What is Jaigarh? It is a hill fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jaigarh fort in Jaipur is the highest fort of three here. It was built in 1726 AD by Sawai Jai Singh ll. Therefore it is named after Jai Singh ll.
Where is Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur?
Jaigarh Fort is located on the high aravali hill named ‘Cheel ka teela’ in Jaipur. This fort is 400 meters above the Amer Fort. The fort is 17 kms away from Jaipur city in north direction. A mountain road cut from Jaipur – Delhi highway leads to Jaigarh fort.
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History of Jaigarh Fort Jaipur
Sawai Jai Singh ll wanted to provide extra fortification security to Amer Palace. For this reason, Jaigarh was built as an extension of Amer Fort in 1726 AD. There was abundance of iron ore in surrounding areas of Jaigarh. Hence, the fort became a center of canon foundry. Even arms and ammunition was stored in the fort as it was considered strongest.
Jaigarh was designed by Vidhyadhar Bhattacharya.
The technical know-how for casting canons was imported from Kabul to Jaipur. Geographical location of Jaigarh fort played an important role in the process. A massive wind tunnel sucked in air from high mountains into a furnace of foundry.
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In effect the temperature in the furnace was created up to 2400 degrees. The metal was melted in the furnace and then cast into molds. The foundry in the fort covered an area of 162 ft by 57 ft.
Although, the region witnessed a lot of political turmoil for years but Jaigarh was never conquered. The war of succession broke out between Mughal Prince Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh in 1658 AD.
As a result, canon outpost of the fort was secured by Dara until his defeat. After independence in 1947, princely state of Jaipur was annexed by Government of India. However, Jaigarh Fort is maintained by City Palace Jaipur Trust administration.
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Architecture of Jaigarh Fort
It was planned to provide extra protection to Amer Fort. As a result the architecture is similar to that of Amer Fort. The thick walls of the fort spread over 3 km in length and 1 km in width.
It high walls are so strong that people consider it to be the strongest of all forts in Jaipur. The fort has many courtrooms, large courtyards and 4 palace complexes namely; Laxmi Vilas, Lalit MAndir, Aram Mandir & Vilas Mandir.
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The fort offers panoramic view of Amer Fort, Sagar Lake and thick forests of Nahargarh forest. Similar to other forts it has gardens of Persian style within the fort complex.
Museum in Jaigarh Fort
A museum in fort displays vintage photographs of Jaipur Royalty, stamps and many artefacts. In the same fashion the armory displays guns, shields, swords, arms and ammunitions. The museum is on the left of Awami Gate.
Water Reservoirs in Jaigarh Fort Jaipur
The most important attractions in the fort are water reservoirs. They are excellent piece of water conservation technology and maximum utilization of limited resources. There are 3 water tanks in the fort.
These are connected to various canals on hills. Every drop of water was valued and conserved through these water tanks. These were also meant to serve during any emergency like draught or war.
- Tank 1 – The largest tank is 158 ft long, 138 ft wide and 40 ft deep. 81 pillars inside the tank support the roof on arches. The storage capacity is 60 hundred thousand gallons.
- Tank 2 – A small tank is situated behind the large tank. It is 60 ft long, 52 ft wide and 52 ft deep. There are concealed rooms under each hole. The legendary treasure was stored in these rooms.
- Tank 3 – This is an open tank which was used by inmates of the fort for bathing. The tank is 61 ft long, 52 ft wide and 27 ft deep.
It is a fascinating experience for visitors to learn about centuries old water conservation techniques. City Palace trust has started a Water Walk tour to promote and spread the knowledge about them.
What is Jaivana?
It is a large canon in Jaipur from 18th century.
Jaivana canon is considered as the largest wheeled canon in world.
It was cast in 1720 AD by Sawai Jai Singh ll. Jaivana is a result of conjunction of two hindi words, namely; Jai and Vana. Jai in hindi means Victory and Vana means Arrow. Thus, the name Jaivana means Arrow of Victory.
This canon is placed at Dungar Gate in the fort. Notably, the length of the barrel is 20.2 ft and it weighs 50 tons. The massive canon rests on a wheeled carriage. It is said that Jaivana was fired only once.
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That time it used 100 kg of gunpowder to fire a 50 kg shot ball. The shot ball reached 35 kms away from Jaipur near the town of Chaksu. Because of the blast impact a depression was caused making a pond. The legend is that the shock wave killed 8 men and an elephant.
Indeed, Jaivana canon is the prime attraction in Jaigarh fort.
Tunnel connecting Amer Fort & Jaigarh Fort:
Jaigarh was built to give protection to Amer Fort. There were many secret tunnels and passages connecting these forts. So that in case of any emergency they would be used as safe passage to royal family members.
One such tunnel was discovered some years ago. Now, this tunnel is open for tourists after necessary reparations.
Jaigarh and Nahargarh
They both form the equally important pair of front line defense. Jaigarh overlooks Amer Fort, Maotha Lake, Sagar Lake and Nahargarh Reserve Forest valleys. On the other hand Nahargarh is a standing wall between Jaipur city and Reserve Forest.
The same uphill road will take to Nahargarh from Amer Road but in opposite direction. The distance between Nahargarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort is 6.5 Kms by this only road. The complete journey is on the hilly road.
Legend of Treasury in Jaigarh and Emergency:
The tales of legendary treasure are doing rounds for decades now. It is claimed that Raja Man Singh l brought back treasure from Afghanistan and hide it in the water reservoirs.
Some interesting facts about Legendary Treasure:
- It is estimated that the worth of Treasure was 128 Crore Indian Rupees when Government of India allegedly seized it.
- A section of historians believe the treasure was used to establish Jaipur in 1727.
- Water reservoirs were emptied and metal detectors were used to determine presence of any treasure.
On 10th June 1976 Indira Gandhi sent parties to search for any treasury in the fort. Even military was called upon to assist the operation. The operation ceased in November 1976. The government officially declared that there wasn’t any treasure found in the fort. But, many people doubt the statement.
The strongest reason to doubt was that the Jaipur Delhi highway was blocked for a day for general public. It is claimed that the treasure was transported using military trucks. And government wanted to hide it from public eyes. Even so, no agency has ever confirmed it. The mystery remains unsolved that what happened to the treasure in Jaigarh.
Jaigarh Fort Timings
Jaigarh fort Jaipur opens at 9 AM in morning and closes at 5:30 PM in evening.
It takes at least an hour to visit the fort. Therefore, visitors are suggested to reach the fort before 4:30 PM.
Jaigarh Fort Entry Tickets:
| Indian | Foreigner | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | 50 | 100 |
| Children (5-12 years) | 30 | 60 |
| Adult Discount (Senior Citizen/Indian Defense/Differently Abled Adult) | 40 | 90 |
Nearby places of interest:
Jaigarh fort is located on a mountain named Cheel ka Teela. It means Eagle’s Nest because of its high altitude and remoteness. Though you can see Amer, Nahargarh, Maotha Lake, Sagar Lake from the fort but to reach there you have to cover zig zag mountain roads. In summary here is a list of nearby places of interest and their distance from Jaigarh Fort:
How to reach Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur?
It is 10.8 kms far from Jaipur and 8.3 kms from Amer. The turn to fort is on Jaipur Delhi road. The 5.4 kms road to the fort is uphill mostly. It passes through Nahargarh Reserve Forest area.
Therefore, public transport buses drop at the starting point of the road. The best way to reach Jaigarh is by cab, taxi, auto or rented car. Alternatively, the curvy roads could be covered by rented two wheeler. The 20 mins journey provides with a lot of picturesque views.
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the best part of Jaigarh fort was that old cannon.
Thank you for the good writeup on Jaigarh fort jaipur. Loved it.
Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur is worth visiting. Hope you planning it in 2019.