Mehrangarh Fort dominates Jodhpur’s skyline, rising sheer out of a rocky hill and making the “Blue City” look like a toy town below. Inside its thick walls you move through courtyards, palace wings, balconies and temples, with highlights like Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal and the royal cradle gallery. The museum is one of the best curated in Rajasthan, displaying palanquins, armour, paintings and turbans, while musicians play folk tunes at the gateways. From the ramparts, you see blue-painted houses stretching to the desert horizon. At night, the fort glows under floodlights and often becomes a stage for events like the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (Jodhpur RIFF), turning this medieval fortress into a global music venue.
About this place
History & highlights
Mehrangarh was founded around 1459 CE by Rao Jodha, the 15th Rathore ruler of Marwar, when he shifted his capital from Mandore to a more defensible hilltop site that would become Jodhpur. The name means “Fort of the Sun,” linking the Rathore clan to their legendary descent from the sun god Surya. Although the first fortifications date to the 15th century, much of what you see – the ornate palaces, larger gates and bastions – was added in the 17th–18th centuries by his successors as Marwar’s power and wealth grew. Over time the fort survived sieges, Mughal wars and internal battles, but in the modern era it has been carefully restored by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, transforming it from a royal stronghold into a professionally managed heritage site that still feels alive with festivals and performances.
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