India is well-known all over world with its tremendous forts, whimsical temples and luxurious palaces. The Taj Mahal Mausoleum, the Maharaja’s Palace, the Golden Temple, Fort Amber, numerous ancient monuments of Buddhist architecture … These iconic sights of India are still striking with their grandeur, wealth and size. Nevertheless, in this picturesque country there are many other places that can leave unforgettable impression. One of them is Fort Jaigarh, located on one of the peaks of the Aravalli range of hills. The closest town Jaipur is just 10 kilometers from here.
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Thick walls of the fort are built of red sandstone. It stretches for 3 kilometers long and one kilometer wide. The central watchtower, located on a hill, provides an excellent overview of the surrounding area. Jaigarh was erected for protection of Maharaja’s palace complex in Fort Amber.
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Aside from palaces and gardens, there’re two temples on the territory of the fort: Ram Harihar temple built in X century, and Kal Bhairav temple built in XII century.
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Under the central courtyard there are three underground reservoirs filled with water from a nearby lake. Already in that distant past the fort had water supply system!
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The fort was a centre of artillery production. In 1720 the largest cannon in the world was made here. The cannon, named Jaivana, was fired only once. A 100 kg charge of gunpowder covered a distance of about 35 kilometres.
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Also you may visit the armory to see its unique collection swords, shields, muskets and guns. There also is a museum with antique artifacts and the map of the fort.
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From the walls of the fort opens a magnificent view over the fort Amber and the surrounding area. Quite natural that these two forts are similar to each other, because Jaigarh and Amber, connected with underground tunnels, are parts of a single defensive system. Jaigarh was that special place where maharajah could hide in case of danger. According to the legend, on the territory of the fort a huge treasure is hidden.
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