The Mehrangarh Fort, built by Rao Jodha in 1459 in Jodhpur, is one of the largest forts in the country. It is situated at the top of a 410 feet elevated hill and guarded by massive walls. Located in the centre of the city, the fort covers an area of approximately 5 Kms of a hill. Its walls have a height of 36 metres and width of 21 metres.
The intricate carvings on the walls of the fort, the sprawling courtyards, its impressive history, striking palaces, museums and galleries allures tourists from all over the world.
To reach the fort, seven gates have to be crossed namely Victory Gate, Fateh Gate, Gopal Gate, Bhairon Gate, Dedh Kamgra Gate, Marti Gate and finally Loha Gate. The first defensive gate is the Victory gate which was built by Maharaja Man Singh in the year 1806 to celebrate his victory against Jaipur and Bikaner. Maharaja Ajit Singh built Fateh Pol on his victory over the Mughals. Dedh Kamgra Gate still bears the marks of cannon balls which were bombarded during wars. Loha Gate, the last one is a very special gate. It has sharp iron spikes to protect from enemies? elephants. Also, on the walls inside the gate are the handprints of Maharaja Man Singh?s widows who left the palace in 1843 to commit Sati.
Within the fort, there are magnificent palaces like Sheesh Mahal and Phool Mahal which will leave you awestruck. Also, the fort has one of the well-stocked museums of Rajasthan. There are six different galleries in the Mehrangarh Museum: Elephant's howdahs, Palanquins, Daulat Khana, Armoury, Paintings and the Turban Gallery. National Geological Monument, Nagnecha Mataji Temple, Chamunda Temple and Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park are the tourist attractions in Mehrangarh Fort.