Location of Lohagarh Fort, History of Lohagarh Fort, Architecture of Lohagarh Fort, Visiting hours in Lohagarh Fort.
Location of Lohagarh Fort:
This magnificent & impregnable Fort is also known as the Iron Fort and is located at a distance of 4 Km from Bharatpur Railway Station and Main Bus Stand in Bharatpur City, District Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
History of Lohagarh Fort:
Its construction was started by Raja Suraj Mal, a Jat ruler of Bharatpur, in the early part of 1732 A.D. and it took 60 years to complete. It stood firmly in front of many British attacks. The British attacked it for four times and after a long seize of four months and losing 3000 men, they had to withdraw in 1805 A.D. However, Lord Combermere was able to capture it on 18 January, 1826.
Architecture of Lohagarh Fort:
It is located on an artificial island and was surrounded by a deep moat on all sides, which was filled with water as a first line of defence against invaders. It was once surrounded by 7 Km long and thick mud wall against which Cannon balls fired by the Mughals and the British proved ineffective. However, the British demolished the mud walls in 1826 A.D. when they captured the Fort. Some portions of the inner walls still exist.
The main entrance to the Fort is through a North-facing Ashtadhatu Gate, which has spikes made of eight different metals. It has huge rounded bastions and bears pictures of war elephants. Originally, it was the gate of the Chittorgarh Fort which was taken to Delhi by Sultan Ala-ud-din-Khilzi (1296-1316 A.D.) in 1303 A.D. The Jat rulers brought it back from Delhi in 1764 A.D. Another gate named Lohiya gate is located towards the South of the Fort, it was also brought from Delhi by the Jat rulers.
The important Palaces located inside the Fort are :
- Kishori Mahal – It was built by Raja Suraj Mal and was named after his wife Rani Kishori.
- Mahal Khas – It was built by Raja Balwant Singh (1826-53 A.D.) and is located in the Eastern part of the Fort. It has splendid wall paintings and marble tiled floors.
- Moti Mahal and Kothi Khas
- Badan Singh’s Palace – It was built by Raja Badan Singh in 1733 A.D. and is located at the highest point in the Southern part of the Fort.
- Kachahri Kalan – It was built during the reign of Raja Balwant Singh and is a huge building which used to serve the purpose of the administrative block of Rajas of Bharatpur.
- Kamara Khas – It was built during the reign of Raja Balwant Singh and is located in the Southern part of the Fort, next to Badan Singh’s Palace. All the armory and treasury of the Fort used to be stored here.
- Jawahar Burj – It is one of the imposing eight towers that stands within the ramparts of the Fort. It was built by Raja Suarj Mal to commemorate his victory over the Mughals. It was at this place that the coronation ceremony of Jat rulers of Bharatpur was held.
- Fateh Burj – It is one of the imposing eight towers that stands within the ramparts of the Fort. It was built in 1805 A.D. when the attacks by the British were repulsed by the Jat rulers.
- Vijay Stambha or Victory Column – It is an iron pillar on which names of Jat rulers have been inscribed starting from Sindhupal, 64th in Lord Krishna’s generation to Maharaja Brijendra Singh, the last Jat ruler of Bharatpur who joined Indian Union. All the Jat rulers have been named as descendants of Lord Krishna.
- Nehru Park – It is located between the main gate and the Government Museum. It has lush green lawns, flowers and a Cafeteria.
Visiting Hours in Lohagarh Fort:
The Fort remains open from 10.00 A.M. to 4.30 P.M. on all Days except Fridays.
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