Meherangarh

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Meherangarh (Citadel of the Sun)

On May 12th 1459 Rao Jodha himself laid the foundations for what must surely be one of the most magnificent fortresses ever built.  Truly according to Kipling "the work of titans"

Meherangarh stands on a perpendicular cliff towering 400' above the city.  The walls surrounding the fort are from 20' to 120' high and from 9' to 65' thick. 

The rugged outer walls open up onto surprisingly lovely palaces and temples.

This is a wonderful fort to visit.  The audio tour featuring the current Maharaja and members of his family, really bring it's history to life for you.

 

 

Seventeen generations have come and gone since May 12th 1459.

Temples, palaces and courtyards have been added but with so much skill and empathy with the  spirit of the original it is hailed today as the "finest living example of a Hindu fortress".

 

 Elegant and beautifully carved windows, balustrades and balconies adorn the upper walls.
Entrance to Meherangarh

  

The most touching sight comes as you pass through the last entrance gate.   31 tiny red powdered handprints set into the wall.  The Sati marks of Maharaja Man Singh's widows who threw themselves on to his funeral pyre in 1843.  The last time such a sacrifice was made in the name of the Maharaja of Jodphur

Courtyard of the Zenana Deodi where once the wives of the maharajas spent their days surrounded by the delicate sandstone carvings and screens.
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