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Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the
pink city of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The view of the
city from the fort is breath-taking siddhanth. Along with Amber Fort and
Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring for the city.
The fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as
Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'. The popular belief is that
Nahar here stands for Nahar Singh Bhomia, whose spirit haunted the place
and obstructed construction of the fort. Nahar's spirit was pacified by
building a temple in his memory within the fort, which thus became known
by his name. |
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Built mainly in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder 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.
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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. 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 Sawai Madho
Singh at a cost of nearly three and a half lakh rupees. 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
frescos. Nahargarh was also a hunting residence of the Maharajas.
It was used by members of the royal family for excursion in summers
and is even now a favoured picnic spot. |
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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.
Durg
Cafeteria just above the entrance sells meals and refreshments, while
Padao Restaurant on the west sells drinks around sunset.
Some scenes of the movie Rang De Basanti were shot at Nahargarh fort.
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Visitor Information
Duration of Openings (Hrs.): 10.00 - 17.30
Entry Fee (In Indian Rupees):
Indian : 20
Foreigner : 50
Tel: +91 141 513 4038 / 7686
Access
By Air
The nearest airport is Jaipur International Airport (IATA: JAI, ICAO: VIJP),
located in the
southern suburb of Sanganer, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Jaipur, the capital
of the Indian state of Rajasthan.
Delhi and Mumbai are the two main gateway cities to Rajasthan from
international destinations. There are regular flights connecting Delhi
and Mumbai to Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan and also important
destinations like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai operated by domestic
carriers.
By Train / Rail
Daily super fast train connects Mumbai to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and
Kota. Delhi (the nearest rail head to Jaipur) is also directly connected
to Sawai Madhopur, Bharatpur, Kota, Udaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur and
Jaisalmer. Shatabdi train operates from New Delhi station to Ajmer via
Jaipur. Double decker train is also available between Jaipur and Delhi.
By Road
Bus: The Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT) at Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi has
almost a twenty – four hour bus service to Jaipur. Air-conditioned and
Volvo bus service of state owned Rajasthan state Roadways Transport
Corporation (RSRTC) to Jaipur is operational from the premises of
Bikaner House, Pandara Road © 011-23383469, journey time about 5 hours.
Delhi is connected to Jaipur via Darukhera, Behror, Kotputli and
Shahpura on NH 8. Jaipur is further linked to Mumbai via Ajmer, Udaipur,
Ahmedabad and Vadodara on NH 8. RSRTC also connects major destinations
in Rajasthan through express and deluxe buses from Jaipur.
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