Mehrangarh Fort
Fort Of The Rathore Dynasty Of Marwar; Museum Run By The Mehrangarh Museum Trust · Jodhpur, Rajasthan
The fortress of the Rathore rulers of Marwar, founded in 1459 on a sheer rocky ridge about a hundred and twenty metres above Jodhpur, with walls up to thirty-six metres high, and one of the largest and most impressive forts in India. It has never been taken by siege. Inside, a sequence of seven gates leads up to palaces of delicately carved sandstone: the Moti Mahal, the Phool Mahal, the Sheesh Mahal and the Takhat Vilas, now a museum run by the royal family's trust and widely regarded as one of the best-managed in the country. The collections of palanquins, elephant howdahs, cradles, arms, paintings and textiles are superb, and the audio guide is excellent. At the Loha Pol gate, small handprints on the wall mark the widows of a maharaja who committed sati in 1843. From the ramparts, lined with cannons, the view over the blue city is extraordinary. There are lifts to the upper levels, a zipline over the walls, and the Chamunda Mata temple at the far end. In October the fort hosts the Rajasthan International Folk Festival, with music through the night.
Mehrangarh Fort Road, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342006, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED; confirm before planning. The typical pattern: open every day of the year from about 9 in the morning to about 5 in the evening, with last ticket sale earlier and the Chamunda temple keeping its own timings. The traps: arriving at midday into the heat and the tour groups, and leaving the zipline until slots are gone. In October the folk festival brings late-night and dawn sessions with separate passes. On festival and holiday days the queues at the lift are long.