Ranthambore Fort

Ranthambore Fort

About Ranthambore Fort

The Ranthambore Fort has seen quiet a lot interesting, tragic, happy, glorious and hair- raising moments during its long history. To elaborate, the Ranthambore Fort was built during the 8th century by the Chauhans, though the exact ruler during whose reign the fort was initiated is difficult to name. The most known ruler of this period was of Raja Hamir Deva who was crowned King in 1283 A.D. Its strategic position in central India made it one of the most sought after fort in the erstwhile era. The fort was attacked by a number of big powers at different point of time in history. Prominent among these were Qutub-ud-din (1209), Allaudin Khilji (1301), Feroz Tughlaq (1325) and Bahadur Shah of Gujarat (1530).

The fort's history also states that in the 14th century, around thousand women committed jauhar or mass suicide to escape the humiliation at the hands of invading army.

Finally, the fort was captured by the Mughals who earlier used it as a staying place and then later as a prison fortress. The prisoners here were kept on an average of two months before the Governor ordered to execute them. The style of executing the prisoner was gruesome as they were opiated before they were finally thrown down the fort walls headlong. In the 19th century, the fort was given back to the Maharaja of Jaipur and it remained with them till the time India gained independence in the year 1947.

The Ranthambore Fort is situated in the lush greenery of the Ranthambore National Park atop a hill. The name Ranthambore draws from the name of the hills - Thanbhore is the hill on which the fort is situated and Ran is the nearby hill.

For tourists visiting the Ranthambore Fort, it is advisable to keep enough time on hand. It is partly because of the reason that there is no pathway approaching the fort which means that visitors need to climb up the stairs of the hill to reach it (around 20 minutes walk). Also, the fort has so much to offer in terms of attractions that time will fly out without even giving a slightest of clue of its passage. The other plus point of the fort is that its location in midst of the wildlife sanctuary ensures that there is neither any entry fee nor any over anxious guide to trouble the visitors.

The attractions of Ranthambore Fort caters to the varying interests of the tourists. For those who love history, the fort has unending stories to narrate while for people with religious bent of mind, there are numerous big and small temples. Lastly, those visitors who are interested in neither of the above attraction, there is the breathtaking view of the Ranthambore National Park. Animals rambling lazily to drink water from the lake below arouse an entirely different kind of feeling in the visitors.

Inside the Fort

One of the oldest forts in India, the Ranthambore Fort spreads over an area of 7 kms in circumference. Inside, a group of buildings like palaces, temples, mosques and barracks enthuse the visiting tourists.

The Hammir court is the prime attraction of the Ranthambore Fort. It boasts of an outstanding acoustics where even lightest of sound bit gets echoed in a marvellous way. The Ganesh Temple is not to be missed by the religious people. An interesting aspect about the temple relates that devotees write letters to Lord Ganesha and send it to this temple. These letters are delivered daily by the local postman.

The Gupt Ganga, a series of steps carved out of rock, leads visitors to a stream that continues to flow throughout the year. However, a bit of precaution needs to be taken before stepping down these stairs. First, some source of light has to be carried by the visitors and secondly, they need to be very careful while going down as the steps end almost suddenly.

Other attractions inside the Ranthambore Fort include Toran Dwar, Mahadeo Chhatri, Sameton Ki Haveli, 32 pillared Chhatri, and a Mosque.