This is a travelogue series, first part is Here
Our next destination was Jaigarh Fort. Perched on the ‘hill of eagles’ in Aravalli range, Jaigarh stands as the majestic protector of Amber. This rugged, red sand stone fort is an ancient construction which dates back to the 11th century AD. Even though there are no clear evidences, it is believed that Raja Kakil Dev started the construction of the fort. In 1726, it was renovated and expanded by Raja Sawai Jaisingh II. Jaigarh fort was built according to the ancient Indian architecture called the śilpa śāstra. There are seven different styles of forts described in śilpa śāstra and Jaigarh fort is of the type “giri durg” or hill fort.
Our next destination was Jaigarh Fort. Perched on the ‘hill of eagles’ in Aravalli range, Jaigarh stands as the majestic protector of Amber. This rugged, red sand stone fort is an ancient construction which dates back to the 11th century AD. Even though there are no clear evidences, it is believed that Raja Kakil Dev started the construction of the fort. In 1726, it was renovated and expanded by Raja Sawai Jaisingh II. Jaigarh fort was built according to the ancient Indian architecture called the śilpa śāstra. There are seven different styles of forts described in śilpa śāstra and Jaigarh fort is of the type “giri durg” or hill fort.
We started climbing the way up to the Jaigarh fort. It is on
the way to Amber fort, but at a higher altitude. The Ghat roads leading to the
fort are quite steep and convoluted. Our driver kept reminding us that it might
be a hard ride. However it was a cake walk for us as we belong to a hilly area of
Kerala called Wayanad. When it comes to climbing hills, we are the masters!
Jaigarh Fort - A bird's eye view |
After climbing the hill for around 10 minutes, we reached
the entrance of the Jaigarh fort. There was quite a crowd at the ticket counter.
We purchased an additional ticket which would let us take the car inside the
fort. As we entered the fort, driver pointed out a large platform like
structure, it has quite an interesting history. It is an underground water
tank, which was believed to have a huge treasure belonging to the Kachwa clan. During
the height of emergency in 1976, then Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi ordered
to have the tank opened and searched. The treasure hunt was on and troops of
military came down from Delhi to fish out the gold and other precious articles
from the underground water tank.
As usual, Pakistan came to know about the treasure hunt and
the Prime Minster of Pakistan Mr. Sulfikar Ali Bhutto wrote to Indira Gandhi in
August, 1976 about it. Pakistan wanted a share of the treasure as it belonged
to the ancient India which was not shared during the partition. Indira Gandhi
did not respond to this strange demand then. The treasure hunt at the Jaigarh
fort was in vain, at least as per the recoded history. However, many Amber
residents, including our driver believes that under the cover of emergency, a
curfew was declared in Amber and 60 truckload of gold was transferred to Delhi.
There is no evidence to prove this allegation. It might be just an urban legend!
However, there is a hilarious epilogue to this story. Indira Gandhi did respond
to Mr. Bhutto’s letter, but after the treasure quest was concluded in vain. Her
letter read – “"I had asked our legal experts to give careful
consideration to the claim you made on behalf of Pakistan. They are of the
clear opinion that the claim has no legal basis. Incidentally, the treasure has
turned out to be non-existent."
We
entered the fort passing this famous water tank. Jaigarh fort has a structure similar
to Amber fort; however it is not as artistically rich as Amber fort. Jaigarh
fort was conceptualized as a protective structure mainly used for military purposes.
It has the rough look which just suits its purpose of intimidating the enemies.
We entered into a large courtyard called “Subhat Niwas”. This was the major
assembly area of the soldiers. There is an ancient platform in the courtyard.
The king might have stood here received the guard of honor from his army.
Subhat Niwas |
There
are ramps to go to the upper levels of Jaigarh fort. We walked over the ramps
to reach another courtyard. This structure of ramps and courtyards are the
hallmark of “Giri Durg”(hill fort) according to the śilpa śāstra.
There is a decorated portico in this courtyard known as “Lakshmi Vilas”. This
portico was used as the royal guest lounge. There are 12 identical marble
pillars that support this portico. There are seven doors in Lakshmi Vilas allowing
entry into the royal apartments.Lakshmi Vilas was built by the renowned architect
Vidhyadhara Bhattacharya, who designed the Jaipur city. The king was impressed
with this construction and honored Bhattacharya with Siropao(the robe of honor).
Lakshmi Vilas |
Jaigarh fort offers an excellent view of the Amber fort,
village in the valley and distant Aravalli mountain ranges. Our main intention
of visiting Jaigarh fort was to catch a glimpse of this view. To our
disappointment, there was thick fog that day, even though it was around 11am in
the morning. It is indeed terrible to miss such a sight, given we have
travelled thousands of kilometers to reach here. Wishing that the fog would
clear out around the noon, we turned to other attractions in the fort. Next we
reached a beautiful garden and it is called the Araam Mandir(Leisure Palace).
There is a breathtaking view of the valley from Araam Mandir through its triple
arched window. This triple arched window is called the Awaani Darwaza. As the thick fog
has covered the valley, the view from Awaani Darwaza was mesmerizing; as if we
were standing at the door step to the heaven of milky white clouds floating
around right below us.
Awaani Darwaza - A window to the heavens |
From Awaani darwaza, we saw a lake below the Jaighargh fort.
It is an artificial lake called Sagar. Sagar Lake was built in 1558, during the
times of Raja Barmal. Sagar Lake is a part of an extensive rain water
harvesting system that was employed in Jaigarh fort. The rain that falls on the
Aravalli hills was channeled into the artificial lakes in the valley through
the means of aqua ducts. Jaigarh fort is also well equipped for the collection
and transfer of rain water. There were many huge tanks in the fort, which
ensured that the fort never experiences water scarcity.
Sagar Lake |
As we were looking at the Sagar Lake and wondering about the
ancient Indian technologies for rain water harvesting, the sky cleared a bit.
We knew this was the time to catch the glorious sight that we came for. We ran
to the nearest watch tower and looked at the valley. Amber fort, the huge walls,
the village in the valley and the Aravalli ranges- all became visible through
the light cover of fog. It was a glorious sight. We stood there,
mesmerized. We knew it was a moment to
cherish in silence, a memory to carry with us for the rest of our lives. We got
just enough time to admire the view below; the fog started covering the valley
again.
Amber Fort in the Valley |
Walls of Jaigarh Fort |
It was time for us to
turn to the next sight – A huge cannon named “Jaivana”. It is the largest iron
ball cannon in the world – 20 feet long and weighing 50 tons. The hills in Amber
was rich in iron ore, hence there was a cannon foundry functioning within the Jaigarh
fort. Jaivana was a product of this cannon foundry and was built during the
times of Sawai Jai Singh II. Even this deadly weapon is decorated with
intricate metal work of birds, flowers and elephants. It was the common spirit
in ancient India. Whatever they did, they incorporated art into it. I thought
of the sky scrapers in Bangalore and wondered if we are really leaving anything
worth adorned by the future generations.
The interesting fact about Jaivana is that, it has been test
fired only once and the canon never had to be used. The Rajput kings were diplomatic
and powerful. None dared to enter into their forbidden fortress.
Jaivana - The giant canon |
It was time for us to bid farewell to the Jaigarh fort. We
started our journey downhill; I looked back up at the delicate and elegant
Amber fort her rugged and powerful protector –Jaigarh fort. It is indeed brave of
the human kind to venture into the intimidating mountains and not only conquer
it, but create majestic and marvelous constructions like Amber and Jaigarh
fort.
On our way back to the Jaipur city, on one side of the road
we saw a beautiful palace right at the center of a lake. It appears as if just
arose from the lake. It is aptly named as “Jal Mahal” Palace. Jal Mahal palace
is situated in the Man Sagar Lake. Man Sagar is an artificial lake created as a
result of the construction of a dam across the rived Darbhavati. It was in
1596, that the Amber area experienced a severe famine and drought. Raja Man
Singh I created the dam to prevent any further drought. Water accumulated in a
natural depression in the land creating today’s Man Sagar Lake. It was Sawai
Jai Singh II created the five story palace named Jal Mahal. It is constructed
in such a way that, all four floors would be under water when the Man Sagar
Lake is full. Only the top floor with a terrace garden would be visible in those
times.
Jal Mahal and Man Sagar Lake |
Once upon a time, Man Sagar Lake had rich bio-diversity. Many
migratory birds visited the lake throughout the year. It is popularly believed
that the Rajas conducted duck hunting parties in Man Sagar Lake and Jal Mahal
was a rendezvous for such parties.
We walked towards the view point on the bank of Man Sagar
Lake. Entry into Jal Mahal is restricted for the public. Jal Mahal has an
unpleasant past, scarred by pollution, ignorance and corruption. After independence
when other palaces and monuments of Jaipur were preserved as heritage sites,
Jal Mahal was totally neglected. As the urbanization of Jaipur city progressed,
the garbage from the city was dumped into the Man Sagar Lake without any discretion.
It did not take much time for Man Sagar to turn into a noxious swamp, which
drove away all the migratory birds. Jal Mahal also was abandoned.
In the year of 2000, Rajasthan government started a project
to clean the Man Sagar Lake and renovate Jal Mahal. It partnered with a private
establishment for this project. The project was successful to certain extend in
cleaning and renovating the area. However, the contract made by Rajasthan government
was under scrutiny. Around 1000 acres of area including the Man Sagar lake and
Jal Mahal, which is worth nothing but a fortune, was leased to the private
company for mere 2.5 crores annual rent. The lease was made for 99 years, as
good as selling the land! Some environmentalists from Jaipur had accused the
deal of corruption and filed a petition in Rajasthan high court. Then the case
moved to Supreme Court and the court cut down the lease period to 30 years allowing
the renovation activities to continue.
Even though the court case is settled, Jal Mahal is not yet
re-opened for public. As we silently watched the Jal Mahal and Man Sagar Lake
from a distance, I wondered if I would ever be able to come back and enter Jal
Mahal. All I could do was to render a silent apology for the insensitivity and
selfishness of human kind, and pray that the scars we made on this serene land
would soon fade.
We continued our journey towards the Jaipur city and our
next destination was the glorious city palace of Jaipur and the world famous
Hawa Mahal.
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