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Nahargarh Fort is situated on the Aravalli hill in the northwest of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. This fort was built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur. The yellow-colored Nahargarh Fort adds to the beauty of the pink city. Nahargarh Fort is visible from almost every corner of the city. Seeing this fort is certainly delightful and enchanting.

Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort also provides tight security to the city of Jaipur. Actually, the name of the fort was earlier Sudarshan Garh but later it came to be known as Nahargarh Fort. This fort was named after Prince Nahar of Jaipur. It is said that the prince's spirit caused a lot of hindrance in the construction of this fort, after which a temple was built on the premises of the fort, in which a lot of efforts were made for the peace of the prince's soul.

History of Nahargarh Fort

There is also a story that due to being a forest area, tigers used to roam here. It was also the hunting ground of the royal family. In the local language, tigers and lions were called Nahar by the people. That's why it started calling it Nahargarh. Some people also call it Tiger Fort.

The construction of Nahargarh Fort started during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II and later rulers got many constructions done in it. He asked to design a small palace inside the fort as a holiday resort. According to historians, Sawai Ram Singh built here in 1868 and after that, Sawai Madho Singh spent about three and a half lakh rupees here between 1883 and 1892 and made many important constructions and gave Nahargarh its present form.

Located on the hill of Aravalli, the yellow-colored Narhagarh Fort is said that this fort was earlier the capital of Amer. No one had ever attacked this fort, but still many historical events have happened here, mainly including the battle of Marathas with Jaipur in the 18th century. During the Indian Rebellion of 1847, the Europeans of this region, including the wives of the British, were all sent to the Nahargarh Fort by Raja Sawai Ram Singh of Jaipur for their protection.

The main building in this fort spread over a very wide area is known as Maghavendra Mahal. It is also the main attraction of Nahargarh Fort which was designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya also designed the Pink City of Jaipur. The interior of this building is decorated with beautiful murals and stucco designs. The Nahargarh Fort was exclusively used by the royal ladies.

The women's quarter known as 'Zana' was designed to make an impact among the royal ladies. Janana, also known as Madhavendra Bhawan, was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. This part of the Nahargarh Fort speaks volumes about Rajputana's splendid choice in art, beauty, and culture. This women's quarter is spread over four courtyards. The interesting thing is that the 'Mardana Mahal' was also built by the royal men.

Apart from this, there are nine more palaces built for the queens. All these palaces are interconnected with Maghavendra Mahal. The names of these palaces are Suraj Prakash Mahal, Jawahar Prakash Mahal, Anand Prakash Mahal, Laxmi Prakash Mahal, Chandra Prakash Mahal, Ratna Prakash Mahal, Lalit Prakash Mahal, Basant Prakash Mahal and Khushal Prakash Mahal. These rooms were built for the nine wives of the Maharaja. These identical rooms are said to have been built on three sides of a rectangular courtyard. The Maharaja's room is built on the fourth side of the courtyard.

The interiors of these rooms have been done in Indian architecture with touches of European art, such as western toilets and rectangular windows. The most interesting thing about these chambers is that they are connected to each other through a corridor and were built in such a way that the Maharaja could visit any of the wives at any time without the knowledge of the other wives. For the convenience of the queens, the Maharaja had carved the name of each queen outside her room.

There is a stepwell in front of Maghavendra Mahal. Its stairs are not normal. The stairs on three sides are made in a wavy shape. There is also an open theater with ramparts on the left-hand side while going outside the main gate of the fort. It was Jaipur's first open platform of its time. Entertaining programs were organized here for the kings, Maharajas, and British families. There were also special arrangements for the residence of the servants and soldiers. Stitches were made here to conserve rainwater.

This fort was never attacked by the Mughals, the pistol in Nahargarh fort was used to give a signal of firing. At present, there is a cafeteria, restaurant, etc. facility here to promote night tourism. Where tourists can sit till late in the night and enjoy Rajasthani food. Cultural programs are organized in the open theatre. Tourists are also shown a view of the city at night from here.

Some scenes from Hindi film Rang De Basanti and Shuddh Desi Romance and Bengali film Sonar Kella have been shot in Nahargarh Fort itself. Along with this, many scenes of Jodha Akbar have also been shot here. It plays an important role in Jaipur sightseeing and every year thousands of people come to see it.