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Newasa - Encountering an unique form of Vishnu, and Sant Jnaneshwar

The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their
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Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

The Nahargarh Fort was built in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jaisingh II. As with the Jaigarh Fort, it was intended to provide additional protection for the Amber fort.





The fort's name has an interesting legend behind it. It is said that the original name of the fort was 'Sudarshangarh'. However, as work was on, excavating the area for the fort, the resting place of the saint Nahar Singhji Bhomia was disturbed, and his spirit began haunting the construction site. On advice from his spiritual preceptor, the king eventually changed the name of the fort to 'Nahargarh' after the saint, and also built a temple for him within the fort premises. It was only then that the haunting ceased and the work on the fort was able to continue! The fort might no longer be haunted, but this fort comes the closest to a haunted one in the area, as it was the only one which was completely deserted when we visited - as compared to the other forts which were packed with chattering tourists!

At the centre of the fort is the Madhavendra palace, built in the late 1800s.






A long open corridor welcomes us....


At the head is the King's suite. 



On both sides of the corridor are suites for the many queens... 




The walls are beautifully decorated with paintings... which are clear even today...








Each is so beautifully decorated and well preserved even today that we can just go on looking at them forever....









Long corridors connect the suites....


The palace offers a beautiful view of the city below...


Coming out of the palace, Samhith was attracted by the presence of a cannon....


Aunt and nephew had a grand time posing...


As we made our way out, past the massive walls....



We came across an amphitheater... built near the walls....


While I could not keep away from clicking the view, neither could Samhith...



Our last view of Nahargarh was of a temple just outside the ramparts.... believed to be an ancient temple housing the footprints of Lord Krishna....


Nahargarh might not be among the more popular tourist destinations in Jaipur - there are too many with more interesting stories and monuments....We came here after our tour of Jaigarh, and Amber was planned for later in the day, so we didnt really have too much enthusiasm to explore this fort fully. However, what I did see of the fort was interesting enough to write about.. I would recommend a visit here if you are ever in Jaipur!

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Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Comments

  1. IndraniJuly 23, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    Great sights. We missed visiting this as we were late. The interiors are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 23, 2012 at 11:22 AM

      Yes, Indrani! Its a beautiful place! If you are ever in Jaipur again, dont miss it!

      Delete
  2. P.N. SubramanianJuly 23, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    It is a beautiful place and you have captured the various parts of the Fort beautifully. Since this fort was visible from Amber, we asked our auto driver about it. He discouraged us saying there is not much to be seen there. Again we were also told that after 4.30 PM visitors are not given an entry. We made it on the next day and I have a post in my Hindi blog. Samhit and his aunt (apparently still a child)seem to have enjoyed the cannon ride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 23, 2012 at 11:26 AM

      Thanks PNS! i guess this happens to most tourists in many places.... we see those places we are told are worth seeing!! havent seen your post yet, but will go and see... as to samhiths aunt, she will be thrilled to hear that comment. she is a child at heart, esp when with samhith, but as old as me!

      Delete
  3. MridulaJuly 23, 2012 at 11:51 AM

    Lovely account Anu, the sunset is also fabulous around Nahargarh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 23, 2012 at 12:06 PM

      Thanks Mridula! We were there in the afternoon, but i can imagine the sunset might have been great! if i am ever there again, i will def go there at sunset!

      Delete
  4. R Niranjan DasJuly 23, 2012 at 1:39 PM

    Nice photos and exceptional views.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. PNR Status EnquiryJuly 23, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    Beautiful place. Jaipur is more lovable city in India. And Madhavendra Palace is an tourist place where i used to visit in jaipur.

    ReplyDelete
  6. NevinJuly 23, 2012 at 1:59 PM

    Great snaps. For 3 years my girlfriend kept inviting me to jaipur. Now that I've the time to go, she has left me for someone else. Life is funny :P But i definitely wanna chk the place out. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarJuly 23, 2012 at 3:00 PM

      THanks so much, Nevin!! what a twist of fate!! But that should certainly not stop you from visiting Jaipur! Its a beautiful place and worth a long, leisurely trip!!

      Delete
  7. Ranita SinhaJuly 24, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    Beautiful snaps..will love to visit once in Rajasthan..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ana O'ReillyJuly 24, 2012 at 8:48 PM

    It's absolutely gorgeous! And I love the legend too. Every fort and castle has to have at least one ghost :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. PNR Status EnquiryJuly 25, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    Fantastic and fabulous blog that u submit here the fort os very beautiful and you give various places in the fort. this fort is similat to thirumalai naick fort located at madurai

    ReplyDelete
  10. shrutiJuly 26, 2012 at 2:56 AM

    nothing like old world charm !

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJuly 27, 2012 at 1:06 PM

    Nahargarh Fort,is a beautiful place and you have captured the various parts of the Fort very beautifully.And my heart says that travel jaipur fort you have done great job . thanks for sharing beautiful images and information.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnujJuly 29, 2012 at 8:44 PM

    I went to nahargarh in 2008....but you have really reminded me how pretty it really is. thanks for this post

    ReplyDelete
  13. PradeepaAugust 1, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    We had been to Jaipur once but didn't know about this place. It looks beautiful. There are plenty of fascinating places in Rajasthan that I wish to see. If time permits we might make a trip this month, hopefully.

    ReplyDelete
  14. MaryamSeptember 2, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    Great post, being a travel enthusiast, I just loved your post.
    You can visit my blog- http://maryamyasmin.blogspot.in/ and do drop a comment if you like anything.

    ReplyDelete
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  16. AvdhutDecember 2, 2022 at 3:58 PM

    Your Article is very unique..keep up the good work.
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