Mehrangarh: One of the most stunning hill forts of Rajasthan, Mehrangarh appears
to rise from the bluff-coloured sandstone hill itself, so well built into the base that it is difficult to tell where the hill
ends and the walls begin. Founded in the 15th century by the Rathore Rajputs when they shifted their capital form nearby
Mandore to Jodhpur (or the region known as Marwar), it is approached by a series of seven gateways set at an angle so that
armies could not charge them with any success. Pass the gates, the fort-palace take one's breath away. Across form huge courtyards
are set wings of palatial apartments that have been built over five centuries of bristling history. Today, managed as a museum by
the royal trust that maintains it, only some of the more spectacular palaces of Mehrangarh are open to visitors. These
consists of Moti Mahal with its pierced screen windows overlooking the coronation seat where the Rathore rulers have been ritually
appointed to rule, Jhanki Mahal, the Apartment from where the zenana women would watch ceremonial events; Chandan Mahal, where
affairs of state were discussed; the royal Darbar Takhat or throne room with its octagonal throne; and the Rang Mahal where the
Maharaja would play Holi with his zenana. Also noteworthy are Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Umaid Vials and Maan Vilas, while a
large ten seized from the Mughals in battle is spread for viewing in what has come to be referred to as the Ten Room. Mehrangarh
from the outside is impressive, and certainly forbidding. There is a surprising lightness to it though, once actually within the
fort. The builders seemed to want to make up for the stern austerity of its wall with an overwhelming profusion of windows
and jharokas at the upper ends. The effect seems to exaggerate its already impressive height.
Umaid Bhawan Palace: Umaid Bhawan Palace can qualify for several firsts: the largest private residence in the world, the
finest extant example of art-deco, the only palace to have painting from the Ramayana painted by a Polish artist, the first
to use air-conditioning, electricity and elevators, and the most impressive for its size and dimensions. Yet, that should be hardly
strange, for the architect, H.V. Lancaster, who planned it, wanted it to rival the Vice Regal Lodge (now Rashtrapati Bhawan) then
being planned by Sir Edward Lutyens in the new capital at New Delhi, also then under construction. For starters, Umaid Bhawan is
a formal building that is perfectly symmetrical, and its 347 rooms offer few concessions to Rajput architecture other than such
devises as concealed corridors and balconies for the women of the zenana, and the use of courtyards around which the several wings
of the palace are arranged.
Built at the height of the art-deco period, there are several embellishments o n the outer walls, such as the eagle, carved from
sandstone. All original fittings have been retained. While many of its accoutrements are in use, others have been placed in a museum
within the premises. Here, you can find out for yourself the fine chine used by the royal family, trace the history of the clocks
and telephones that were once put to use in the different rooms, and discover a bit of your own past in a nostalgia-driven journey
through a time not so long ago.
Jaswant Thada: A cluster of royal cenotaphs in white marble built in 1899 A.D. in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. Within
the main cenotaph are the portraits of various Jodhpur rulers. |
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Umaid Bhawan Palace |
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Mehrangarh Fort |
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Jaswant Thada |
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Clock Tower |
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