Friday, December 28, 2007

Places of interest - Jaipur

Jaigarh Fort

The Jaigarh Fort on the hills above the Amber Palace complex offers stunning views of the foothills of the Aravalli range, as well as attractions such as immense underground water-storage tanks, a medieval canon foundry and an impressive collection of medieval cannons including the Jaivana which is reputed to be the world's largest cannon on wheels. Historically this was the original Amber Fort, although it became known as Jaigarh from the time of Sawai Jai Singh II onwards.

Jaigarh Fort, located around 15 km from Jaipur is one of the most spectacular forts in India, with almost all its original facilities intact. While Jaigarh Fort is on top of the hill, Amber Fort is at the bottom. Both the forts are connected through well guarded passages. Many consider the two together as one complex.

Jaigarh Fort was a center of artillery production for the Rajputs and it is home to the world's largest canon on wheels, The Jaivana. The foundries provide fascinating information for the visitors. The manner in which they drew in blasts of air from the desert is most intriguing. A 5km long canal can be seen entering the fort complex to bring in water from the high hills and store in the fort for the armymen. A huge water tank is centrally located connecting the canal. It is assumed that the Kings of Amber/Jaipur used the compartments below the water tank to store the gold and jewellery of the royal family. It is said that this tank was opened during the Emergency declared by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during 1975-1977. Views of the barren Aravalli Hills gradually disappearing into the desert haze can keep one engrossed for hours.

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