The Junagarh Fort is located in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan. This majestic structure is the real world manifestation of the desire and expertise of the sixth ruler of Bikaner, Raja Rai Singh Ji. The 16th century of the Indian history saw the rise to invincibility of the mighty Mughals under the reign of sagacious Akbar and his successor Jahangir. Raja Rai Singh was fully aware of the fact that locking horns with the mighty Mughals in any sort of battle would be nothing short of tomfoolery on his part and as such happily accepted Mughal supremacy. This however does not mean that Raja Rai Singh had, as the hackneyed phrase has it, ‘a cowardly bone in his being’. This he proved by showing his dexterity in the many battles he fought and winning half the Mewar Kingdom.This wooed the Mughal emperors to such an extent that they gave him the lands of Gujarat and Burhanpur as a gift to appreciate his service to the Mughals. With the large amount of revenue amassed from these lands, Raja Rai Singh was now in a position to conceive the construction of a fort, every bit as magnificent as he wanted it to be. The result was the Junagarh Fort.

Raja Rai Sing was an avid traveler. He travelled far and wide and displayed serious affinity for art and architecture. All the knowledge garnered from these travels were meticulously implemented in the construction of the Junagarh Fort. The obsessive attention to details shown by the Raja, springs out and meets your eye the moment you begin to appreciate its aesthetic appeal. Inside the Junagarh Fort expect to find temples, a legion of palaces (Karan Mahal, Phool Mahal,Chandra Mahal and Badal Mahal need special mention), gardens and of course a museum (the Junagarh Fort museum) exhibiting a plethora of priceless collections.

So, if you want to feel the intricate carvings against your fingers on this grand structure or appreciate and applaud the work of Raja Rai Singh Ji, we suggest you do it in person and as such we invite you to include the Junagarh Fort on your ‘To Visit’ list. Happy Travelling!