This gigantic impregnable fortress spreads over 3 miles (5km) on a precipitous ridge 400 ft (122m) above the old city of Jodhpur. It is protected by 7 separate gates and has huge walls up to 118 ft (36 m) high and 69 ft (21m) thick.
The massive Mehrangarh fortress was built (starting in 1459) by Rao Jodha (the fifteenth Rathore ruler) after a holy man advised Rao Jodha to move his capital to hilltop safety.
According to legend, to build the fortress Jodha had to displace the hill’s sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. Upset at being forced to move, Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with "Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!". Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fortress very near the cave the hermit had used for meditation, though only to the extent that even today the area is plagued by a drought every 3 to 4 years. Jodha then took an extreme measure to ensure that the new site proved propitious; he buried a man called "Raja Ram Meghwal" alive in the foundations. "Raja Ram Meghwal" was promised that in return his family would be looked after by the Rathores. To this day his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, "Raja Ram Meghwal’s" Garden, an estate bequeathed to them by Jodha.
Throughout its long history, this powerful fortress has never been seized by force. Within its massive walls and seven large gates (some gates with metal spikes to prevent elephant attacks) are several lavishly decorated palaces.
So colossal are the proportions of Mehrangarh that Rudyard Kipling called it “the work of giants”.
rflo93says
I really love to see all those gigantic forts in India thanks to this sub. Why are there so many forts here and why are there often so big ?
kilowhiskysays
Are the walls built with bricks etc. or are they carved out of the rocks?
Crocbro_8DNsays
I lived in Jodhpur. This photo does not do justice to the size of the fort. It towers over the city and is visible from almost everywhere. I never got tired of it.
At night the fort gets lit up by yellow floodlights and it looks magical. Every time I found myself sitting in a roof top cafe at its base, I was in awe. It gave me goose bumps when I looked up Every. Single. Time. The view never gets old.
Go there. Go see the blue city, go eat dinner at a roof top cafe with the floodlit fort towering in the background.
Everyone should experience this once in their lifetime.
jakeapnigandmar says
This gigantic impregnable fortress spreads over 3 miles (5km) on a precipitous ridge 400 ft (122m) above the old city of Jodhpur. It is protected by 7 separate gates and has huge walls up to 118 ft (36 m) high and 69 ft (21m) thick.
The massive Mehrangarh fortress was built (starting in 1459) by Rao Jodha (the fifteenth Rathore ruler) after a holy man advised Rao Jodha to move his capital to hilltop safety.
According to legend, to build the fortress Jodha had to displace the hill’s sole human occupant, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji, the lord of birds. Upset at being forced to move, Cheeria Nathji cursed Rao Jodha with "Jodha! May your citadel ever suffer a scarcity of water!". Rao Jodha managed to appease the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fortress very near the cave the hermit had used for meditation, though only to the extent that even today the area is plagued by a drought every 3 to 4 years. Jodha then took an extreme measure to ensure that the new site proved propitious; he buried a man called "Raja Ram Meghwal" alive in the foundations. "Raja Ram Meghwal" was promised that in return his family would be looked after by the Rathores. To this day his descendants still live in Raj Bagh, "Raja Ram Meghwal’s" Garden, an estate bequeathed to them by Jodha.
Throughout its long history, this powerful fortress has never been seized by force. Within its massive walls and seven large gates (some gates with metal spikes to prevent elephant attacks) are several lavishly decorated palaces.
So colossal are the proportions of Mehrangarh that Rudyard Kipling called it “the work of giants”.
rflo93 says
I really love to see all those gigantic forts in India thanks to this sub. Why are there so many forts here and why are there often so big ?
kilowhisky says
Are the walls built with bricks etc. or are they carved out of the rocks?
Crocbro_8DN says
I lived in Jodhpur. This photo does not do justice to the size of the fort. It towers over the city and is visible from almost everywhere. I never got tired of it.
At night the fort gets lit up by yellow floodlights and it looks magical. Every time I found myself sitting in a roof top cafe at its base, I was in awe. It gave me goose bumps when I looked up Every. Single. Time. The view never gets old.
Go there. Go see the blue city, go eat dinner at a roof top cafe with the floodlit fort towering in the background.
Everyone should experience this once in their lifetime.
Ok-Pomegranate9209 says
Wow 🤎