Junagarh Fort

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Not to be confused with the Uparkot Fort in Junagadh, Gujarat.

Junagarh Fort
Bikaner, India
Front view of Junagarh Fort architecture
View of the Private Audience Hall in Anup Mahal
Junagarh Fort is located in Rajasthan
Junagarh Fort
Junagarh Fort
Junagarh Fort is located in India
Junagarh Fort
Junagarh Fort
Coordinates28°01′N 73°19′E / 28.02°N 73.32°E / 28.02; 73.32
TypeFort
Site information
Controlled byGovernment of Rajasthan
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
Built1589–1594
Built byKaran Chand under Rai Singh of Bikaner
MaterialsRed sandstones (Dulmera) and
marbles (including Carrara)

Junagarh Fort is a fort in the city of Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. Raja Dhaj, Ror Kumar, ruled over the principality of Junagarh in the fifth century BC.[1] The fort was originally called Chintamani and was renamed Junagarh or "Old Fort" in the early 20th century when the ruling family moved to Lalgarh Palace outside the fort limits. It is one of the few major forts in Rajasthan which is not built on a hilltop. The modern city of Bikaner has developed around the fort.[2][3][4]

The fort complex was built under the supervision of Karan Chand, the Prime Minister of Raja Rai Singh, the sixth ruler of Bikaner, who ruled from 1571 to 1611 AD. Construction of the walls and associated moat commenced in 1589 and was completed in 1594. It was built outside the original fort of the city (the first fort built by Rao Bikaji), about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the city centre. Some remnants of the old fort are preserved near the Lakshmi Narayan temple.[2][5][6]

Historical records reveal that despite the repeated attacks by enemies to capture the fort, it was not taken, except for a lone one-day occupation by

Mughal Emperor Babur who attacked Bikaner in 1534, which was then ruled by Rao Jait Singh.[7]

The 5.28 hectares large fort precinct is studded with palaces, temples and pavilions.[3] These buildings depict a composite culture, manifest in the mix of architectural styles.[8]

Geography

Junagarh fort is located in the

Aravalli range, a range of mountains in western India. Part of the desert area is in Bikaner city, which is one of the three desert triangle cities; the other two cities are Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The name of the place where Bikaner city with its forts was established was then known as Jungladesh.[4][6][9]

History

Further information: History of Bikaner

Before the present Junagarh Fort was built, an old stone fort existed in the city. This fort was built in 1478 by

Thar desert.[4]

Karan Singh who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of the Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal.

Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob.[12] Ganga Singh's son Sadul Singh succeeded his father in 1943 but acceded to the Union of India in 1949. He died in 1950.[10]

Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the

Thakur, which was put down by the British troops.[4] It is reported that during the attack by Jodhpur army, of the two entrances to the fort (one in the east and the other in the west), the eastern entrance and the southern rampart were damaged; marks of cannonballs fired are seen on the southern façade of the fort.[14]

Ganga Singh was the best-known king among the Rajasthan princes. A favourite of the British Raj, he earned the title of

Versailles Peace Conference and was aware of the shift of fortunes in the World War II but died in 1943, before the war was won by the allies. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audience in the Ganga Mahal and a durbar hall for formal functions. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee as a ruler of Bikaner is now a museum. He also got a new palace – north of Junagarh fort – designed and built by Swinton, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner and named it Lalgarh Palace in the name of his father and shifted his residence from Junagarh fort to this palace in 1902. The royal family still lives in a special suite in the Lalgarh palace, which they have converted into a heritage hotel.[13]

Entrance eastern façade of the Junagarh Fort.

Structures

Left: Views of palaces from the main courtyard built in Italian Carrara marble, Right: Karan Mahal and pond in the main courtyard, in Mughal style of architecture

The structures built within the Junagarh fort are the palaces and temples, which are made of red sandstone (Dulmera) and marble. The palaces are described as picturesque with their assortment of courtyards, balconies, kiosks and windows.[4][8] The fort, the temples and the palaces are preserved as museums and provide insight into the grandiose living style of the past Maharanas of Rajasthan.[15] The fort is called "a paradox between medieval military architecture and beautiful interior decoration".[16]

Jhoola inside the Phool Mahal, Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.

Overview

The massive fort built in the plains of Bikaner has a rectangular (quadrangular) layout with a peripheral length of 1,078 yards (986 m). The fort walls are 14.5 feet (4.4 m) wide and 40 feet (12 m) in height. It encompasses an area of 63,119 square yards (5.28 ha). It was surrounded by a moat which was 20–25 feet (6.1–7.6 m) deep with a base width of 15 feet (4.6 m) and top width of 30 feet (9.1 m).[8][17] However, the moat no longer exists. The fort is well fortified with 37 bastions (‘burj’ in local language) and seven gates (two are main gates) to counter enemy attacks. The fort was built as a "new stronghold" outside of the ruins of an old fort built by Rao Bika and on the periphery of the Bikaner city walls (1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the city centre);[14] the old fort was demolished a century after it was built.[6][8][16]

The fort with seven gates

Louis’s France or of Imperial Russia".[10] Several types of architectural style are discerned in the fort complex and hence it is called a true depiction of composite culture. The earliest style is of Rajput architecture, defined by Gujarati and Mughal architectural influence reflecting the association with Mughal rulers, the second type is of semi-western architecture reflecting British influence, and finally the revivalists Rajput architecture that evolved particularly during the rule of Maharaja Ganga Singh. Only the most representative of all these architectural styles are on display for visitors. Thus, the unique monuments on display in the Junagarh Fort represent sixteen successive generations of the rulers of Bikaner, starting from the end of the 16th century.[8][14]

Gates

While the main entry gate was Karan Pol or Parole, facing east, the current gate of entry is called Suraj Pol (meaning the Sun gate), 'pol' also colloquially spelt prol, built in gold coloured or yellow sandstone, unlike the other gates and buildings built in red sandstone. It is the east facing gate permitting the rising Sun's rays to fall on the gate, which is considered a good omen. The doors of this gate are strengthened with iron spikes and studs to prevent ramming by elephants during an attack. At the entrance to the gate, two red stone statues of elephants with mahouts stand as sentinels. The gate was also the location for announcing the arrival and departure of royalty by musicians playing the trumpet from a gallery in the gate. The other gates are Karan Pol, Daulat Pol, Chand Pol (a double gate) and Fateh Pol; these provided access to various monuments in the fort. The Karan Pol gate is also braced with iron spikes to prevent battering of the gate by elephants. To the right of this gate is Daulat Pol. Forty-one hand imprints are seen on the Daulat Pol gate wall,[10] in red colour, of the wives of the Maharajas of Bikaner, who committed sati (self-immolation) on the funeral pyres of their husbands who died in battle.[8][10][12][18]

Between the main gate and the palace, there is a quadrangle, and then another gate called the Tripolia gate (triple gateway) before accessing the royal chambers. Next to this gate is a small temple called the Har Mandir, where the royal family used to offer worship. In the quadrangle, which houses a large pavilion with a water pool built in Carrara Italian marble. The Karan Mahal, where public audience was held in the Diwan-i-Am by Karan Singh (1631–39) and his successors till the 20th century, can also be seen in the same quadrangle.[12]

Palaces

Marble tiled floor in the Junagarh palace
Gardens within the fort's precincts

Karan Mahal (Public Audience Hall) was built by Karan Singh in c.1680 to mark his victory over the

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. It is considered one of the most exquisite palaces built with gardens, which displays the aesthetic sensibilities of the royalty of Rajasthan. It has stained glass windows and intricately carved balconies built in stone and wood fluted columns. Later Rajas, Anup Singh, and Surat Singh, also added a lot of glitter to this palace with inlaid polychrome glass, intricate mirror patterns, and red and gold paint. In the coronation chamber, there is a shored up alcove, which was used as a throne.[10][18][19]

Phool Mahal ("Flower Palace") is the oldest part of the palace and was built by king Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner, who ruled between 1571 and 1668.[20]

Anup Mahal is a multi-storey structure, which functioned as the administrative headquarters of the kingdom. It has ornate wooden ceilings with inlaid mirrors, Italian tiles, and fine lattice windows and balconies. It has some gold leaf paintings. It is considered one of the "grandest construction".[4][18]

Chandra Mahal has the most luxurious room in the palace, which houses gold plated deities and paintings inlaid with precious stones.[18] In the royal bedroom, mirrors have been strategically placed so that the Maharaja could see from his bed, any intruder entering his room.[21]

Ganga Mahal was built in the 20th century by Ganga Singh who reigned for 56 years from 1887 to 1943, has a large durbar hall known as the Ganga Singh Hall that houses the museum. The museum has exhibits of war weaponry and also a World War I aeroplane (biplane), which is stated to be well maintained.[16][22]

Badal Mahal (The weather palace) is part of the Anup Mahal extensions. It has paintings of

turbans. Photos of people standing on nails, wood, swords and saws are also depicted here – a display of faith and endurance.[10]
The walls in this palace depict fresco paintings of the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha amidst the rain clouds.

Bikaneri Havelies located both within and outside the fort in the Bikaner city's by lanes are also of unique architectural style in home architecture. Aldous Huxley who visited these havelis reportedly said "They are the pride of Bikaner."[23]

Temples

Har Mandir temple was the royal chapel – private temple of the royal family. The royal family celebrated the

Lakshmi Narayan, a combined representation of God Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi.[10][21]

The Ratan Behari temple located near the Junagarh Fort, was built in 1846 by the 18th ruler of Bikaner. It was built in Indo-Mughal architectural style using white marble. The Hindu God Krishna is deified in this temple.[24]

Fort museum

The museum within the fort called the Junagarh Fort Museum is established in 1961 by Maharaja Dr.Karni Singhji under the control of "Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust". The museum exhibits Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts, miniature paintings, jewels, royal costumes, farmans (royal orders), portrait galleries, costumes, headgear and dresses of gods’ idols, enamelware, silver, palanquins, howdahs and war drums. The museum also displays armoury that consists of one of the assorted collection of post medieval arms.[16][25][26]

Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust

Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust has been set up by the 'royal family of Bikaner' with the basic objective to showcase the fort with professional inputs in various areas and to improve the experience for visitors. Another objective is to promote education and research scholarships, cultural activities, setting up of libraries and integration with other such trusts.[25]

References

  1. ISBN 9781496996060
    .
  2. ^ a b Michell p. 222
  3. ^ a b Ring pp. 129–33
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "History". National Informatics centre, Bikaner district. Archived from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Junagarh Fort:Fort of Interiors". History. Junagarh.org. 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e Ring p.129
  7. The Tribune
    . 13 January 2001. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Junagarh Fort:Fort of Interiors". Architecture. Junagarh.org. 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Geography of Rajasthan". Retrieved 9 December 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Ward pp.116–9
  11. ^ "Junagarh Fort, Bikaner". Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  12. ^ a b c Ring p.132
  13. ^ a b Ring p.133
  14. ^ a b c "Junagarh Fort (1.5 km from the center of the city)". UniqueIdea.net. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ISBN 1-74059-363-4
    . Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  16. ^
    ISBN 1-900949-92-X
    . Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  17. ISBN 81-210-0229-X
    . The circumference of the rectangular fort of Bikaner, which is also known as Junagarh Fort is 1,078 yards (986 m)."
  18. ^ a b c d e Abram pp. 216–8
  19. ^ "Karan Mahal (Public Audience Hall)". Official site of Junagarh Fort. Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust, Bikaner. 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  20. ^ "Phool Mahal". Official site of Junagarh Fort. Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust, Bikaner. 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  21. ^ a b Stott p. 253
  22. ISBN 1-84353-089-9. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  23. ^ "Bikaner Havelies". National Informatics Centre, Bikaner. Archived from the original on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  24. ^ "Ratan Behari temple". National Informatics Centre, Bikaner. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  25. ^ a b "Junagarh Fort:Fort of Interiors". Official site of Junagarh fort. Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust. 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  26. ^ "Junagarh Fort:Fort of Interiors:Armoury". Official site of Junagarh fort. Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust. 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

Bibliography

External links

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