Overlooking the city of Ajmer is the spectacular fort of Taragarh, whose ruins tell sagas of fierce battles fought amidst its high walls and the ravery of its valour knights. It is an outstanding example of Rajasthani style of architecture. The great Chauhan clan king Ajaypal constructed this massive structure on a steep hill in 1354 A.D. as his stronghold. Being on a strategic location, this high-walled fort was used for military purposes by Chauhan rulers, Mughal emperors and even by the British as their sanatorium. An intelligent feature of this fort was its secret tunnels that crisscrossed the entire b hill side. These secret passages allowed the king and his ministers to evacuate the fort and flee towards the hilly forest to avoid imminent danger from their enemies. But unfortunately maps of
these fascinating tunnels are lost.
Sprawling on a hillock, Taragarh gives a fantastic panoramic view of the city of Ajmer. No wonder it’s an adventurous tourist attraction and a favorite spot for photography! Let’s us now tell you about the 5 unique features of this hill fort.
1. Huge Gateways: You will find 3 major mammoth entrance gates of the fort but unfortunately major part of them lies in ruins today. They were named as Laxman Pol, Phuta Darwaja and Gagudi Phatak. These impressive gates were of good height with thick walls that could fail all the efforts of the enemy to conquer the fort. A beautiful embellished stone sculpture of elephants will greet you at the front entrance.
2. Stone Water Reservoir: Large water reservoirs were meticulously carved out of base rocks of the fort. They could store gallons and gallons of water which was used for drinking and public welfare works during the draught times. An interesting fact is that if all the water was released at the same time the houses at the foot hills would wash away.
3. Bhim Burj Battlement: A massive battlement tower is situated in the fort complex which houses the super large canon called ‘Garbh Gunjan’. Being the proud second largest canon in India it attracts a lot of tourists. This canon made noise like a heavy thunder and could be heard till miles away. Even the soldier igniting it had to run away to save his eardrums.
4. Miran Saheb ki Dargha: This shrine is dedicated to the brave governor of the fort who died while defending Taragarh against a strong enemy invasion. Miran Sahib was an ace military general full of love for his motherland. People come here and pay their respect to this great
warrior.
5. Rani Mahal: This palace was built to house the queens and concubines of the rulers. The ladies of the royal household lived a life of luxury within its murals painted walls and stained glass windows. But presently it has lost its shine and charm but you can still get glimpses of its glorious past by its charismatic ruins.
We would say in the end that do get you camera lenses ready when you set out to explore the
magnificent ruins of this towering fort.
