The massive Jaigarh Fort also called the ‘Cheel ka Teela’ or ‘Hill of Eagles’ overlooks the Amer Fort and the Maota Lake near Amer in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The current fort was built on a huge hill in the Aravalli range; by Sawai Jai Singh in 1726 to give greater protection to the Amer Fort located 400 meters below it; as well as the Jaipur palace complex part of the newly established Jaipur city, which eventually came to be known as City Palace Complex.
As Sawai Jai Singh II established the Jaipur city that was named after him, so the current fort also established by him was named Jaigarh Fort or qila which also means Victory Fort.
The Fort
Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort are connected to each other by subterranean tunnels and are considered one complex. The fort, almost the same in structural design as the Amer Fort, is 3 km long in the north-south direction and 1 km wide. The highlight of the fort is the massive cannon named “Jaivana” which was manufactured in the gun foundry in the fort precincts and was the world’s largest cannon on wheels. To date, the cannon placed on top of the Dungar Darwaza of Jaigarh fort has been fired only once to its maximum distance.
The original fort was built in the 10th century was built in a manner that provides an excellent of view of the Aravalli hills and the Amer Fort down below. The site of the current fort is located at a distance of 10 km from Jaipur city; on the same road that leads to Nahargarh Fort, another important fort. The strongest of 3 forts in Jaipur, Jaigarh is accessible by road via a steep hill track, to the Awami Gate. Before the 10th century AD, Amer was known as Dhundhar (meaning sacrificial mount) and ruled by the Meena clan.
Where Jaigarh Fort, stands today there was a defensive structure that was built to protect Amer fort; which was subsequently overrun by the Kachwaha Rajputs in the 10th century. The structure remained untouched until when Sawai Jai Singh built the current Jaigarh fort in its place. The fort was designed, and conceptualized by the Bengali architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, who designed Jaipur.
Jaivana Cannon
During Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the fort was home to one of the world’s most efficient cannon foundries. This was made possible mainly due to the presence of iron ore mines in the forts’ vicinity. The cannon foundry had a massive wind tunnel that sucked the air from the high mountains into its furnace creating temperatures of up to 1,320°C, enough to melt iron. The molten iron was then passed through a chamber into a cannon mold in the casting pit. Most of them were, massive 16 ft long cannons.
The Kachwaha Rajput rulers also built an ingenious mechanical device with a precision gear system. Driven by four pairs of oxen, the device was used to hollow out cannon barrels. Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah appointed Sawai Jai Singh II as the Mughal quiladar of the fort. Jai Singh II not only fortified the fort, making it stronger and bigger but also commissioned the massive ‘Jaivana’ cannon in the gun foundry.
The cannon displayed atop the Dungar Darwaza of Jaigarh was only test fired once with a 50 kg cannon ball and charge of 100 kg gunpowder, to its maximum range of 35 km, and was never used in any battle. Jaivana’s cannon barrel is 6.15 m in length with a barrel diameter of 11 inches and weighs an incredible 50 tonnes. The circumference near the tip of the barrel is 2.2 m and at the rear is 2.8 m. The diameter of the bore is 28 cm and the thickness of the barrel at the tip is 21.6 cm.
The specially commissioned ‘Jaivana’ cannon’s barrel has been decorated with carvings of trees, an elephant scroll, and a pair of ducks. Two thick rings on the barrel were used to lift it. A 30.6-inch elevating screw was used to raise and lower the barrel. Mounted on four wheels and a mechanism of two back wheels that are mounted on roller pin bearings, the cannon was designed to turn a full circle of 360° and fire in any direction. A shed was built to protect the cannon from the weather. The metallurgy used in the construction of the annon is still a mystery. The cannon even if the weather temperature reaches 50°C around it, still remains super cool.
Inside the Fort
The existing fort was further fortified by Sawai Jai Singh II and a lot of construction was carried out by him. The thick walls of the fort are made entirely of red sandstone. The forts’ ramparts in each corner are sloping, providing access to the upper-level structures. The palaces inside the fort have courtrooms and halls with screened windows. The fort also has an impressive central watch tower, built on a raised ground; that provides an excellent view of the surrounding landscape. The triple-arched fort gate at the entrance called “Awani Darwaza” was refurbished to give fine views of the lake.
The forts’ architecture resembles the Indo-Persian style. The highlight is the carefully latticed windows throughout the fort; that cover the galleries and rooms; as well as cyclopean walls built with dressed stone plastered with lime mortar. There are two temples inside the fort; one is the Ram Harihar temple built in the 10th century and another is the Kal Bhairav temple built in the 12th century. Aram Mandir, Lalit Mandir, Laxmi Vilas, Vilas Mandir, and Charbagh garden are some of the architectural gems inside the fort.
The lakes’ water was transported to the fort in pouches loaded on elephant backs and also by humans in pots. Besides that, water supply to the fort was maintained by creating water harvesting structures in the vicinity of the fort; from where the water was brought into the fort through a 4 km long canal on the western side of the fort. an arid region, where the water supply was always short, this water was collected in three underground tanks below the central courtyard. The largest tank had the capacity to hold 6 million gallons of water. All these structures are still well preserved.
Armoury & Museum
Inside the fort, there is an armory chamber where a wide variety of weapons used by Jaipur royalty during various wars is on display. These include guns, muskets, swords, shields, as well as a 50 kg cannonball. The museum, which is a recent addition, is located to the left of the Awami Gate; it has among other things photographs related to the Jaipur royal family, as well as stamps and many other artifacts, such as a spittoon from the 15th century and a hand-drawn plan of the buildings inside the fort. Some of the photographs are of erstwhile Maharajas of Jaipur namely, Sawai Bhawani Singh and Major General Man Singh II who went on to serve in the Indian Army.
Jaigarh Fort is open to tourists from 9:00 AM in the morning to 5 PM in the evening every day. As Jaigarh Fort falls in an area that comes under Nahargarh wildlife sanctuary, the fort is surrounded by thick deciduous forest; so, it is best to not stay in the fort after dark, when wild animals are known to move around in the fort. The entry fee is INR 150 for Indians and INR 200 for foreigners. Students can get some discounts, by showing their student ID. Tourists can reach the fort from any part of Jaipur by hiring a taxi, auto-rickshaw, private car, or bus. The best time to visit the fort is from October to March. Jaipur is well-connected by road, rail, and air with all major cities of India.
