Jaipur is the place that houses majestic forts, palaces and ancient structures. As rich as the history of this place is, it boosts the historical experiences it has been through. The many structures and buildings that you can still see today are like living examples of the rich historical past. One such location is the Nahargarh Fort Jaipur. At one point of time the Nahargarh Fort along with the Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort formed a boundary that was erected for the safety and security of the place and its people.
Furthermore, the strategically formed structures, the architectural inputs, the artistic brilliance and skillful mastery in constructing this structure, still reflect in the present day structure. Moreover this is one of the popular sightseeing sites for the people visiting Jaipur or even Rajasthan. So, if you are ever visiting Jaipur you must include this fort in your itinerary. In this article I have added all the necessary information that you might need before planning a visit to this wonderful location. You are going to wonder in awe by simply looking at this magnificent structure that I can vouch for. So keep on reading this article and enrich yourself.
Nahargarh Fort Jaipur
Location of Nahargarh Fort:
Krishna Nagar, Brahmapuri, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Timings:
The Nahargarh Fort timings are from 10 am to 5: 30 pm on all days of the week.
Nahargarh Fort ticket price:
For Indians Nahargarh Fort entry fee is Rs. 50, for Indian students it is Rs. 25 and for foreigners the entry fee is Rs. 200 and for foreign students it is Rs. 50.
How to reach Nahargarh Fort Jaipur:
By train
If you are taking a train then the Jaipur Junction is the nearest station which is located 3 km away from the Nahargarh Fort.
By air
Jaipur Airport is the nearby option for Airport to reach the fort. From there you can drive or take a taxi to reach the fort. The approximate distance is about 14 km.
By bus
There are buses from nearby cities to reach Jaipur. The Jaipur bus stand is located 15 km away from the Nahargarh Fort.
By metro
Nearest metro station is the Chandpole station that is only a km away from the Nahargarh Fort. Another nearest option is the Sindhi Camp Metro Station located at about 2 km away from the Fort.
Best time to visit Nahargarh Fort Jaipur
Jaipur being a desert location faces excessive heat during the summer months. It would not be advisable to visit here during the summers as that would be too uncomfortable for a smooth visit. For the best experience the ideal time to visit here would be winter. The period of October to March is the best time to visit this fort. Furthermore, during monsoon also your travel spirit can get dampened with rainfall. So plan your trip accordingly. The winter months are ideal to visit a place like this because the weather at that time would be very comfortable. So it would be easier for you to explore the whole fort premise in utmost comfort.
History of Nahargarh Fort Jaipur
The magnificent fort of Nahargarh was built in 1734. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh the founder of Jaipur constructed this fort. It was created with a purpose and this larger than life structure held a lot of importance at the time of its construction. Originally named as the Sudarshangarh Fort, this fort was primarily created with the aim to protect the city of Jaipur. However, later the fort was renamed as the Nahargarh Fort that means an Adobe of Tigers. It is said that during the time of construction of the fort, the process was obstructed by a Rathore prince known as Nahar Singh Bhoomia. In order to honour him and also to complete the construction of the fort a temple was made in his honour. Also the name of the fort was changed to Nahargarh Fort after his name.
Furthermore, the walls of this fort extend to the Jaigarh Fort. The walls of the Jaigarh Fort, form a demarcating boundary around the city of Jaipur. Even though this fort has never faced any direct attacks, a lot of significant historical events have happened here. One of the important activities was the signing of treaties with the Maratha army during 1857. At that time this fort was allocated to the Europeans as a shelter home. Later in 1868, this fort went through some renovations under the then ruler of Jaipur Sawai Ram Singh. Several palaces were added inside the premises of the fort during the period of 1883 to 1892. The construction cost was around Rs. 3, 50, 000 rupees. Until 1994, the Government of Jaipur used to fire a gunshot from the Nahargarh Fort as an official solar time reading in the Jantar Mantar Observatory.
Architecture of Nahargarh Fort
Located on top of the Aravalli Hill you can enjoy a pristine view of the city from here. Originally the location was chosen to fortify this structure to save the royal family and the city of Jaipur from any sort of outside invasion. But the fort was never attacked even once. The fort is almost 700 feet high and the magnificent structure is built following the European style of architecture. There is an entrance gate to the fort known as the Tadigate. Furthermore, on the side of the entrance there is a temple. However, other than this temple you will also find another temple in the premises. That temple is the one built in memory of Prince Nahar Singh Bhomia.
Inside the fort premise the original structure stands tall. It is a two storied structure built by Sawai Madho Singh. Therefore it is also known as Madhavendra Bhawan. This structure also houses different suites of the king and his 12 wives. There are separate quarters inside with a bedroom, lobby, kitchen, toilet and a store room in each quarter. In the middle these quarters were connected to each other through corridors. The quarters for the 12 Queens were built in a similar manner. Furthermore, they were built in such a way that the king could maintain his privacy. Whenever he would visit any of these quarters the other Queens had no idea about that. Other than this, there is another structure called the Diwan-i-Aam which is the House of Commoners. Here the king used to meet the people and listened to their grievances.
Whats More
Furthermore another important structure here is the water tank. It is built in such a way that the water here trickles down the hill into the tank and gets stored there. This is like a two step well inside the premise. There is another one outside as well. The steps of these step wells are asymmetrical in shape. While constructing these step wells the natural terrain of the mountain was kept intact and along the same line of the natural formation of the mountain, the steps of the wells were constructed. Moving on you can see the corridors of the fort. The corridors joining each of the chambers look extremely beautiful. These ornate corridors are decorated with intricate minakari works on them.
Read More: Jaisalmer Fort Timings, Entry Fee, History, Ticket Price
Things to do at Nahargarh Fort
Exploring Sheesh Mahal Nahargarh Fort
Sheesh Mahal as the name suggests is a majestic Palace of Mirrors. The Sheesh Mahal is one of the latest additions to the structure of Nahargarh Fort Premise. This enchanting structure is constructed using 2.5 million pieces of colourful glasses with gold polish and mirror work done on it. It looks absolutely astonishing to see the colourful mirrors in red, blue, yellow and green colours. You can very well get an idea about the charm and lavishness of the Rajput lifestyle from the mere sight of this fort. Furthermore the beautiful palace is decorated with beautiful motifs, handmade paintings and massive chandeliers. At every corner you would find something opulent to look at. This palace in itself can be described as the other name for sumptuousness. One cannot grasp the beauty of this palace unless and until they have seen it with their own eyes.
Jaipur Wax Museum
Timings: 10 am to 6:30 pm on all days
Entry Fee: For Indians the entry fee of the museum is Rs. 500 and for foreigners the entry fee is Rs. 700
This wonderful Wax Museum is one of the major attractions for a visit to the Nahargarh Fort. On the left side of the entrance of the fort you will find this museum. This museum has been made with the assistance of the Department of Archeology and Museums Jaipur along with the support of Tourism Department of Rajasthan and the Rajasthan Government. Previously this area was designated for the soldiers for their resting. It was known as Vishram Grah and also used as artillery or Shastragar. In 2016 December this museum was inaugurated by famous Bollywood actor Govinda.
There are almost 35 wax and silicone statues here of various famous personalities ranging from Freedom Fighters, Bollywood Stars, Politicians, Social Activists, Royal personalities of Jaipur etc. Some of the popular wax statues here are of Mahatma Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Deeplika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan etc. It would be interesting for a visitor to explore this museum and see the various statues present here.
Royal Gaitor Tomb
This is one place that houses tombs of the Maharajas. Located on the foothills of the Nahargarh Fort you can see Tombs of Raja Pratap Singh, Raja Madho Singh II, Raja Jai Singh and many more tombs here among other tombs. The place is located only a kilometer away from the Nahargarh Fort. This place is also known for its architectural brilliance with beautiful marble carvings.
Sculpture Park
The Madhavendra Palace is turned into a museum at present that houses sculptures made by many renowned artists. It would take you back to the ancient era with the beautiful carvings. Nevertheless, it is a delight to watch all the masterpieces here.
Photography
If you have an eye for picturesque locations, then you would get many opportunities in the Nahargarh Fort. The whole area is picture perfect and you can notice beauty at every corner here. However, the fort looks even more stunning during the sunset. You can walk up to the upper level of the Fort to watch the beautiful sunset here. I am sure you would love taking pictures of the Fort in the hues of the setting sun. At that time the fort looks even more gorgeous and the colour turns to a beautiful yellowish orange. So try your hands on photography.
Shopping
You can visit the nearby local markets after you are done with visiting the fort. They are at a 30 minutes to 45 minutes distance from the Fort. You can check out the beautiful handmade jewellery, local handicrafts items and clothing materials here. Everything looks too vibrant and colourful. You are surely going to enjoy visiting the local Bazaars a lot.
Read More: Bagore ki Haveli Udaipur Tickets Price, Show, Timings
Nahargarh Fort Restaurants
You will find restaurants in and around the Nahargarh Fort. Even within the fort premise there are restaurants where you can enjoy a good meal or some quick bites along with Nahargarh Fort night view that is in itself a splendid thing. With the splendid rooftop set up the city looks gorgeous from atop. The restaurants that you can check out here are,
Nahargarh Palace Restaurant
This restaurant serves North Indian, South Indian, Mughlai, Chinese, and Continental cuisine that you can choose from. It can be a decent stopover for some quick refreshment inside the fort premise.
Timings: 7:30 am to 10:30 pm
Cost for two: Rs. 700 approx
Padao
This is another restaurant inside the fort premise that serves Rajasthani food. You can surely try out the Rajasthani cuisine here. Furthermore they also serve North Indian here that you can try as well. They have a rooftop set up that offers a breathtaking view of the city. It would be enjoyable to enjoy a sumptuous meal at this spot overlooking a gorgeous view.
Timings: 11 am to 10:30 pm
Cost for two: Rs. 1200 approx
Places to visit nearby from Nahargarh Fort
From the Nahargarh Fort you can visit the Jaigarh Fort which is only 6.3 km away. Furthermore you can also visit the Amber Fort and Jal Mahal nearby within 10 km from the Nahargarh Fort. Other than that you can also visit the Jantar Mantar, Amer Fort, City Palace and Hawa Mahal from there. These are some of the most popular tourist destinations that you can visit while you are in Jaipur.
Things to remember before visiting the Nahargarh Fort
This stunning fort has been a location for many superhit Bollywood movies like Aamir Khan’s Rang De Basanti, Sushant Singh Rajput’s Shudh Desi Romance. Furthermore it was also featured in Bengali classic film Sonar Kella by renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray. After the success of all these films, the place became even more popular. After all, everyone wants to catch a glimpse of the place where their favourite actors had shot their movies.
Be careful of the bats here. Whenever you are visiting any particular chamber you must look up and there can be a lot of bats. So take care of that.
Even though it is said that the fort was renamed as Nahargarh after Rathore prince Nahar Singh Bhomia, there is a different story regarding this too. Some believe that during the construction of this fort, this place was home to many tigers. Therefore on the basis of that it has been named as Nahargarh or Adobe of Tigers.
Even though there are restaurants inside the fort, I would still recommend you to take a stopover at any of the local eateries around the fort. You can enjoy the local Rajasthani cuisine and it would be an amazing experience for sure. So do try that.
The fort timings are up to 5:30 in the evening but if you are visiting the restaurants then you can stay there till late in the night. Timings of the fort and the restaurants are not similar. The restaurants function in their own timings and remain open till 10:30 pm.
For a comfortable and detailed visit of the fort it would take around 3 hours for you to explore the whole premise of the Nahargarh Fort.
Wrapping Up!
Places like Jaipur are like living museums. They are a living testament to so many historical events. If you are a person who is inclined towards history, historical events and historical constructions then you must visit Jaipur once. The Nahargarh Fort Jaipur should definitely be in your itinerary. Furthermore, a location like Nahargarh Fort would give you a lot of insight about the historical past of the particular city. You would wonder how much planning and calculation were put forward to construct such majestic structures.
Structures like these are a living example of the finest mastery of construction and architectural brilliance. A place like this deserves to be seen from upfront otherwise you would not be able to grasp the charm of it. So whenever you are in Jaipur make sure you are visiting the Nahargarh Fort. Do let me know if this particular article was helpful for you in knowing everything about the Nahargarh Fort. So now what are you waiting for? Plan your trip as soon as possible and enjoy your visit.
