I was on a Rajasthan tour and I visited Mehrangarh, an old kingdom, 14 km away from Jodhpur. Mehrangarh, the Fort of the Sun (In the local language, Surya ka Kila). The fort is one of the largest fort in India. It was built in 1459 but still, its strength is unmatchable. Centuries ago, Brahmins in Jodhpur painted their houses blue and this tradition is still intact and hence, Jodhpur is famous as Blue city.
History
There was a guide with me who started telling me about Jodhpur. He said Jodhpur was the capital of the Marwar Empire which is now a part of Rajasthan. At the beginning of the 20th century, Marwar was spread over one lakh square kilometers, that is, in a larger area than the combined area of Switzerland and the Netherlands, the Marwar was connected up to the Thar Desert. Precious things from East and West passed through the Great Tree Route between Central Asia and Europe. Marwar was ruled by the Suryavanshi Rajputs of the Rathore dynasty and he named his stronghold Mehra which is derived from the Sanskrit word Mihir i.e. Surya.
But there is a long story behind the construction of Marwar and its Surya Durg. Rathod was not a native of Marwar. He came from central India. Ram Singhji is considered the founder of this dynasty. He came to Marwar with his entire clan. About four hundred years ago, Rathod reached Marwar like a refugee. He had to leave his home after the attack of Kannauj Afghan invader Mohammad Ghori. According to a painting, in 1226, he set out west in search of a new life. Many years later Marwar arrived and became ruler over time.
Foundation of Mehrangarh fort
Then after knowing the history of Ram Singhji, I was curious to know about the construction of the Mehrangarh fort. So, the guide started telling the story. He said, In the 14th Century, Rathore King Rao Jodha started the construction of Mehrangarh Fort. Rao Jodha felt that the time had come to build his fort for his capital. He started an investigation in this area and his eyes were on a hill named Bhakar Chidiya, or mountain of birds. In the rugged desert, he stood like a huge tower, Bhakhar Chidiya mountain was an extinct 400 feet high uphill volcano.
Strategically finest but building a fort on it meant harvesting millions of tons of rocks from this giant mountain. The forest between humans and mountains. Khand Walia Samaj has a special talent and they were the locals of Jodhpur. The locals also called the stone a khand (blocks) and they were very well versed in these blocks. A great construction started with local knowledge and minor tools. These people dig the stone and listen to the sound of its vibration so that they know where the fault is in the rock. Fonts mean the cracks in the rock that make it weak.
The people who learned the voice and learned to explore the cracks of the rock had learned from generations. Gradually, the skills of the section wall cut the mountain and gave it a new shape. Apart from them, there was another special society that was adept at each other's work and chewed in lifting heavy things. The medieval transporters could be heavy to heavy goods with the help of simple punishments and chains. After this, they made unique wooden racks through which millions of tons of stones were transported to build a fort. The hard work of the people chewed up the Mehrangarh Fort. Surprisingly, there was no drawing or map of this building. Its structural engineering was probably based on his own knowledge.
This unique piece of architecture is spread across the mountain. Many different levels are made of its walls. Many walls, one after the other, provided protection to this fort. In addition to the royal family inside this fort, there was also a mustard army. The most important task was to keep the enemy away from the fort. Its thick walls could also withstand cannon bullets. The height of Mehrangarh provided strategic strength as well as the ability to monitor far. For more than five centuries, both the level and beauty of Mehrangarh under 25 Rathore kings increased. This fort is not only huge but it also has a delicate heart inside it. The beautiful garden art of the palace is a unique example of the pride of Rajputana.
The story of Mehrangarh
The guide told one more story which made me very emotional. He said the development of art was limited to the prosperity of Marwar and prosperity demands blood and sacrifices. Rajput warriors used to perform Saka rituals before going to war to fight till death. It was a very sad ceremony when the Rajputs felt that the circumstances were against them and that victory was their last battle rather than surrender if victory was not possible. They confessed death was not an insult. The Rathod kings used to give a drug to their heroes including their royal elephants while sitting with their warriors. After this, he would remove his beautiful turban (crown of the Rajput king), and instead of it would increase the spirit of sacrifice. The Warriors tied a saffron safa. People put their swords in front of the Maharaja to show their loyalty, then a vaccine was applied to it. After this, he would set out for his last war. In 1741, Rathore of Mehrangarh set out for the battle of Gagwana to embrace his death. Rajputana was the pride of blood here. The glory of his valor still resonates gracefully in Surya Durg Mehrangarh.
I was very touched after hearing this story. I heard a real story of struggle, bravery, pride, and self-respect. I visited numerous forts but this was one of the best stories I heard about the Rajputs. The Rajputs were highly dedicated to their people's and their land's independence. They used to call their land Matribhumi which means Mother Earth. Just imagine, the Rajputs chose death over making their land and kingdom dependent on enemies.
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