view of the Amer city from the ramparts of the fort.

A majestic wheeled cannon at the gate entrance. Notice the smooth surface of the cannon even though this cannon is probably 250-300 years old. One should admire the skills of the gunsmiths of India for designing such fine cannons. The Jaipur rulers also had the advantage of having iron and copper mines in their territory, which helped expand their gun making industry.

Another view of the Jaigarh fort from the ramparts of Amer fort. The 2 forts of Jaigarh and Nahargarh formed the defensive circle around Amer (then capital of Kachwaha rulers).

The beautiful terraced garden in the lower complex of Amer. During the earlier times, the moat around the garden would have been completely filled with water, giving the appearance of a floating garden. There is a water fountain in the middle of the garden, with the water flowing through the center to the water body. One can imagine the beauty of this on a full moon night with the moon’s reflection in the water.

A Turkish bath in the king’s chamber of Amer palace designed with the look of a warrior’s helmet.

A Jharoka in the queen’s quarters. If you look closely, you will see the floating garden below. These jharokhas were designed to allow the women of the royal household to view the outside of the palace without being seen by anyone outside of the palace.

Any guess for what this is? 

What got me thinking was you have all the “latrines” in a single room without any partition. So was this like a community washroom with many folks using it while chit-chatting.

The famous “Jaivana” cannon. The cannon cast in 1720 by Raja Jai Singh II, is the largest wheeled cannon in the world. The 50-ton cannon was only fired once as part of testing after it’s completion, and used 100kg of gunpowder for the single shot. It is believed the bang from the shot was so loud, that all the gunners went deaf and the walls of the fort rampart developed massive cracks. 

The shot apparently landed 35 kilometers away in a small village and caused a crater depression, and the shock wave caused a number of houses to collapse in that village (not sure how true this is). Hence it was decided never to fire the gun unless attacked, which never happened.

The gun is still worshipped every year on the occasion of Dussehra by the royal family. In the picture, you can see the barrel mouth has the ceremonial swastik’s made in turmeric by a member of the royal family.

A photograph from the family collection of the Jaipur royal family. Jacqueline Kennedy seen here with Sawai Man Singh II, and the gorgeous maharani of Jaipur, Gayatri Devi during her 1962 visit to Jaipur. For those not familiar with Gayatri Devi, she was listed by Vogue in the 10 most beautiful women in the world. Born in London in 1910, she had royal lineages from the Maratha and Cooch Behar royal families. She was an avid polo player with a fondness for fast and luxurious cars. She married Sawai Man Singh as his third wife, after she fell in love with him during Man Singh’s visit to her father’s palace in Cooch Behar. 

Now here is an interesting fact from history. As per old Rajput traditions, every Maharaja of Jaipur was required to take as his first wife, a princess from the Royal house of Jodhpur (Marwar – neighboring kingdom to Jaipur). Now when Man Singh came of age, apparently the only unmarried princess in Jodhpur family was Marudhar Kunwar, who was 12 years elder to him. Customs are customs, and the maharaja was married to the princess even though there was a huge age gap. Now few years later, he married Kishore Kunwar, another princess from Jodhpur who was niece of Marudhar. So now both aunt and niece were married to the same king. Now this is something that may be considered strange in today’s time.

Another painting from the collection of the royal family. The painting depicts the Rajput warriors going into the battlefield, with the image of goddess Bhavani blessing them. Indians from the time of Alexander, were proficient in the use of Elephants in battle, and the same was employed by every ruler in India throughout the ages. Here also you can see in the picture, the elephants being marched into battle and flying the royal flag of Jaipur. This painting is probably before 1699 as the flag shown has only 1 part, without the smaller flag on top, that was added as part of the Sawai title to Jai Singh. 

One of the best places to visit in Jaipur city palace is the Royal Armoury. There are so many different types of swords, daggers, lancers, muskets (flintlocks, matchlocks, etc.) that I cannot even explain. Some of these have ivory and gold handles with rare stones studded on them. One of the swords on display was a gift from Mughal emperor Akbar to Raja Mann Singh. Unfortunately, the museum authorities do not permit photography in the armoury (and for good reasons) but one should definitely visit it if you are in Jaipur.

The flag of the Jaipur royal family atop the tower of Jaigarh fort. The significance is that the flag is flown only when the current king (titular) is in town. 

A very interesting feature of the flag is it consists of 2 parts. A regular size flag with another flag on top which is about 1/4th the size of the original. This is due to the fact that the kings of Jaipur have the title of “Sawai” before their name. The term implies 1.25 times of anything. This title was given by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to Raja Jai Singh the 2nd in the year 1699. Jai Singh was then the head of Jaipur royal family, and apparently so impressed was Aurangzeb with Jai Singh’s wit and military capabilities, that he proclaimed Jai Singh was worth 1.25 times every member of his royal court. This is how the Jaipur kings got the title of “Sawai”, which in Hindi mean 1.25 times.

A sleepy guard in front of the magnificent doorway leading to the king’s private quarters in the city palace.

Another pair of beautiful cannons guard the entrance to a private museum of the royal family. Each cannon had a unique name which was etched on it's side. The cannon foundry of the Jaipur king’s was considered legendary (you would have earlier read about the Jaivana cannon). The Mughal king Babur was the first to use cannons in the subcontinent when he invaded Delhi in 1526. Probably the Jaipur kings took a cue from that and gave significant patronage to gunsmiths to develop some of the best guns in the subcontinent. Jaipur also had abundant copper in it’s territory, which was a key component in making Bronze for the guns.

The Jal Mahal palace in Jaipur. Surrounded by water on all 4 sides, this beautiful palace is surprisingly not open to public. It was apparently run as a hotel till some years back but is now abandoned.

One of the disappointing things about monuments in India is the apathy towards them. Their potential as a tourist spot is often underutilized. Maybe the abundance and spread of monuments in India makes it complicated for any single organization or agency to manage them all. I hope in future I will get to see this beautiful palace from inside.

One of the best things I saw at the Jaigarh fort was this elaborate water harvesting mechanism. Even though the human race in 21st century is considered more advanced, we have lost the concept of harvesting and conserving natural resources. 300 years back, the builders of the fort realized the need for harvesting every drop of rain water in this arid region. This water channel was designed to run for a few kilometers along the ridge line of the hills on which Jaigarh is built. It would collect the runoff rainwater from the hills and channel it into underground storage areas within the fort. The water was enough to keep an entire army for a period of 3-4 years. Even now, a part of it is still working and people residing in the fort use this water for their drinking needs.

An open water reservoir in Jaigarh fort. While the water from the channels was stored in underground tanks, the rainwater from the ramparts of the fort was channeled into this open-air reservoir. This water was used for washing and bathing needs of the army. Worth mentioning is how detailed the construction of this fort was as this reservoir was created by quarrying the stone, which was used in the construction of the fort walls.

A beautiful view of Jaipur city from the Nahargarh fort.

Another place worth visiting near Jaipur is the temple complex of Galtaji. I had not heard much of this place, but on visiting I found it to be amazing collection of medieval and early 18th century temples. The main temple (in the picture above) was constructed at the point where a narrow stream flowed between 2 hills. So apart from being a temple, it was designed as a water dam. A mini pond is created behind the roof of the temple, and a waterfall in the middle section flows into the lower reservoir seen in the picture. While the picture does not capture the surrounding temples, they are an amazing collection of medieval architecture. The serene look and complete absence of commercial shops makes this place looks like its frozen in time.

Whether it is a city playground or a place frozen in time, you will always find someone playing Cricket in India. Noticed this group of young boys playing cricket in Galtaji.

No religious place in India is complete without the presence of monkeys, and if there is temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman, then there will be an army of monkeys. Mythology is always a mystery😊.

One of the most amazing places I visited on the way back from Jaipur was the abandoned town of Bhangarh (thanks to my friend Prabal for taking the detour for me). Supposed to be India’s most haunted place, it was no different from any other archaeological site. Though no one resides inside this town, you do have the regular food hawkers strolling around, and a security staff from ASI who are present 24x7. In fact Bhangarh is a classic example of a very well planned town. You enter the town through an outer fortification wall. Once inside, there are ruins of what must have been the living quarters of the common folks. There is a main street running from the main gate to the next set of walls, on either side of which would have been the shops and houses of traders. Once you cross the 2nd fortification, you enter the area which housed the prominent nobles. Then there is the 3rd and final fortification, crossing which you entered the royal gardens, at the end of which was the king’s palace, which is built on hillock and overlooks the entire town. The hills behind provided a natural defence. 

You can see in the picture above the 3rd fortification wall, and the king’s place situated in the rear part of Bhangarh town. I don't know why it is considered the most haunted place but I was really amazed by the architecture and preservation of the ruins.

The layout of the citadel and lower town also reminded me of King’s landing from the HBO series Game of Thrones, due to their similarity in layout.

The main market street of Bhangarg and a lonely Langur wandering in it.

Another view of the main street of Bhangarh with the well preserved ruins of what must have been shops and houses of prominent city traders.