A fort that never had to fight
Eyes on the hills: in 1727 Sawai Jai Singh II moved his court from Amer to his new city on the plain, and a city on open ground needed a lookout.
Sudarshangarh: in 1734 he built a fort on the edge of the Aravalli ridge, directly above the north-western corner of the walls, named after Vishnu's spinning discus.
A ring of defences: with Amber and Jaigarh behind it, the fort completed a ring around the capital, with walls along the hilltops connecting them.
- Built
- 1734, extended 1868
- Built by
- Sawai Jai Singh II
- Open
- By day, leave as the light fades
- Allow
- About two hours before sunset
- Best time
- Late afternoon to sunset
- Photography
- Short telephoto for the city below
- Getting there
- Ridge road from the Amer side, or footpath
- Never attacked: when the Marathas pressed on Jaipur in the eighteenth century, treaties were signed here rather than battles fought.
- A royal retreat: it became a hunting lodge and a cool place in the hot months, and the city came to love it as a lookout.
- 1857: Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II sheltered the region's European residents inside its walls during the uprising, including the British Resident's wife.
- 1868: Ram Singh later extended the fort.
- The noon gun: until 1944 Jaipur ran on solar time read from the Jantar Mantar sundial, and a gun fired from Nahargarh told the city when it was noon.
- Setting the clocks: our grandparents' generation set theirs by it, the astronomer-king's sundial below, his fort above, and the sound rolling over the rooftops between.
The ghost in the name
Abode of tigers: nahar means tiger and garh means fort. Tigers once roamed these hills, and leopards still move through them.
The story Jaipur tells: when work began, whatever the masons built by day fell down by night.
- Nahar
- Tiger
- Garh
- Fort
- The legend
- Prince Nahar Singh Bhomia
- Original name
- Sudarshangarh
- The restless prince: the cause was the spirit of Nahar Singh Bhomia, whose ground this had been. He would not let the walls stand until he had his due.
- Peace made: a shrine was built for him inside the fort and the fort was given his name. After that, the building stood.
- Still honoured: the small shrine still receives flowers, sweets and incense from people who would rather not take chances.
- A lesson in manners: our guides tell it as their grandmothers did. If you build on someone else's ground, make your peace with them first.
- The name stuck: Sudarshangarh survives mainly in history books. Every rickshaw driver, schoolchild and kite-flyer says Nahargarh.
Walking the fort, court by court
- Enter
- The outer gate, by the shrine
- Heart
- Madhavendra Bhawan, 1883 to 1892
- Queens' suites
- Usually counted as nine
- Also
- Sculpture park and stepwell
- Finish
- The ramparts on the city side
The gate and the shrine of Nahar Singh
Arriving: through a gateway in the outer wall where the ridge road arrives.
- The shrine: near the entrance, the small shrine of Nahar Singh Bhomia.
- Pause there: locals do, even those who claim not to believe the story, and it sets the tone for the visit.
Madhavendra Bhawan, the queens' palace
When: built for Sawai Madho Singh II between 1883 and 1892.
The plan: a two-storeyed block of matching apartments around a courtyard, one for each queen, usually counted as nine, with the king's suite at the head.
- Each suite: its own rooms, kitchen and small courtyard.
- The corridors: a web linking every suite to the king's, so he could visit any queen without the others seeing.
- Walk them: you can feel the careful choreography of a royal household.
The frescoed rooms
The colours: soft frescoes of flowers, birds and vines, in pale blues, greens and pinks.
- The taste: gentler than Jaipur's grand palace interiors, closer to a nineteenth-century drawing room than a Mughal hall.
- Look for: alcoves, lamp niches and windows framing slices of the hills. Some rooms are restored, others keep a century's patina.
The sculpture in the palace
- What it is: in recent years the Madhavendra Bhawan has housed a park of contemporary sculpture by Indian and international artists, set in the queens' rooms and courtyards.
- The effect: it surprises many guests and delights most, one of the most thoughtful uses of a heritage building in Rajasthan.
The stepwell
What it is: an old baori, with steps descending in flights to the water.
- Why it's here: like every fort in this dry land, Nahargarh depended on harvesting rain, with channels carrying water from the hills to tanks and wells.
- On screen: Bollywood fans may recognise it from films shot here.
- When: in the soft late-afternoon light, when the steps turn gold.
The ramparts
What everyone came for: the walls on the city side.
- The view: the pink grid of the old city below, Jal Mahal on its lake to the north-east, and the hills running towards Amber.
- Then: find a parapet, sit down and wait for the light.
Sunset at Nahargarh, the way we do it
The secret: the fort looks south and east, so the setting sun lights the city instead of blinding you.
The last hour: the walled city turns from pink to gold to rose, the lakes catch the sky, and evening kites drift over the rooftops.
Lights on: first the main roads, then the lanes, until Jai Singh's grid is drawn in points of light.
- Arrive
- About two hours before sunset
- Faces
- South and east, over the city
- Bring
- A shawl in winter
- Leave
- As the light fades
- The sounds: temple bells, a wedding band somewhere, and the evening call to prayer from the old city below.
- Our plan: arrive about two hours before sunset, walk the palace in slanting light, see the stepwell, then claim a spot on the ramparts.
- A drink: some terraces have a simple cafe for a cold drink or chai.
- A private sundowner: for an occasion we can arrange one nearby, with a table, a shawl and someone else carrying the glasses.
- More evenings: see the best sunsets in Rajasthan and our rooftop dining page.
- Winter cold: once the sun goes the ridge cools fast, and in December and January the drive down can be cold.
- Before full dark: the road is narrow and the hills are forest, and our chauffeurs prefer to be down by the time the city is fully lit.
The seasons on the ridge
October to March: clear skies and long views, sometimes to the hills beyond Amer, with cool evenings and golden light.
December and January: the clearest months, though winter haze can soften the far distance on some days.
- October to March
- Clear skies, long views
- Clearest
- December and January
- Makar Sankranti
- 14 January, the best seat in Jaipur
- Diwali
- The whole city lit
- April to June
- Sunset only
- Monsoon
- Green hills, dramatic skies
- Makar Sankranti: on Makar Sankranti, 14 January, the whole city flies kites from dawn, and you look down on a sky filled with thousands, then lanterns after dark.
- Join in: our page on kite flying explains how.
- Diwali: at Diwali in October or November, a city lit end to end is one of the great sights of India.
- April to June: the ridge is hot until the very end of the day, so sunset is the only sensible plan.
- July to September: the monsoon turns the Aravallis green, fills the lakes and brings dramatic skies.
- After a storm: rain can close in suddenly, but on a clear evening afterwards the city looks freshly painted.
How Jaipur uses its fort
For our grandparents: the ridge was where the court escaped the heat and the hunting parties gathered.
For our parents: it was the picnic.
Monsoon outings: old-city families have long gone to the hills and gardens around Jaipur, cooking dal baati over wood fires, singing and swinging under the trees.
- Grandparents
- Court retreats and hunting parties
- Parents
- Monsoon picnics of dal baati
- Young Jaipur
- Weekend evenings with friends
- Calmest
- A weekday evening in November
- Still today: some still drive up on a wet Sunday in August with a pot of food and a carpet, exactly as their grandparents did.
- Young Jaipur: friends at the weekend, photographs against the walls, and the lights coming on.
- At dawn: college students climb the footpath on winter mornings.
- In wedding clothes: newly married couples come for photographs.
- On Makar Sankranti: whole families spend the day on the ramparts with kite string and baskets of food.
- Never for the few: on a weekend evening you will be among them, and that is part of the pleasure.
- Choose your evening: a weekday in November is calm and golden. A Sunday in December can be busy, with music, snacks and crowds on the best parapets.
Reading the fort's architecture
Jai Singh's walls: they follow the ridge, with bastions at the corners and gates where the hill was weakest, in local stone with lime mortar.
A soldier's design: practical rather than pretty, for a fort expected to watch rather than fight.
The connecting walls: they run along the hilltops towards Jaigarh, and you can trace the line by eye from the ramparts.
- Outer walls
- Jai Singh's, local stone and lime
- Design
- A fort to watch, not fight
- Water
- Channels, tanks and a stepwell
- Palace
- 1880s, fresco and colour washes
- Water first: a ridge-top fort has no river and no deep wells, so every drop had to be caught.
- Channels and gutters: builders cut channels along the slopes into tanks, and shallow drains still carry the runoff after a storm.
- With Jaigarh: which took the same idea much further, a lesson in how the Kachwahas survived a dry land. See the stepwells of Rajasthan.
- A different world inside: by the 1880s war had gone and the king's needs were domestic.
- Planned on paper: the Madhavendra Bhawan's repeated suites, corridors, privacy and services are almost a modern piece of planning.
- Quiet decoration: fresco rather than mirror, colour washes rather than marble. If Amber is Rajput palace at full volume, this is the tradition speaking quietly.
- The vocabulary: our guide to Rajasthani architecture.
How to visit
The road: it climbs from the Amer side along the ridge, past Jaigarh. Narrow and winding, so a chauffeur who knows it is the calm way up.
The footpath: a steep old path climbs from the walled city. A fine walk on a cool winter morning with a guide, a hard one on a hot afternoon.
Shoes with grip: ramparts are uneven, the palace has steps and thresholds, and the stepwell is steep.
- By road
- From the Amer side, past Jaigarh
- On foot
- Steep old footpath from the walled city
- Bring
- Water, hat, shawl
- Calmest
- Weekday evenings
- Limited mobility: parts of the palace and the main terraces are possible with help. See accessible travel.
- Carry: water, a hat for the afternoon and a shawl for after sunset. There is little shade on the walls.
- Take a guide: for the Madhavendra Bhawan, whose corridors make sense when someone explains how the household worked.
- Respect the shrines: the shrine of Nahar Singh Bhomia and the small temples. Remove shoes where asked.
- Crowds: weekends and holidays are popular with local families and young people. Weekday evenings are calmer.
- Photographers: a short telephoto picks out Hawa Mahal and the City Palace. See our photography tips and the best photo spots in Jaipur.
What most visitors miss
The corridors of the queens' palace
- Go beyond the rooms: walk the service corridors between the suites with your guide.
- What you'll feel: the cleverness of the plan, and the loneliness of it.
The forest on the ridge
What it is: dry deciduous forest, protected as a wildlife area.
- What you may see: peacocks, langurs and birds of prey in the morning or evening. Leopards still live here, though you'd be very lucky to see one.
- More: our page on wildlife around the temples and forts.
The cenotaphs below
Where: at Gaitore, at the foot of the ridge, the marble chhatris, domed memorials, of the Jaipur maharajas.
- The finest: Jai Singh II's own.
- Stop on the way: almost nobody does, and it is wonderfully peaceful.
Kanak Vrindavan
- Where: in the valley below Nahargarh, on the road towards Amer.
- What: a restored garden and temple complex, shaded, quiet and almost always overlooked.
A day on the ridge, from Amber to Nahargarh
- Morning
- Amber Fort at opening
- Midday
- Lunch and a rest
- Afternoon
- Jaigarh, about ninety minutes
- Evening
- Nahargarh with two hours of light
Morning at Amber
Early: drive past Jal Mahal in the first light.
- At the gates: reach Amber Fort as it opens and walk the courts before the crowds, ending in the Sheesh Mahal.
- Then: Panna Meena ka Kund in the old town, a slow lunch and a rest.
- No elephants: we never book elephant rides. We walk or drive guests up.
Afternoon at Jaigarh
As the heat eases: drive up to Jaigarh.
- See: the Jaivana cannon, the old foundry, and the walls looking straight down onto Amber's courtyards and Maota Lake.
- Time: about ninety minutes, then follow the ridge road west.
Evening at Nahargarh
Arrive with two hours of light: walk the Madhavendra Bhawan, see the stepwell, and be on the ramparts as the city turns gold.
- Dinner: drive down as the lights come on, to your hotel or a haveli courtyard with folk musicians.
- Plan it: this is day two of our Jaipur in three nights journey. Our Jaipur itinerary guide has longer versions.
Sights to pair with Nahargarh
- Along the ridge
- Jaigarh Fort
- Below Jaigarh
- Amber Fort
- Lake below
- Jal Mahal
- At the foot
- Gaitore and Kanak Vrindavan
Jaigarh Fort, along the ridge
- What: the soldiers' fort above Amber, with the giant Jaivana cannon and the best view down onto Amber's courts.
- How: Jaigarh in the mid-afternoon, then on along the ridge road to Nahargarh for sunset.
Amber Fort, below Jaigarh
- When: a morning sight, best at opening time.
- A full ridge day: start at Amber, rest over lunch, then Jaigarh and Nahargarh as the heat goes.
Jal Mahal, on the lake below
- From the ramparts: you can see the water palace in Man Sagar Lake.
- Stop at the promenade: on the way up in the afternoon, or come back for the first light next morning.
The walled city
- Morning: Hawa Mahal and the City Palace.
- Evening: look down on the same streets from Nahargarh, the best way we know to understand Jaipur's plan.
Where to stay close by
- Closest base
- The Raj Palace, near the Amer road
- Inside the walls
- Samode Haveli
- Garden palaces
- Rambagh and Jai Mahal, further south
The Raj Palace
- Where: a restored nobleman's palace near Zorawar Singh Gate on the northern side of the walled city, close to the Amer road.
- Why stay: one of the most convenient luxury bases for evenings on the ridge.
Samode Haveli
- Where: inside the walled city.
- Why stay: walk the old streets in the morning, drive up to the ridge in the afternoon, and finish the evening on its terrace.
Rambagh Palace and Jai Mahal Palace
Where: Rambagh Palace and Jai Mahal Palace are further south, but an easy evening drive.
- Why stay: after the ridge, a quiet dinner in a palace garden is the right ending.
- Compare: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur.
Who will love Nahargarh, and who won't
Couples, photographers and view lovers: give it a full evening. It is one of the most romantic places in Jaipur at dusk, and our Rajasthan honeymoons usually include it.
Families with children: enjoy the space, the walls and the picnic feeling. Keep a close eye near the parapets, which are low in places.
- Want gilded interiors? Nahargarh is quieter than Amber or the City Palace. Come for the view and the queens' palace, not for treasure.
- Dislike crowds? Avoid weekend and holiday evenings, and ask for a weekday visit, ideally in November or February.
- Steps difficult? You can still enjoy the main terraces and part of the palace with help and a patient guide.
