Jaipur Jaigarh Fort

The Jaigarh Fort, situated just above the Amber Fort Palace on the hilltop called the Cheel ka Teela (the Hill of Eagles) of the Aravalli Mountains range, is a highly fortified fortress with thick walls of red sandstone and is spread over a layout plan with a length of 3 kilometers and a width of 1 kilometer. This grand and historical fort overlooks the Amber Fort Palace and the Maota Lake. This magnificent fortress was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1726 with aim to protect the Amber Fort Palace, and was named after him. Jaigarh Fort and Amber Fort are connected by underground passages and hence considered as one complex.

The structural design of the Jaigarh Fort, also known as the Victory Fort, is similar to the Amer Fort. The fort has an impressive square garden spread in the area of 50 square meters. There are ramparts in each corner which are slopping and provide access to the upper level structures of the fort complex. There are several beautiful palaces within this grand and historical fort complex. Laxmi Niwas Palace, Lalit Mandir Palace, Vilas Mandir Palace, and Aram Mandir Palace are prominent palaces within the complex. These palaces have court rooms and halls with screened windows. There is a centrally located watch tower on a raised platform that provides superb and panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

On the northern side of the fort complex, there is the Aram Mandir Palace and Garden within its courtyard. It has triple arched entrance called the Awani Darwaza. The gate with its fortification walls above is painted in red and yellow. This entrance was refurbished in recent times to get the superb vista of the Sagar Lake (a beautiful artificial lake). The water from this lake was transported to the fort in pouches loaded on elephant backs. There are two ancient temples within the fort complex --- 10th century Ram Harihar Mandir and 12th century Kal Bhairav Mandir.

The fort complex also features cannon foundry, armory, museum, charbagh garden and a giant cannon called Jaivana cannon. The Jaivana Cannon was manufactures in the cannon foundry located within the fort complex. During the time of its manufacture, the Jaivana cannon was the world’s largest cannon on wheels of the Early Modern Era. Exploring the Jaigarh Fort complex will provide you a great travel experience to cherish for lifetime. You will have a wonderful opportunity to see the wonderful architecture. Your Jaipur tour would be incomplete if you don’t visit the grand and historical Jaigarh Fort.

History of Jaigarh Fort
Jaigarh Fort is as old as Amer Fort and instead of the palace, it was just a strong fortification which was built by meenas in Amer at that time. During the Mughal Period, Jaigarh Fort was seen as the important cannon foundries due to the presence of a large number of iron ores nearby the fort. It was later when Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah elected Jai Singh II as the official Mughal Qiladar of Jaigarh Fort. After that, he created the Jaivana Cannon which was one of the largest cannons at that time.

Jaigarh Fort is Located?
The fort is located on a peak of Aravalli hills. It is about 400 m away from Amber fort. You can get a panoramic view of the Amber fort from this fort. The fort is 10 km away from the main city of Jaipur. The fort is accessed through the Dungar Darwaza Gate, which is a little away from the Jaipur Delhi highway. People can also climb to the fort from the Amber fort.

Best Time to Visit?
The fort is open from 9 am to 5 pm. One of the best part of the fort is the panoramic view from the top that covers the valley, Amber fort and others. Thus, it is better to avoid rainy season so that you can get a good view. The fort covers a very large area and a lot of walking has to be done. Thus, summer is also not suitable. Winter is the most preferred season for visiting the fort. Winter starts in October and ends in March.