Here goes my concluding part through my favorite Mehrangarh Fort. So far – Part One, I took you through the gates into the palace courtyard and then, further on in part two, we discovered the stunning treasures and rooms of the palace. I took you through the lovely Sheesh Mahal and then the Phool Mahal. If you recall, I was a little overwhelmed with the glitz of the Phool Mahal that I took a breather in the terrace of the Jhanki Mahal.
Having done so, let’s move ahead through the rest of this mesmerizing journey of Mehrangarh Fort.
Through the Sileh Khana
The armoury section of the fort had the boys excited. Granted they had a lot of unusual weapons but well, it does not really get a girl’s adrenaline high 😀 We girls, posed against the fan of spears to get a tribal look.
To be honest, I had seen an interesting place before I entered this section and I was itching to get there. I zipped through this section to head to the Takhat Nivas.
Takhat Nivas at Mehrangarh Fort
For a moment, I was wondering if they celebrated X’mas here. What with the X’mas balls hanging from the ceiling, till I was explained that these were the chambers of Maharaja Takhat Singh and he was a great patron of arts. If you note the interiors are filled with paintings from the Hindu mythology. The X’mas balls? They were just a gift from the British and hence, were hung around.
One more funny thing that you can note here. Check the length of the bed. Wondering if the Maharaja was a dwarf?
No ! No such thing. He was a regular sized man but the bed was deliberately made small so that his legs would touch the ground and if he was under attack, could react fast. Argh! Talk of Power and loss of sleep!
From here we exited to the most stunning views of the Blue City and of course, people enjoying their zip lines 🙂
The Blue City of Jodhpur
These pictures totally justify why this city has got its color. Are you wondering why the city is Blue?
There were several explanations given –
- The homes that are painted blue belonged to the Brahmin community in service of the Royal house of Jodhpur. In early times, this city was called Brahmapuri.
- Some say it was to combat the blazing heat of the city
- Yet another explanation was that the homes were getting attacked by termites and there was a belief that blue color helped keep them away.
Whatever the reason, the effect from these windows was amazing. While here, we were also, treated to the sight of people enjoying zip lines.
The terrain seemed so unusual and the activity was fun. I am given to understand that a company called Flying Fox organizes this and given the 5 different lines it had, it really seemed like a good activity to do. If only this visit gave me some time, I would have tried it. But for this time, I was content just capturing the scene in my camera.
Welcome to Jhanki Mahal
Here we entered the Zenana or the women’s quarters of the Mehrangarh Fort. Like I mentioned in the earlier part, the Jhanki Mahal was the Palace of Glimpses. The rooms were used by the Royal ladies to peep down at the royal proceedings in the courtyard. Today, you can see some gorgeous cradles of the royal children kept here. Gosh! Even these were so unusual and artistic. Check out some of them here.
Here is a glimpse of the blue ceilings of Jhanki Mahal.
Besides the ceiling, the windows and the lovely light from it caught our fancy and we spend a lot of time taking pictures here for our personal memories of this palace.
The Moti Mahal of Mehrangarh Fort
Moti means Pearl and this room was a perfect metaphor to this. Remember I mentioned in my least part that I would be sharing my favorite room in the concluding part. One look at it and you know why it is my favorite.
Moti Mahal was the “Hall of Public Audience” or the Diwan-e-Aam section of Mehrangarh Fort. It is supposed to be one of the oldest parts of this fort and was built by Sawai Raja Sur Singh. As compared to all the rooms that I had seen so far, this one was more to my taste.
The simple white finish of the room that was flushed with colors – thanks to the gorgeous stained glass windows and the stunning glass and mirror work ceilings. A little minimalist with a touch of extravagance.
Exiting through the Zenana Deodi
From here we exited to the Zenana courtyard or the Zenana Deodi. The courtyard was filled with lovely sandstone windows and jhalis.
It is here that you can shop for some museum artifacts – which aren’t too expensive but neither too cheap. From Bangles to bags and handicraft items, you can pick something for yourself or your home. Me – I zipped through, keen to get outside to capture what I had missed when I had entered the fort. Shopping for me was secondary! 🙂
Saying goodbye to Mehrangarh Fort
Here are some more sights that I captured on my way out – of the exteriors, the turrets and balconies, the gates and of course the cannon. Don’t miss the view of the blue city beyond.
It was hard to stop once I had started. Only the clock ticking had me moving along. With these last few glimpses of Mehrangarh fort, I bid good-bye to it. I was thrilled. I had visited the fort well, but I could do with one more visit. Maybe someday, I will go back here. Hope you had fun with me in this last concluding part. Comment in and tell me what you have though of the entire series on Mehrangarh Fort – one of the things to do in Jodhpur. What is your favorite part of this fort? I sure would love to know.
In case you have missed the first and second part of the fort, you can click the links below to catch up. Information on how to get here and other travel tips are available in Part One.
Part One of Mesmerizing Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Part Two of Mesmerizing Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Popularly referred to as a Restless Ball of Energy. My Mom refuses to entertain my complaints about my equally restless daughter & assures my husband that I was born with a travel bug.
I am a Post-Graduate in Marketing by qualification and a travel blogger by passion. Besides travel, I enjoy photography and if you don’t find me at my desk, I would be out playing badminton or swimming or just running. I believe in planning for every long weekend through the year. And when I cannot travel physically, I travel virtually through this travel blog. My travel stories have also, got published on various websites and magazines including BBC Travel, Lonely Planet India and Jetwings. I have recently published my first book – When Places Come Alive – a collection of stories that are based on legends, landscapes, art and culture of a place which is available in both ebook and paperback format.
Well done…. Love it 🙂
Thank you Ayu
Wow, 3 posts in Mehrangarh fort. is it even bigger that Amber fort of Jaipur?
Area wise – not sure, but it definitely is better maintained than Amer. Which makes it really spectacular. And of course, it had me mesmerized in a way that anything less than these posts would have been injustice to it. 😀
this is one of the most comprehensive series on the Jodhpur fort and surrounding places in Rajasthan, the pictures tell a story of generations old traditions and crafts that are now built in to the very grain of the people of Rajasthan
Thank you Prasad. It was amazing capturing it all in words and pictures. This is such a culturally vibrant place.
Great Post Ami…Lovely clicks….
xo, Neha
http://www.theinstylejournal.com/
Thank you Neha
A wonderful coverage of the fort!
Thank you Mridula.
Amazing interiors. nice photography.
Thank you Manu
That bed really is tiny. I’ve been to museums in Japan and the US and some of the clothes on display looked like the people were super tiny! I’m always amazed at how much smaller people were back then.
The Maharaja was quite big but the bed was deliberately small so that he could flee when attacked. 🙂
Beautiful..That is the only word which comes to my mind. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you.
It really looks amazing 🙂
Thank you
Wonderful coverage of the fort. Thanks for the same. Got to visit last week
Glad you could Shrinidhi. It is one of our best pieces of heritage. 😀
That looks amazing! So much to see in that beautiful country. I’ll definitely have to go back clearly. Just amazing.
Thank you. And yes, India is an ocean, you got to come back to discover the rest of it.
Yes, I have missed the previous posts so I will head to them too. The pictures are stunning as always. The takht mahal and the colors there are gorgeous. Must have been such a great trip. Thanks for the virtual tour, Ami.
Thanks Parul. Mehrangarh is just amazing. My favorite fort at the moment and the trip was just memorable.
Thanks for this visual treat of Jodhpur again…Stunning and inviting really 🙂
Thank you Nabanita. Glad it is calling out to you 😀
Excellent pics. I am imagining myself there in my memories.
Thank you Indrani
It’s such an amazing Fort with majestic pictures showcasing our rich heritage. I would love to make a film there. Well written and kudos:)
Thank you Vishal. A film here is a great idea.
The dwarf sized bed is so interesting! Lovely colors and fabulous captures from the fort, Ami, you are making me itch to be there someday soon!
Thank you Arti and your Rameswaram posts are making me feel the same way 🙂
Another wonderful series with beautiful pictures 🙂
Thank you.
Amazing , Awesome pics 🙂
Thank you
the designs on the interior walls look so colourful and gorgeous… Beautiful !!
They sure are. I love them too 🙂
I love how descriptive your post is, but the part about the Blue City of Jodhpur took my attention.
I have a blue addiction and I went to the Blue city of Morocco specially for it haha
Thanks for sharing!
Now I have to head to the Blue city of Morocco 🙂 Just to see how blue it is. Thank you for stopping by
Really blue! Type Chefchaouen
Thanks…doing that now. 😀
Love your blog! Have to admit, you brought India so much closer to me with your posts and up on my travel bucket list! Awesome pictures!
Thank you Nina :). Hope you get here soon.
I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting India before (yet have conducted business all over email!). I plan to visit one day and will definitely put Mehrangarh Fort in Podhpur on the list! It’s lovely seeing the architectural elements of the dwellings of those in power. It’s all in the details from the painted ceilings to the decorated walls and furnishings – slightly reminiscent of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
Thank you Monica and yes, it is even more beautiful up close and personal. Hope you make a trip soon.
Nice photos of the interior designs. The pictures tell a story.
Thank you.
Nice series of the post.Lovely clicks.
Cheers,
Sriram & Krithiga
Thank you :).
Ami, your blue outfit was in keeping with the spirit of Mehrangarh too….:)…..Very impressive clicks….loved those little artifacts…..so adorable……
Glad you noticed my deliberate choice of color :D. Blue in blue city. Thanks for your lovely comments.
Lovely pictures… in your writeups there were trivias as well, it was very interesting and cheerful, loved it!!
Thank you 🙂
Jodhpur is one of my favourite big cities of Rajasthan. One of my friend lives in alleys of blue city and he showed me a new perspective of Mehrangarh fort from the rooftop of his house. Priceless!
Wow. That would have been amazing. A different perspective of Mehrangarh.