A Trip to Jaigarh Fort: Exploring the World's Largest Cannon

Exploring the Magnificent Jaigarh Fort: The Hidden Gem of Pink City Jaipur

Introduction:-Jaigarh Fort is a very attractive tourist place in the pink city of Rajasthan i.e. Jaipur city. This fort is situated on the "Eagle's Mound" hill, a high range of the Aravalli mountain range. It was built in 1726 by Mirza Raja Sawai Jai Singh for the security of Amer Fort and its palace complex. Geographically, its length from north-south is 3 kilometers and its width is 1 kilometer.

The name of Jaigarh Fort is associated with the name of King Sawai Jai Singh. This fort is also known as “Jaiwan” or “Jaiban” because a cannon was built on the premises of the fort itself, which at that time was considered to be the world's largest cannon running on wheels, which was known as “Jaiwana”. The fort is similar in ruggedness and structural design to the Amer Fort, also known as the "Vijay Fort".

The attractive architecture of this fort is such that it attracts tourists coming here, It was designed by a talented architect named Vidyadhar. It also offers a fascinating view of Jaipur city. Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort are considered to be a single complex because they are connected to each other through an underground route.

History of Jaigarh Fort:-

Jaigarh Fort is considered to be the strongest among the forts of Jaipur. It is said that this fort never faced any major resistance. The truth is that the world's largest cannon built on the premises of this fort was tested only once. During the first test-firing of the Jaiban cannon, a pond forms about 35 km south of Jaipur in the village of Chaksu due to the falling shell.

Jaigarh Fort is an attractive structure spread over a vast range. In fact, this fort tells the rich past of Jaipur city. Jaigarh Fort is a unique example of magnificent architecture of the 18th century. This fort was declared the main cannon foundry during the Mughal rule and was also used to store ammunition and other metal required for war. Jaigarh was located in Amer City along with Amer Fort, which was ruled by the Kachwahas from the beginning of the 10th century. The cannon post at Jaigarh Fort remained secure until the defender Dara Shikoh was defeated and killed by his own brother Aurangzeb.

Shri Ram Harihar Temple built in the 10th century and Kaal Bhairav Temple built in the 12th century at Jaigarh Fort have also boosted the attraction of this fort. The red sandstone walls of Jaigarh Fort extend over a length of 3 kilometers with a width of about one kilometer. This fort is protected by thick walls of sandstone in which one can see some special architectural examples like Lakshmi Vilas, Lalit Temple, Aram Temple, and Vilas Temple.

Apart from this, a square garden along with a museum is also located in this fort. The Embankments have been constructed to reach the upper levels of this Jaigarh Fort building. The biggest attraction of this fort is the world's largest cannon on wheels called 'Jaivana Cannon' and the huge palace complex. The courtrooms and halls of Jaigarh Fort are decorated with magnificent windows and a central watch tower overlooks the entire surrounding landscape. The entry into the Aram Temple of this fort is through Avani Darwaza which is a very attractive triple-arched gateway.

On the other hand, many historians believe that there was a treasury of wealth in this fort from which Maharaja Jai Singh built the entire city of Jaipur. But the surprising thing is that to date no one has been able to know the secret of that treasure, that is, even today it forces everyone to think where this treasure is hidden. One of the reasons for the fame of this fort is that everyone wants to know the secret of the treasure of Jaigarh Fort.

Know What is the Story of Jaigarh Fort?

The foundation stone of Jaigarh Fort was laid by Raja Jai Singh. According to some folklore, it is believed that King Jaisingh had dreamed that Goddess Durga had instructed him to build a fort at this place to protect the area. Today this fort tells the rich past of Jaipur city.

Apart from this, the story of Jaigarh Fort is also related to the treasure here. It is said that when Raja Man Singh I (First) was conquering Afghanistan, he had a huge chest full of treasure. Raja Mansingh I (First) did not share anything with anyone about the treasure filled in that chest. Since then, some sources have revealed that Raja Man Singh I (First) had hidden some part of that treasure in Jaigarh Fort, which no one has found even today. The former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi gave orders to search for this treasure but no one was able to find any clue about it.

Why is Jaigarh Fort Famous?

Talking about the fame of Jaigarh Fort of Jaipur, there are many reasons for it, the first reason is that Jaigarh Fort is considered to be the strongest fort among other forts built in Jaipur. Secondly, the world's largest cannon was built in the 18th century in this fort, which was also used only once for testing. For this reason, during the Mughal rule, this fort became famous for its main cannon foundry.

Jaigarh Fort Opening Timings:

Monday-Sunday:- 09:00 am to 6:30 pm.

Best Time to Visit Jaigarh Fort:

To visit Jaigarh Fort in Rajasthan, it will be more enjoyable if you go here in the months of September to March. 

How to Reach Jaipur Jaigarh Fort?

Jaigarh Fort is located at a distance of about 15 kilometers from Jaipur City, the capital of Rajasthan. To reach here, first we have to reach to Jaipur city by air, road, and railway route, from where it is easy to reach Jaigarh Fort with the help of auto rickshaw and car.

  By Road: Jaigarh Fort is situated at a distance of 12 kilometers from the main bus stand that is Sindhi Camp. The pink city is well connected to major cities of India by National and State highways - Udaipur, Vadodara, Kota, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, etc. So one can reach here by using Public or Private mode of transport, car etc.

  By Air: By air travel, we can reach Jaipur airport through domestic airlines from cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Agra, Udaipur, and Jodhpur. Apart from these, with the facility of international flights, we can also reach Jaipur from countries like London, Muscat, and Dubai. The distance from Jaipur Sanganer Airport to Jaigarh Fort is approximately 32 kilometers. So we can easily reach Jaigarh Fort by car, cab, and auto taxi available from the airport.

  By Train: Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan, is well connected to other cities by Indian Railways. There are daily trains coming here from Jaipur to Mumbai, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar, Udaipur, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Chittorgarh, Bikaner, Jammu Kashmir, Ludhiana, Kanpur Road, Haridwar, Gwalior, Indore, Jaisalmer, Kolkata, Bhopal. Apart from this, a luxury train named "Palace on Wheels" starting from Delhi travels to all the tourist places of Rajasthan. So it will be easy for us to reach Jaipur Railway Station by railway journey from where Jaigarh Fort is situated at a distance of only 14 kilometers. After reaching here, we can easily reach Jaigarh Fort by city bus, car, cab, or auto taxi.