Mehrangarh Fort – Now that’s a massive structure. I bet, on its best day more than 10,000 people use to work here. So far in my previous two posts, I have shared details on the seven gates and beautiful sites of Shringar Chowk.
In this third & final post of three part series, I have shared pictures of palaces built inside Mehrangarh Fort. The first palace where I stop was Sheesh Mahal.
Sheesh Mahal
A very common name of palaces in Rajasthan, as Amber Fort, City Palace of Jaipur and Garh Palace of Bundi, all have Sheesh Mahal. But this one is a bit smaller than others.
Sheesh Mahal isn’t a grand palace, but more like a royal room. Nevertheless, this room is a delight to watch. Check some pictures I collected, along with some carpets, which as per my guide, has golden thread work done in them.
Entry of Sheesh Mahal. Jodhpur
Sheesh Mahal. Jodhpur
Sheesh Mahal. Jodhpur
Carpets with Gold thread
Carpets with Gold thread
Phool Mahal
Next room, which I checked, gave an impression of a small palace. History of Phool Mahal is that Maharaja Abhay Singh built this part for his pleasure. Mostly men of royal family use to came here.
“Pleasure Dome” is the term given to this mansion and I must say that the amount of gold used on walls, pillars & ceiling is just stunning.
Near to ceiling, there are wall paintings of kings who who ruled Jodhpur & Mawar. Have a look at some pictures I caught at Phool Mahal.
Phool Mahal, Jodhopur
Paintings at Phool Mahal Jodhopur
Sileh Khana
Sileh Khana isn’t a palace. It’s a collection of swords, daggers, shields, rifles, etc. If you are here, then do check the tortoise shield, which is a unique item to collect. Have a look at some pictures:
Sileh Khana
Swards – Sileh Khana
Daggers – Sileh Khana
Turtle Shield – Sileh Khana
Axe – Sileh Khana
Takhat Niwas
Named after a Maharaja Takhat Singh, this is the third palace I saw in Mehrangarh Fort. Well, I am not sure that this site is a palace as its more of a room.
This villa is a mixture of Rajputana and British style. Not my favorite part, but you can judge it with these pictures.
Takhat Niwas
Takhat Niwas
If you want to capture a great shot of Jodhpur, then the corridor outside Takhat Niwas is your spot. I took these pics from here, have a look.
BLUE CITY JODHPUR
Jhanki Mahal
Next room where I halt was Jhanki Mahal or the Peeping Palace. Jhanki Mahal is a collection of cradles or as I should say “royal cradles”. I am 100% sure that you can check sites like Amazon or Ebay, but you won’t find any replica of these for your child. Here are some pics.
Jhanki Mahal
Jhanki Mahal
Jhanki Mahal
Jhanki Mahal
Jhanki Mahal
Moti Mahal
Moti Mahal is the final and the most impressive palace of Mehrangarh Fort. It’s just next to Jhanki Mahal and is one of the oldest parts of the Fort.
Maharaja Sur Singh (1571-1619 AD) built this palace to meet his ministers and everyday people. More like a Diwan-e-aam.
Noticeable things here are the throne of Maharaja, colorful mirror gates on two side and golden ceiling. There is no doubt that of all the four Palaces in Mehrangarh, Moti Mahal is the brightest.
Way towards Moti Mahal
Moti Mahal
Moti Mahal
After retreating from here, I came is a small courtyard which is “Zenana Deodi” or as it’s called “Zenna Mahal” (Palace of Women). The attraction of this complex is artwork done of its walls. Have a look at them.
Zenana Deodi
Zenana Deodi
And from here, I was back at the seventh gate, from where I entered the stunning sites of Shringar Chowk. I left my guide (not the best guide service) and toured at the back side of the fort, where there is a temple of The Chamunda Mataji Temple.x
The Chamunda Mataji Temple
To reach here, you need to walk 500 meters from Zenana Deodi. On the way, I saw this small pond and a statue of Shiva, quite a beautiful site to see.
In the end, there is a small temple of Goddess Chamunda. Most people at the temple here were the staff of the Fort. Nevertheless, when you walk 500 meters on stairs, blessings always felt good.
Chamunda Mataji Temple
Chamunda Mataji Temple
Pond and Shiv statue
There are also some cannons, placed close to the temple, and a funny thing I noticed is that though Jodhpur is referred as Blue City, most of the houses here are colored white. I think that Bundi has more pink colored home than Jodhpur.
Cannons
And with this my two hour trip to Mehrangarh Fort is finished. Attractions of this fort aren’t it’s palaces. I have seen better ones in Jaipur and Bundi, but the collection of paintings, weapons, Elephant Howdah, Palki or Palanquin, hookah, etc. are the main attractions of Mehrangarh Fort.
Me at Mehrangarh Fort
Best time to visit Mehrangarh Fort
I visited Mehrangarh in October and weather was just OK. You can come here between September to March (even in summer) as most sites of this castle are indoors.
Entry ticket
I paid INR 100 + 100 for entry ticket and camera. Plus I also hired a guide for which I paid INR 300. Admission ticket for non-Indian travelers is INR 600.
Fort Timing
Fort open at 9:00 AM and last tickets are sold by 5:00 PM.
I hired a cab for a full day which cost me INR 1600. There are other cheaper sources to reach Mehrangarh, but I would suggest hiring a cab for Jodhpur sightseeing from a local taxi firm.
That’s awesome !!!!!
It is :)
so beautiful!!
Especially the collection that have is amazing.
Great shots. So looking forward to going there.
I would suggest you to visit here in Winter.
Thanks – Beginning of February?
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