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Taragarh Fort On a small hill stands the 12th century Taragarh fort built by Ajay Pala Chauhana, Ajmer’s founder. The fortress was meant to be impregnable with its 4.5m (15ft thick) walls, and was further fortified with strong bastions. The steep climb to the top of the hill and to the fort takes over an hour but it is worthwhile for the fantastic view of the city below.
Legend has it that within Taragarh fort lies a huge treasure room stocked with the wealth of its long dead rulers. This treasure was guarded by an Afghan family of warriors, and kings had access to the hoard only through them. For centuries the Pathans protected this huge wealth of gold, diamonds, rubies and gems, and even the royalty did not know where it was located. Unfortunately, the secret of the treasure died with the last Pathan who died during the Second World War, taking the secret location of the treasure with him. When Maharao Bahadur Singh returned from Burma after serving in the army against the Japanese, he launched an extensive search for the treasure hoard. After months of searching the hunt was finally abandoned, and the treasure still lies hidden somewhere within the fort walls.
Taragarh fort was once renowned for its tunnels which crisscrossed the entire hillside surrounding it, leading into the town below and forming numerous escape routes for a king and his entourage. However, all of these underground passages are lost and no maps are available to define which snaky routes they followed.
A tank within the fort fills up during the monsoons, and on a specific day residents of the town below are made to desert the streets. Then the water from the tank is released, gushing down the steep approach to the fort and strong enough to wash people away.
Most forts in India have a varied mix of palaces, temples and other buildings, but the Taragarh fort is an exception. Here, the main palace lies outside the actual fort but is encircled by a fortified wall. Another wall encompassed the fort, making it doubly strengthened.
History:
Rajput rulers built this majestic fort in Bundi in 1354. It was built by Rao Singh Bar under the reign of King Ajaypal Chauhan. This fort is credited to be the first hill fort of Rajasthan and is a mute witness to several battles between Rajputs, Muslim invaders and British oppressors. During these wars Bundi kept shrinking in area. Part of it became Kota in 1264 and another part was etched out as Jhalawar in 1838.
A steep climb took us to the fort entrance of Taragarh which was adorned with sculptures of elephants. This was the carriage way for the kings to get to their palace in medieval times.
Architecture:
Though most of the forts of Rajasthan are built with sandstones, Taragarh fort is standing differently in the queue. It is made of green serpentine stones. Since this stone was not able to bear the intricacy of stone carvings, the fort walls include exquisite paintings.
The huge entrance of the fort has two large elephant painted towers called Hathia Pol. Chitrashala and Chattar Mahal are another two attractions of this fort. These contain a paintings gallery that includes rare old paintings.
The murals depict mythological themes and lifestyle of the ancient rulers of this fort. Normally green and blue colors have used in the murals with strokes of yellow and red between them to portray perfect looks.
You need to enter through the giant gateway of the Taragarh Fort, Bundi. Although three entrances are there which are Gagudi ki Phatak, Phuta Darwaza, and Lakshmi Pol, all of them are engraved with elephant carvings.
The tunnels of the fort are also must a visit. These used to play important roles during war times as secure exits for the king and his delegates to ensure their safety. But tourists are not allowed to enter those tunnels for their own safety reasons.
The fort houses countless gigantic ramparts. Bhim Burj is the largest among them. Garbh Gunjan cannons were once mounted on it. Chauhan bastion is another one of them which once secured many large-sized water reservoirs that were built for water storage and supply to the residents in emergency situations.
And, not to forget, the Rani Mahal is another tourist attraction here. It boasts of various stained glass murals and windows depicting the glory of the past. It includes Miran Saheb ki Dargah in it.
Bundi Tourism Known as the Blue City of the Eastern Rajasthan, Bundi is a must-visit tourist destination in Rajasthan. Set amidst the Aravalli Hills and around 36 km from Kota, Bundi is the headquarters of the district of the same name. This town in Hadoti Region of Rajasthan is also the place where Nobel laureate, Rudyard Kipling wrote his much acclaimed work, Kim. He is believed to be extremely impressed with this architecturally rich town in Rajasthan.
Once the capital of a princely state of Hadoti Kingdom, this popular town in Rajasthan was named after a Mina man, Bunda Meena. Mina and Bhil are the tribes that once dominated the region.
The top attractions of Bundi are its Taragarh Fort and Garh Palace which are perched on a hill and are adorned with fine Rajasthani Wall Art and architectural style. Jait Sagar, a 4 km lake is an important tourist place in Bundi. On one end of Jait Sagar Lake, sits another place to see in the town, Sukh Niwas, a palace converted to a museum. The 84-pillared Cenotaph, a little away from Bundi, is also a popular place to visit on a Bundi tour.
