THE JEWEL OF JODHPUR
(By Subbaram Danda)
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| In front of the Citadel of the Sun |
With high expectations we headed for the mighty fort
of Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, driving on the narrow and bustling streets of the
city. Former US first lady Jacqueline
Kennedy had described it as the eighth wonder of the world. Noted English writer and Nobel Laureate for literature
Rudyard Kipling had called it “the work of the giants” having been overwhelmed
by its “colossal proportions.” These
comments had naturally aroused great curiosity in us.
The fort occupied a place of pride in our itinerary
for Jodhpur, which was in the first leg of our Rajasthan tour from May 17 to
24, 2015. The other places we -- my wife
and I -- visited were Ranakpur, famous for its all-marble Jain temple, and
Udaipur, well known for its romantic lakes and palaces.
As we moved on and accelerated up a hill, all of a
sudden the fort shot into our view, literally stunning us. It glowed majestically in the late morning
sun. Our first reaction was, “Wow, it
is here, right in front of us. What a grand structure!” After some more minutes of driving, we were
at its entrance.
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| Jodhpur, the Blue City, as seen from the ramparts of the fort |
The foundation stone for the fort was laid in 1459 AD by
Rao Jodha, a famous king of the former princely state of Marwar. He belonged to the Rathore clan of Rajputs,
who were believed to be descendants of Mehr – the Sun. Rao Jodha named the fort Mehrangarh – the
Citadel of the Sun. On its completion, he
shifted the capital of Marwar from the nearby town of Mandore to the fort.
The statistics of the fort are formidable. It stands on a rocky hill about 400 feet
above the surrounding plains, overlooking the city. In some places its walls rise to a height of
120 feet (as tall as a modern 12-storey building) and are 70 feet thick. It has seven imposing gates. The fort was expanded by successive rulers over
500 years.
Besides being a mighty defensive structure, the fort
served many purposes. It was the seat of
official administration. The king lived
in palaces inside with his family and close relatives. It was the centre of royal patronage for
music, dance, painting, literature, martial arts and weapon-making. A few temples also came up in it. Now a large part of the fort has been
converted into a museum.
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| Higher floors of the fort |
After security checks and buying tickets for entry
into the fort and for using our still and video cameras, our trek began. We also engaged an official guide. He took us in an elevator, a thoughtful
senior citizen friendly addition of recent times, straight to the top
floor. A row of cannons on the ramparts beckoned
us. They are said to be among the rarest
in India. From there we could see the city below with closely packed blue
houses, from which Jodhpur acquired the name of Blue City.
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| Cannons on the ramparts of the fort |
Then on, our journey was through labyrinthine
walkways, down steep staircases, past several palaces, through numerous
galleries and across many courtyards. It
was an exhilarating exercise. We heard our
guide narrate stories of what kings of various generations did, their styles of
ruling, their pastimes and their intrigues.
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| A palace overlooking an open courtyard |
The star attraction in the fort is undoubtedly its palaces. They are named either on the basis of their
interior décor or in terms of their function.
Important among them are Sheesh Mahal (Mansion of Mirrors), Phool Mahal
(Flower Palace), Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace), Jhanki Mahal (Peep Mansion) and
Takhat Vilas (Mansion of Maharaja Takhat Singh).
They were built or extensively renovated by different
kings at different times. Every ruler
left his mark on them. Mughal influence
could be seen on the architecture of the palaces, as the Marwar kings
maintained good relations with those emperors, though there had been skirmishes
now and then.
We liked the Sheesh Mahal most for its exotic mirror
work. What was noticeable was that large
pieces of glass had been affixed on the walls and the ceiling instead of a mosaic
of tiny fragments. Another feature was
superimposition of brightly painted religious figures over the mirrors. It was essentially a “private temple”.
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| The Sheesh Mahal |
The Phool Mahal (Palace of Flowers) is regarded by
some as the grandest of all the “period rooms” in the fort. It was a private and exclusive chamber of
pleasure, where music, dance and other performances took place. Its ceiling glistened in rich gold filigree. The Phool Mahal was created by Maharaja Abhay
Singh and the gold for it came from Ahmedabad in Gujarat as war booty after his
famous victory over the rebellious Mughal governor, Sarbuland Khan.
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| The Phool Mahal |
The Moti Mahal
(Pearl Palace) built by Raja Sur Singh is the largest of all the mahals. It was used as an exclusive Durbar Hall, a
hall of private audience accessible only to those very close to the ruler. The wooden ceiling is rich in gold leaf and
mirror work. Windows and door panels
were made of coloured glass. Pearls were
not in evidence in this palace!
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| The Moti Mahal |
The Jhanki Mahal (Peep Mansion) originally served as a
place from where royal ladies could peep into the courtyard below and watch
official proceedings there. Today it houses
a collection of royal cradles. They shine
in gold leaf and mirror work. Figures
of fairies, elephants and birds were lavishly incorporated in their making.
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| The Jhanki Mahal |
The Takhat Vilas was built and lived in by Maharaja
Takhat Singh, Jodhpur’s last ruler to reside in the fort. It was a blend of traditional and British
styles. The floor is painted like a
carpet. A cloth fan (punkah) hanging
from the ceiling and drawn by servants with ropes provided breeze to the
occupants. The glass spheres on the ceiling were of British origin.
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| The Takhat Vilas |
A major attraction in the fort is an all-marble
coronation seat displayed in a court yard.
It looks simple but elegant. Every
ruler since Rao Jodha had his coronation here.
No visitor fails to take a photo of it.
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| The coronation seat in marble |
We were astounded by the wide variety of ancient
memorabilia housed in numerous galleries – arms, palanquins, howdas (seats for use
on elephants), paintings, musical instruments, costumes and furniture. Each
had its own specialty.
Of great interest was the armory section, which has
the personal swords of many kings. The
sword-hilts embellished in jade, silver, ivory and rhino horn attracted everyone’s
attention. There were shields studded
with rubies, emeralds and pearls. A show
case contained the sword of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great (the lower one in
the picture). It is not clear how it
came into the possession of the fort museum.
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| The sword of Mughal Emperor Akbar (the lower one) |
An ornate, gilded and domed palanquin called Mahadol , placed in the centre of a
hall, was another item over which our
guide waxed eloquent. It was acquired by Maharaja Abhay Singh after
a successful battle with Gujarat. It
needed a team of 12 men to carry it.
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| A domed palanquin |
On show were objects that had been imaginatively
created. There was a bronze cannon
sculpted like a mythical animal with the face of an alligator and the body of a
wild boar. What purpose it served was
anybody’s guess.
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| A cannon with the face of an alligator |
The paintings section provided a rare insight into the
lifestyles of the rulers. Undeniably
they patronized this fine art very well.
One painting depicted Maharaja Man Singh playing polo – with royal
women! It was amazing to learn that in
those days womenfolk took an active part in sports and that too in exotic
games like polo.
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| A painting of a Marwar king playing polo with royal women |
A temple for Chamunda Devi, the family deity of Marwar
kings, could be seen on the far end of the fort. It remains a very popular Hindu shrine. A large number of devotees visit it even now especially
during the festival time of Navaratri.
The fort has a heart-rending exhibit. It makes every visitor go through a moment of
poignancy. On a stone wall near the main
gate, one could see carved on it many palm prints of royal ladies, who had
thrown themselves into the burning pyre of their deceased husbands -- a
practice called Sati. Before the gruesome act, in a ritual, the ladies had to leave prints of their
right palm on the wall, which were later etched on it permanently.
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| Palm prints of royal ladies before they committed 'Sati' |
Undoubtedly the Mehrangarh fort is a treasure trove
for history buffs, archaeology enthusiasts and travel lovers. The memory of our visit to the fort will
certainly linger long in our minds.
April 04, 2015
