The Mehrangad fort at Jodhpur

"This surely should have been constructed by giants!" exclaimed Rudyard Kipling when he saw the  Mehrangad fort. It is not an exaggeration. The fort is so imposing that you search for words to express yourself adequately. It rises over the hillock layer upon layer....straight out of the sets of "The Lord of the Rings". This has to be the most impregnable fort ever. It instills that kind of unflinching confidence!

The Fort at Mehrangad was constructed by the Rathore kings of Jodhpur. Rao Jodha began the construction of this fort in 1459. Later kings made further additions to the fort. The Rathore kings were "suryavanshis" (kings belonging to the "solar" dynasty). "Mehrangad" gets its name from "mihir", one of the names of the sun.   Before the fort was constructed, the Rathore kings ruled from Mandoe, which was about 10 km away, on the plains. The fort covers 10 kms in circumference.

Jodhpur was the capital of the "maarvaad" region. Townships like "Pali", "Nagour" and even parts of Sindh in Pakistan comprised  "maarvaad". On the other hand, Udaipur and regions surrounding it formed the "mevaad" territory. In its time, "maarvaad" was one of the biggest kingdoms.

The fort at Mehrangad witnessed many battles. The kings of Jaipur attacked it and scarred its surface with cannon shots. But the fort did not give way. In commemoration of this victory, the main entrance to the fort is called the "victory gate". It was also attacked by the armies of Sher Shah Suri and  Aurangzeb. For some time, the Rathore kings were displaced, but  regained the fort in due course of time.

The main entrance to the fort is strategically positioned "on a right-angle bend". It ensures that elephants cannot get straight access to pound the gate with full force. As we walk further, a group of hands are imprinted on the fort walls. They are in memory of the women who sacrificed their lives as "satis" before the practice was banned in the 1840s.

The maarvaad flag flutters across our path. It has five colors- saffron, white, red, yellow and green. While the lower parts of the fort are stone walled, the palace itself is constructed out of red sandstone...though it has a "wood-like" feel and appearance.

We are now in the open courtyard called the Shringar Chowk where the coronation ceremony for the new king is held. Since the last king of Jodhpur was a small boy of 4, his child-like, small chair is on display. The courtyard is surrounded by balconies, which form a vantage point to view the proceedings in the courtyard. The courtyard leads to a section which displays numerous artifacts.

Varieties of howdas, including the one gifted by Shah Jahan to the king of Jodhpur, varieties of palanquins (palkis) and "dolis" (palanquins used during weddings), "torans" (hangings used to decorate the venue during weddings) make interesting viewing.

It is a bewildering compilation of items- exquisite bottles shaped like human beings used by queens to quaff wine, paan-boxes, cosmetic boxes, dumbells used for exercising by queens, hookahs, pots made with silver-inlay technique imported from Bidar (in North Karnataka), carpet weights (like paper weights) made using camel-bones, tunics used by the kings, head-gears ("pagdis")...it goes on and on.

Maarvaadi miniature paintings fill an entire section. The unique characteristic of maarvaadi painting, as per the tourist guide, is that 99% of the works have "side-faced human beings" (profiles). The themes revolve around Krishna and his leelas and other Gods like Shiva and Vishnu.

The halls on the top floor are impressive- with colorful, stained glass imported from Belgium and walls and ceilings decorated with miniature stule paintings. The artist died midway and as a mark of respect to him, the king left the rest of the wall plain and unpainted, the guide explains.

The armory section is covered in one quick stroll. Evidently, "ahimsa paramo dharmah" is not a dictum that kings can follow! The hall is littered with swords, daggers, guns and the like.

One of the colorful kings of the Rathore dynasty was Takhat Singh. His bedroom is found on the top floor- complete with a bed, manual fan and miniature paintings all around. "He had 30 wives and 29 extras!" the guide mentions and leaves the rest to our fertile imagination!

The "sheesh mahal" (room of mirrors) occupies one of the top floors. By now, we know what to expect. The  mirrors are from Belgium and similar to what we've seen at the Amber Palace in Jaipur, but not as spectacular.

The German painter Muller's works  (1930s) can be found at the City Palace in Jaipur. One of his paintings at the Fort of Mehrangad depicts the exploits of "Veer Durgadas Rathod". This soldier was responsible for keeping the Rathore dynasty alive. He protected the crown prince of Jodhpur from enemies who bayed for blood.He  bided his time for 28  long years till the death of Aurangzeb, after which, he helped the crown prince to regain the kingdom of Jodhpur. His bravery is now folklore in the maarvaad region.

A panaromic view of the "blue city" of Jodhpur completes the tour. In earlier times, the blue color marked the houses where Brahmins stayed. Not anymore, the guide quickly adds. Today, the color keeps the homes cool in summer. Some landmarks stand out from the rest of the sweeping landscape- the current palace of the kings of Jodhpur and another monument in a role reversal of sorts- it was built by the queen for the deceased King of Jodhpur.

As we drove from Jaipur to Jodhpur, it seemed a never ending journey. Jodhpur was simply too far and we wondered if we could have cut Jodhpur out of the itinerary.

There was little doubt as we stepped out of the Fort at Mehrangad. This was something which couldn't be missed! Truly, the giants had been at work. It is beyond the ken of normal human dexterity and effort!