| AGRA (Uttar Pradesh) The Fort -The Mughal splendor in Agra began from the period of Humayun but the real building and establishment began when Akbar succeeded Humayun. In 1565 Akbar pulled down the brick fort of Lodi at Sikandra and started his new fort on riverside in red sandstone. Shah Jehan who succeeded Jahangir destroyed some of Akbar 's simple sandstone buildings to build a cluster of rich building with inlaid marble palace rooms along the river front(1628 -37). The exquisite Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) was started in 1646, just 2 years before his new city at Delhi was ready. There are many fascinating buildings within the massive walls which stretch for 2.5 km, surrounded by a moat over 10 meters wide. Inside, the fort is really a city within a city. Shah Jahan's beautiful marble Moti Masjid (known as the Pearl Mosque) is an example of perfect proportion. Some of the beautiful buildings within the fort are Diwan-i-Am(hall of public audience), Diwan-i-Khas(hall of private audience) and the Musamman Burj.  |
| Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh) Forty kilometers south-west from Agra lies a deserted sandstone city, Fatehpur Sikri. In the 16th century Salim Chisti, a mystic, came to this little community of stone-cutters and spent his days meditating in a grotto. Legend soon grew around him and word came to the Emperor Akbar who set out on a pilgrimage to ask the holy man the blessing of an heir.When a son was born the king named him after the mystic and decided to shift his capital to Sikri. Within a period of six years a complex of forts, palaces and mosques sprang up. But Akbar was forced to abandon his new capital and Fatehpur Sikri became a ghost town. It is haunted today by memories of an resplendent era. |
| MAHOBA & CHARKHARI (Uttar Pradesh) The Chandella Kings desired two earthly things after the safe possession of Bundelkhand : to build temples for their gods and to bring water to their land. These two desires find perfect union at Mahoba, the Bundela capital. The Chandellas made four lakes by damming valleys. Madan Sagar,Vijay Sagar, Kalyan Sagar & Kirat Sagar only due to the defence consideration and the Chandella's giri durg or hill fort at Charkhari is surrounded on three sides by water. In In the 18th century a new Bundela chief, Chattrasal rose up and his grandson,Khuman Singh,founded Charkhari state in 1765 . The view from Charkhari's ramparts is spectacular, across the lakes to marvelous wild-fowling country. |
| JHANSI (Uttar Pradesh) Jhansi Fort has become the chattri(Umbrella) of the woman who headed the Indian troops here during the Mutiny of 1857-58, The Rani Lakshmi Bai. The nucleus of the present fort was built in 1613 by Bir Singh Deo of Orchha.In 1853 Raja Gangadhar Rao of Jhansi died without a direct heir. His adopted son was not recognized and his widow, the Rani Lakshmi Bai, reluctantly at first and then with fiery courage took on the British in the unsettled years leading upto the Mutiny. In a fierce fight on the 18th June 1858, at Kotah-ki-Sarai near Gwalior, Lakshmi Bai, dressed like a man using her sword with both hands and holding the reins of her horse in her mouth was killed. After the Mutiny Jhansi was occupied by the British. It was handed over in 1861 to Scindia of Gwalior, but returned again to the British in 1886. |
| GOLCONDA (Andhra Pradesh) It is 11.5 km from Hyderabad. A magnificent deserted fort-city of the Qutub Shahi Kings, built on a steep, granite hill. In the 14th century the Hindu Kakatuya kings of Warangal gave the modest hill fort to the Muslim Bahmani Kings whose capitals were Gulbarga, then Bidar. Sultan Quli Qutab Shah (1512-43), the first of seven Qutab Shahi rulers, and his two successors, the brothers Jamshed Quli built the fort which was lost to Emperor Aurangzeb after his long siege of 1687. It followed the pattern of Gulbarga and Bidar fortifications but was larger and more impregnable.The legendary diamond bazaars lined the road up to the Fateh Darwaja guarded by Abyssinians. A curtain wall across the gateway made it difficult for enemy elephants to gather momentum. Inside the fort, there is a sophisticated Persian-wheel water system, hot and cold water pipesetc.Nearby are the more complete and just as impressive Persian-style, bulbous -domed tombs of the royals, silhoutted against the clear blue Deccan sky. |
| BIDAR ( Karnataka ) It is 110 km north-west of Hyderabad, 40 km north-east of Gulbarga. Described by historian Simon Digby as a sensational stone fort built on a natural bluff rising from the plain. Bidar was the capital of the Bahmani kingdom from 1428 to 1489. It was besieged by Aurangazeb in 1656 and remained under a series of Mughal governors until 1724 when it was swallowed up by the Nizams.The tombs on the plains outside the town are magnificient. The inner fort, mostly built by Mohammad Shah (1482-1518), is entered through a massive double gateway. Beyond lies a complete fort. Inside the entrance on the left is the Rangin Mahal whose rooms are exquisitely decorated with coloured tiles, inlaid with mother of pearl. |
| BIJAPUR ( Karnataka ) The golden period of Bijapur started during the reign of Ali Adil Shah I (1557 -79). He expanded and consolidated the kingdom, laid the water works, built the Citadel of halls, palaces, pavilions and gardens. He also encouraged the arts and built the Jama Masjid to commemorate the Talikota Victory.Under his successor, Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1626), Bijapur reached its political, cultural and territorial zenith. The kingdom stretched right to Mysore. Mark Zebrowski compares Ibrahim to Akbar and calls him 'The greatest patron of the arts the Deccan produced'. Ibrahim Rauza, the exquisite walled tomb and mosque of the ruler and his family, is just one of the sublime buildings he constructed. The exterior is covered with faded floral murals and carved Arabic calligraphy. Romantic silhouettes are enhanced by the bulbous Turkish domes here, as at Golconda instead of the straight-necked Persian shapes. His son Mohammad Adil Shah (1626-56), built the huge-domed, ponderous Gol Gumbaz for his mausoleum. |
| GULBARGA (Karnataka) This town was the Bahmani capital from 1347 until its transfer to Bidar in 1428. Later the kingdom broke up into a number of smaller kingdoms - Bijapur, Bidar, Berar, Ahmednagar and Golconda. The last of these, Golconda, finally fell to Aurangzeb in 1687. Gulbarga's old moated fort is in a much deteriorated state, but it has a number of interesting buildings insideincluding the Jama Masjid, reputed to have been built by a Moorish architect during the late 14th or early 15th century who imitated the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain. The mosque is unique in India, with a huge dome covering the whole area, four smaller ones at the corners,and 75 smaller still all the way around. The fort itself has 15 towers. Gulbarga also has a number of imposing tombs of Bahmani Kings, a shrine to an important Muslim saint and the Sharana Basaveshwara Temple. |
| SERINGAPATAM - (Karnataka) 16 kms from Mysore on the Bangalore one km east of the fort, across the other side of the main road, stands the Daria Daulat Bagh, set in well-maintained ornamental gardens. It also has 'artists' impressions of the last battle, drawn by employees of the British East India company. All around the internal walls of the ground floor are paintings depicting Tipu's campaigns, with the help of French mercenary assistance,against the British. |
| VIJAYANAGAR ( Karnataka ) The palatial capital of Vijaynagar was once the largest empire in south India. The city rivalled Rome in splendour during the reign of Krishnadevaraya (1509-29), Prince Harihara made a victory over the Hoysalla kings and established the new city Vijaynagar (city of victory) and made it his capital in 1343. The ruins, which have been described as " virtually a vast open-air museum of Hindu monuments in the Dravidian style of architecture" , cover 16km and are of unusual interest. The story of the rise and fall of this "forgotten" empire is one of the fascinating romances of Indian history. |
| DATIA (Madhya Pradesh) The fortress palace at Datia is described as one of the most interesting buildings architecturally in the whole of India. It is an examplary alliance of the Rajput and Mughal building arts and bears the clear stamp of one man upon it, the Bundela chief, Bir Singh Deo.Built in 1620 on a rocky elevation, the five-storeyed palace appears much taller than its actual 130 feet. Its balconies,bridges and oriel windows provide attractive panoramas from any viewpoint.In 1818 Datia played host to the British Governer-General, Lord Hastings and a splendid durbar was held in 1902 for the Viceroy, Lord Curzon. But by then the princes had long found it impossible to maintain such state and Datia had already lain deserted for more than 60 years. |
| DEOGARH & CHANDERI (Madhya Pradesh) Deogarh - Fort of the Gods - and Chanderi stand either side of the Betwa river on the main route to the Deccan. For nine centuries, armies with caravans in their wake have moved through this region, power shifting back and forth between Hindu and Muslim, each breaking and building a new. Within its ancient, broken curtain walls lie the remains of over 30 Jain temples, dating back mostly to the 9th and 10th centuries but in one case, a Varaha temple dedicated to the boar incarnation of Vishnu, probably dating as far back as the 5th century. Just below the fort in a field by a well, not far from the banks of the Betwa, is the jewel of Deogarh. Here a gigantic black-painted statue of Shantinath, one of the Jain pontiffs whose symbol, as at Gwalior, is an Antelope. Worshippers still make the pilgrimage to venerate the gods of Deogarh, as they have done for 1500 years. Babur, first of the Mughal Emperor, took this title when he took Chanderi in 1528. The outer walls of the fort are granite formations : the breach made by Babur's guns is clearly visible. Chanderi had been well established as a strategic holding by the 10th century, when it was controlled by the Pratihara kings. |
| GWALIOR (Madhya Pradesh) Gwalior is dominated by its fort which tops the long hill to the north of Lashkar, the new town The old town clings to the hill, north-east of the fort.Gwalior fort rises 100 metres above from the town and the fort hill is about three km in length. Its width varies from nearly a km to less than 200 metres. The walls, which encircle almost the entire hilltop, are 10 metres high and imposingly solid. Within the fort walls are several interesting temples and ruined palaces such as jain sculptures, Teli ka mandir, Sasbahu temples,Man Singh Palace, etc.The dramatic and colourful history of the great fort goes back over 1000 years. |
| KALINJAR (Madhya Pradesh) There are many legends about this fort. One of them ascribes the fort of Kalinjar to the son of king Bharata from whom India took its ancient name i.e., Bharat. The other claim it to be the aboard of Lord Shiva-Kal means death and Jar means decay: thus the name exalts the god of destruction.But Kalinjar is inextricably linked to the fortunes of the Chandella Kings of Jijhoti or Bundelkhand. The history of Kalinjar moves in half-light till the second half of the 10th century. In 1182 the Chandella forces were defeated by the Hindu Chauhan Emperor. In1203Kalinjar fell to the Muslim hosts of Qutub-ud-din Aibak.It was taken back by the Hindus after defeating Afghan King Sher shah Suri in 1545. Mughal Emperor Akbar captured the fort of Kalinjar in 1569 . It remained a part of the Panna state untill surrendered to the British in 1812. The journey up the fort is very straineous and hard and very few courageous can climb and explore the wonders of the fort. The journey downward is also very precarious. |
| MANDU (Madhya Pradesh) Its other name Shadibad means ' City of Joy '. Former magnificent and courtly capital of the Central Indian Kingdom of Malwa is now a romantic ghost city spread over an area of 12 sq. kms. hilltop. Wonder around some of the 70 or so fine Muslim and Hindu monuments built during its heydays from 11th to 16th centuries specially under Mahmud Shah (1436 -69) and Ghiasuddin (1469 -1500 ) who was devoted to women - his harem was reputed to have 15000 pretty maids. The 500 elephant parade heralding the entry of Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1617 was one of Mandu 's last great spectacles. Visit the magnificent Jama Masjid and wander in the ruins of Jahaz Mahal and indulge in a sunset at the palace of Baz Bahadur and his Rani Rupmati (India's Romeo & Juliet). Baz Bahadur was defeated by Emperor Akbar and he had to flee in the face of Mughal defeat. Rupmati captured for the general's future pleasure committed sucide by swallowing ground diamonds. |
| DAULATABAD (Maharastra) Halfway between Aurangabad & Ellora caves is the magnificent hilltop fortress of Daulatabad. Built by Bhilama Raja of the Yadava Dynasty in 1187. It was named 'Devagiri' or 'Hill of the Gods'. It gained fame later as the place selected by Mohammad Tughlak 'the mad Sultan of Delhi' who wanted to shift his capital here and thus renamed it 'Daulatabad' or 'City of Fortune'. He force-marched all his subjects here and 17 years later marched them back to Delhi.Perched on top of a high hill, it is surrounded by thick walls, spiked gates, steep gravelled slide ways and a deep moat. Just inside the entrance gate is the 60 m. high Chand Minar tower, overlooking a small mosque built from the remains of a Jain temple. Higher up is the blue-tiled Chini Mahal where the last king of Golconda was imprisoned for 13 years until his death. |
| THE MARINE FORTS ( Maharastra ) JANJIRA : It was the strongest marine fort in all India, built by Abyssinians in 1511 on an island south of Ailbagh below Portuguese Bombay. On the coast about 160 km due south of Bombay, the majestic island fortress of Murud-Janjira was the 16th-century capital of the Siddis of Janjira, descendants of sailor/traders from the Horn of Africa. It is without doubt one of Maharashtra's most commanding coastal forts, stretched along an island a short distance from the tranquil fishing town of Murud and only accessible by local sailing boat. The fort's 12 metre high walls made it impregnable to everyone, even the Marathas - Shivaji tried to conquer it by sea and his son, Sambhaji, attempted to tunnel to it. |
| BUNDI (Rajasthan) Taragarh Fort - Bundi only 39 km north-west of Kota,was the capital of a major princely state during the heydays of Rajputs.The town's Rajput legacy 75 is well preserved in the shape of the massive Taragarh fort.The star fort was built in 1354. It is reached by a steep road leading up the hillside to its enormous gateway, topped by rampant elephants. Inside are huge reservoirs carved out of solid rock and the Bhim Burj, the largest of the battlements, on which is mounted a famous cannon. Views over the town and sorrounding countryside are excellent. |
| BIKANER (Rajasthan) Junagadh Fort - Akbar's contemporary , Raja Rai Singh, began building Bikaner's Junagadh Fort in 1587. It is one of the finest of Rajput monuments, even though it lacks the commanding hilltop site of the forts at Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Amber and Chittor. Junagadh is one of the few forts in India which has never been conquered, though it was often attacked. Thirty-seven palaces, pavilions and temples built by different kings stand protected by massive ramparts and round towers. For four centuries Junagadh was the heart of an important autonomous kingdom where the public came daily, as a matter of right, to lay their problems and petitions before their Maharaja, or to eat at the communal kitchen from which no one could be turned away hungry. |
| CHITTORGARH (Rajasthan) The hilltop fortress of Chittorgarh epitomises the whole romantic, doomed ideal of Rajput chivalry. Three times in its long history, Chittor was attacked by a stronger enemy. The men donned the saffron robes of martyrdom and rode out from the fort to certain death, while the women and children immolated themselves on a huge funeral pyre. Honour was always more important than death. The fort stands on a 280-hectare site on top of a 180-metre-high hill, which rises abruptly from the surrounding plain. Until 1568, the town of Chittor was also on the hilltop within the fort walls but today's modern town, known as Lower Town, sprawls to the west of the hill.There are many palaces within the fort like Rana Kumbha Palace, Fateh Prakash Palace,Tower of victory & Padmini's Palace. |
| JAIPUR - ( Rajasthan ) Amber Fort situated about 11 km out of Jaipur on the Delhi - Jaipur road, Amber was once the ancient capital of Jaipur state. Construction of the fortress palace was begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh, the Rajput commander of Akbar's army. It was later extended and completed by the Jai Singhs before they move to Jaipur on the plains below. The fort is a superb example of Rajput architecture, stunningly situated on a hillside and overlooking a lake which reflects its terraces and ramparts. |
| Jaigarh Fort (Rajasthan) Jaigarh Fort was built by Jai Singh II in 1726. Romantic legend fills its palatial rooms,courtyards and reservoirs. For Jaigarh housed the legendary Kachchwaha treasury. The loyal Mina tribe, former rulers of Amber, guarded it, using their skills as archers and mountain fighters. The massive Jaiwaan cannon, one of the largest in Asia, gave added protection. |
| JODHPUR - (Rajasthan) Mehrangarh fort was founded by Rao Jodha in 1459 when he shifted his capital from Mandore.The fort is situated about 400 ft above the city and has 68 ft wide and 117 ft high walls which dominates the sorrounding plain.The palaces in the fort were constructed by Rao Jodha Singh from 1459 onwards.The various buildings inside the fort now serve as Mehrangarh museum.The Moti Mahal has stained glass windows that create a colorful mosaic with the play of light and shade on the glowing colors.The Mughal influence is evident in the miniature paintings of Shahjehan and Aurangzeb.The other important palaces like Chandan Mahal,the Darbar Takhat or Throne Room,the Rang Mahal,the Umaid Vilas etc are also worth visiting. |
| JAISALMER - (Rajasthan) Sonar Kila: The foundation of the fort was laid in 1156 A.D on Trikuta hill by the Bhatti Chief Jaisal. The fort also called Sonar Kila- A Golden Fort, made of yellow sandstone, seems to ignite into a golden flame when scorched by the desert sun. About a fourth of the old city's population resides within the fort walls. Numerous bastions of upto 325 ft are made accessible through gates-Ganesh Pol, Akshya Pol, Suraj Pol and Hawa Pol. There is a cross cultural merging of Rajput and Islamic building styles. Within the fort are there are a group of beautifully carved Jain temples built between 12th to 15th centuries and are dedicated to Rikhabdevji and Sambhavanthji. There are also beautifully carved Havellis of rich merchants and nobles. |
| JAISALMER - (Rajasthan) Kumbhalgarh fort is 84 km and is one of Rajasthan's principal fortifications, it was built by Maharana Kumbha in the 15th century. Range upon range of the Aravalli hills protect this impregnable fortress, the second most important citadel of Mewar. Surrounded by thirteen mountain peaks, guarded by seven great gates and seven ramparts, strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watch towers, this mountain fortress has witnessed many battles. Within the fort are many temples and palaces. Seven majestic gates lead to Badal Mahal which encloses beautiful rooms with pleasant color schemes of green, turquoise and white, which provides a fascinating contrast to the raw, earthy and grim fortress. |
| JAISALMER - (Rajasthan) KHIMSAR (Rajasthan) Perched on the edge of the Great Thar Desert in the heart of rural India lies this unique fort offering a wide range of experiences. The battle-scarred walls & turrets remind of the glorious past. In mid-18th Century the royal family moved in and a new "zenana" or ladies residence was built with finely carved windows in stone grills to provide "purdah" or veil for ladies in waiting. Subsequently, in the 1940's, Thakur Onkar Singh built for himself a regal wing. Today Welcomegroup Khimsar fort ranks amongst the premier classified Heritage Hotels of India. |
| RANTHAMBHORE - (Rajasthan) The well preserved fortress of Ranthambore built in the 10th century is unique for its style and is concealed within hill ranges and dense forest & is not visible from outside.It is defended by strong gates. The fort is worth visiting and there are superb views over the park from the ramparts.The lower laying ground alternates between open bushland and fairly dense forest and is peppered with ruined chattris and 'hides - the area was formely a hunting preserve of the Maharajas. |
| DELHI RED FORT : The red sandstone walls of Lal Qila meaning the Red Fort, extend for two km and vary in height from 18 metres on the river side to 33 metres on the city side. Shah Jahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. The chief attraction of the Red Fort, is some very beautiful palaces and handsome public buildings, such as the Lahore gate - the main gate of the fort,the Diwan-i-Am (hall for public audiences), Diwan-i-Khas (hall for private audiences), Rang Mahal (water-cooled apartment of royal ladies), and the Pearl Mosque, built of white marble.There is a small museum on the fort's premises and a small shopping arcade. |
| PURANA QILA (DELHI) Just south-east of New Delhi lies the Old Fort or Purana Qila. This is supposed to be the site of Indraprastha, the original city of Delhi. The Afghan ruler, Sher Shah, who briefly interrupted the Mughal Empire by defeating Humayun, completed the fort during his reign from 1538-45, before Humayun regained control of India. The fort has massive walls and three large gateways and a small octagonal red sandstone tower ,the Sher mandal,later used by Humayun as a library from where he fell and later died. Just beyond it is the Qila-i-Kuhram Mosque,or the Mosque of Sher Shah. |
| TUGHLAQABAD Tughlaqabad constitutes the third city of Delhi. The ruined fortress is 8 km east of the Qutub Minar. The tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlak, founder of the dynasty who built the city, is across the road from the main entrance to the fort which is supposedly under a curse from the Sufi Saint, Azam-ud-din. Tughlaqabad became a ghost city 15 years after its birth. The fort of Adilabad, south of Tughlaqabad , was built by Ghiyas-ud-din's son and successor, Muhammad bin Tughlak. |
| TIRUCHIRAPALLI ( Tamilnadu ) Rising abruptly from the plains to a height of 83 metres is Rock fort, the famous land mark ofTiruchirapalli. Tiruchirapalli's historic associations stretch from Chola times to the 18th century Karnatak wars, when Britain and France espoused the cause of rival princes. Four hundred and thirty-four steps down into the rockside and interspersed with shrines and landings lead the pilgrim to an ancient temple dedicated to Ganapati. A tank and a pavilion at the foot of the Rock fort is the scene of the temple's float festival. |
| VELLORE (Tamilnadu) Vellore is one of the finest examples of military architecture in South India. It is a perfect specimen of a jala durg, water fort. Vellore was built towards the end of the 14th century by the Hindu Vijaynagar kings and held by them until their defeat in 1565. A self-styled Raja of Vellore had, on the fall of Vijaynagar, taken control of what had become an important provincial capital. In 1677, when Shivaji, the great Maratha chieftain, began his campaign in the Deccan to gain a foothold in the Karnatic, he did so by investing Vellore. The most impressive building within the fort is the Jalakantesvara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, remarkably it was almost undamaged during the Muslim tenure of Vellore. The British built a bridge over the moat and most of the buildings now in use within the fort walls. |
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