What UNESCO actually listed
The six were not listed one by one. They were inscribed as a single property, a family of forts that together tell the story of the Rajput kingdoms.
A serial site: one World Heritage property made of six separate forts, spread across Rajasthan from the desert in the west to the river country in the south-east.
The idea behind it: the forts show how the Rajput states built for defence and for court life over many centuries, and how that architecture shared ideas with Sultanate and Mughal neighbours.
Facts to know
- Inscribed
- June 2013
- Where decided
- The World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh
- Type
- A serial cultural property of six forts
- Districts
- Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Sawai Madhopur, Jhalawar, Jaipur, Jaisalmer
- What it honours
- Rajput fort architecture and culture
- The second idea: they stand for a culture of valour, chivalry and patronage of the arts, recorded in histories, poems and paintings.
- Whole landscapes: UNESCO listed the walls, gates, palaces, temples and water systems together, not just a single building in each.
- Why not Mehrangarh or Junagarh: a list has to choose. These six were picked to show different kinds of ground and different centuries, not simply the most famous forts.
Local tip
Think of the six as one book with six chapters. Each fort makes more sense once you have seen another, so try to see at least two.
Why these six, and not others
Each fort was chosen because it shows a way of using the land. Put together, they cover almost every kind of ground a Rajput king had to defend.
Hill forts on ridges: Chittorgarh on its long plateau, Kumbhalgarh among Aravalli peaks, Amber on the hillside above Maota Lake.
A forest fort: Ranthambore, wrapped in the dry jungle where tigers now live.
- A river fort: Gagron, defended by the Ahu and Kali Sindh rivers instead of height.
- A desert fort: Jaisalmer, rising from the Trikuta hill in the Thar, built of golden sandstone.
- Different centuries: from Chittorgarh's long early history to the later palace courts of Amber.
- Different families: the Sisodias of Mewar, the Chauhans and Hadas, the Khichi Chauhans, the Kachwahas and the Bhatis all built or held these walls.
- The common thread: gates set at angles, bastions, temples and palaces inside, and water planned before anything else.
Chittorgarh, the fort of memory
Of the six, this is the one Indians feel most deeply. Its name stands for courage and for loss in every Rajasthani home.
The largest fort in India: a long plateau enclosing palaces, temples, towers, tanks and the remains of a whole city.
Seven gates: from Padan Pol at the bottom to Ram Pol at the top, on a zigzag road lined with memorials to the defenders of the last siege.
Facts to know
- Capital of Mewar
- From the eighth century to 1568
- Area
- About 280 hectares
- Height
- About 180 metres above the plains
- Great sieges
- 1303, 1535 and 1567 to 1568
- From Udaipur
- About two hours by road
- Two towers: the nine-storey Vijay Stambha, raised by Rana Kumbha after his victory of 1440, and the older twelfth-century Jain Kirti Stambha.
- Three sieges: by Alauddin Khalji in 1303, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535 and Akbar in 1567 to 1568. After the last, the court moved for good to Udaipur.
- Legend and history: the story of Rani Padmini was first written down in 1540, more than two centuries after the first siege. Read the story of Padmini.
- Meera Bai: the poet-saint came here as a bride in 1516, and her songs to Krishna are still sung in the temple courtyard.
- How long: a full day, ideally an afternoon and the next morning. Our Chittorgarh in a day sets it out.
Go deeper
- Monument by monument: our Chittorgarh Fort guide.
- Where to stay: a family castle at Bijaipur, about an hour away, or a long day from Udaipur.
Kumbhalgarh, the fort of walls
High in the Aravallis, a wall runs over the ridges for about 36 kilometres. Inside it sits a whole hill country of temples, fields and the palace where Maharana Pratap was born.
The builder: Rana Kumbha, who ruled Mewar from 1433 to 1468, a soldier, scholar and patron of music and temples.
The wall: often called the second-longest in the world after the Great Wall of China. That ranking comes from tourism material, so we simply call it one of the longest fortification walls anywhere.
Facts to know
- Built
- Mainly about 1443 to 1458, by Rana Kumbha
- Architect
- Mandan, Kumbha's chief builder
- The wall
- About 36 kilometres around
- Height
- About 1,100 metres above sea level
- From Udaipur
- About two and a half hours by road
- The refuge: when Chittor was in danger, the royal family and its treasure were sent here.
- The birthplace: Maharana Pratap was born here, his birth usually dated to 9 May 1540.
- Fell only once: in 1578, after a siege and a shortage of water. Pratap won it back in the early 1580s.
- Temples inside: more than three hundred by the usual count, including Neelkanth Mahadev and the Vedi temple.
- Stay the night: for the lit walls after the evening show and the rampart at sunrise. Our Kumbhalgarh wall walk explains.
Go deeper
- The fort and the forest: our Kumbhalgarh guide.
- Pair with: the marble temple at Ranakpur, an hour west. Read our Ranakpur temple guide.
Ranthambore, the fort in the forest
Most visitors come to Ranthambore for tigers and see the fort only as a silhouette above the trees. Climb it, and you understand why the forest survived.
Who held it: the Chauhan Rajputs for centuries, then Mewar, then the Hadas of Bundi, who surrendered it to Akbar in 1569. In the eighteenth century it passed to Jaipur.
Its hero: Hammir Dev, who defied Alauddin Khalji. The fort fell in 1301 after a long siege, and the women performed jauhar.
Facts to know
- Setting
- Where the Aravalli and Vindhya hills meet
- Famous ruler
- Hammir Dev Chauhan
- Great siege
- 1301, by Alauddin Khalji
- Shrine
- The Trinetra Ganesh temple
- Allow
- At least two hours
- The climb: on foot through massive gates up a steep stone ramp, to a plateau of ruined palaces, tanks, temples and cenotaphs.
- The Ganesh temple: families across India still post wedding invitations to the three-eyed Ganesh here, so the god is the first guest invited.
- Wildlife on the walls: langurs, peacocks and sometimes leopard pugmarks in the dust.
- Avoid Ganesh Chaturthi week: in August or September, crowds of pilgrims fill the road to the fort.
- No safari needed: the road to the fort is open to visitors and pilgrims by day. Go early or late.
Go deeper
- Tigers and the fort: our Ranthambore guide.
- Where to stay: our guide to luxury hotels in Ranthambore.
Gagron, the fort of rivers
The least visited of the six, and for us the most surprising. Gagron needs no high hill, because the rivers do the work.
A water fort: rivers on three sides and a moat on the fourth, built on a low ridge of rock.
Why it mattered: whoever held Gagron controlled the river crossings between Malwa and Hadoti.
Facts to know
- Where
- Near Jhalawar, in Hadoti
- Rivers
- The Ahu and Kali Sindh
- Held by
- The Khichi Chauhans for centuries
- Famous siege
- 1423, by Hoshang Shah of Malwa
- From Kota
- About an hour and a half to Jhalawar
- The siege of 1423: Achaldas Khichi held the fort against Hoshang Shah. When no help came, the women performed jauhar and the men rode out to die.
- The saint-king: Pipa, a Khichi ruler, gave up his throne for the bhakti path. His hymns are sung across north India.
- The parrots: the large Alexandrine parakeet is still called the Gagroni parrot here.
- Best season: the monsoon, when both rivers swell around the walls. The cool months are easier for walking.
- More forts like it: our piece on offbeat forts puts Gagron beside its quieter cousins.
Go deeper
- The town and the temples: our Jhalawar guide, with the old sun temple at Jhalrapatan.
- The region: Hadoti, with Bundi and Kota.
Amber, the fort of courts
Amber is the most visited of the six by far, and the most palatial. It shows what a Rajput fort became once its kings grew rich in imperial service.
The alliance: in 1562 Raja Bharmal gave his daughter in marriage to Akbar. The Kachwahas became the Mughals' closest Rajput partners, and wealthy.
The builder: Raja Man Singh I, Akbar's great general, began the palace-fortress in 1592.
Facts to know
- Begun
- 1592, under Raja Man Singh I
- Built by
- The Kachwaha kings of Amer
- Capital until
- 1727, when Jaipur was founded
- From Jaipur
- About 11 km north of the walled city
- Allow
- Two and a half to three hours
- Four levels: Jaleb Chowk, where the army gathered; the court of public audience; the mirrored private palace of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I; and Man Singh's older palace at the back.
- The blend: Rajput walls outside, Mughal arches, gardens and inlay within.
- The ridge above: Jaigarh, with the Jaivana cannon, and Nahargarh guard the hills. They are not part of the listing, but they complete the picture.
- Go at opening: the first hour is calm, before the crowds. We do not book elephant rides up the ramp, and walk or drive instead.
Go deeper
- Court by court: our Amber Fort guide.
- The old town: our page on Amer.
Jaisalmer, the fort that people live in
Of all six, only Jaisalmer is still a town. Thousands of people live inside its golden walls, and that makes it the most fragile of them all.
Why here: Rawal Jaisal left the exposed capital of Lodurva for a three-peaked hill close to water, visible from far away.
The caravan prize: the fort guarded desert trade routes, and it was besieged by the forces of Alauddin Khalji around 1299.
Facts to know
- Founded
- 1156, by Rawal Jaisal of the Bhati Rajputs
- Hill
- Trikuta, about 76 metres above the desert
- Bastions
- 99
- Residents
- About four thousand people
- Inside
- Seven Jain temples, the royal palace, havelis
- Two and a half sakas: local tradition counts two and a half last stands in Jaisalmer's history. Ask your guide about the half.
- The gates: four, up a steep paved ramp, best climbed before the stalls open.
- Fragile: water use and the weight of modern building strain the old walls. We ask guests to stay in hotels outside the fort and visit with a guide.
- Best hours: a long morning inside, and the walls from outside at sunset, when they turn gold.
Go deeper
- Lane by lane: our Jaisalmer Fort guide.
- Life inside: our journal on living inside Jaisalmer Fort.
The families behind the walls
Every fort on the list was built or held by a Rajput house whose descendants are still part of Rajasthan's life. Knowing the families helps the forts make sense.
The Sisodias of Mewar: Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh. The house that later founded Udaipur in 1559, and whose story runs from Bappa Rawal to Rana Kumbha and Maharana Pratap.
The Chauhans: Ranthambore under Hammir Dev, and the Khichi branch of the clan at Gagron. Both forts are remembered for last stands against the sultans.
- The Hadas of Bundi: a Chauhan branch who held Ranthambore before surrendering it to Akbar in 1569.
- The Kachwahas: Amber, from which they ruled until Sawai Jai Singh II moved to Jaipur in 1727.
- The Bhatis: Jaisalmer, who claim descent from the Yadava line of Krishna and have ruled the desert since Rawal Jaisal founded the fort in 1156.
- Where to read more: our guide to the Rajput dynasties and our short history of Rajasthan.
A route that links all six
The six forts form a rough circle around Rajasthan. Seeing them all is a grand tour of the state, and it needs about two weeks.
Days 1 to 3: Jaipur and Amber
- Amber at opening: on your first full morning, then the Pink City.
- Stay: a palace hotel in Jaipur.
Days 4 to 6: Ranthambore
- About three and a half hours from Jaipur: safaris at dawn and dusk, the fort and the Ganesh temple in between.
Days 7 and 8: Bundi and Gagron
- Bundi: a night or two among the painted palaces and stepwells.
- Gagron: a long day out via Kota to Jhalawar, or a night in Jhalawar itself.
Days 9 and 10: Chittorgarh
- The fort in the afternoon and the next morning, with a night at a family castle near Bijaipur.
Days 11 to 13: Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh
- Two nights in Udaipur, then a night below Kumbhalgarh for the lit walls and the dawn rampart.
Days 14 to 17: Jodhpur and Jaisalmer
- Via Ranakpur to Jodhpur, then about five hours west across the desert to Jaisalmer.
- The full shape: our Forts and Palaces Grand Tour is built along these lines.
Local tip
If two weeks is too long, split the six into two journeys: the east and south with Amber, Ranthambore, Gagron and Chittorgarh, and the west with Kumbhalgarh and Jaisalmer on another visit.
If you only have time for one or two
Most guests see two or three of the six without trying, because they lie on the classic routes. Here is how we would choose.
For the most beautiful palace rooms: Amber.
For history that moves you: Chittorgarh.
- For landscape and walking: Kumbhalgarh.
- For tigers as well as walls: Ranthambore.
- For a living town: Jaisalmer.
- For having a fort entirely to yourself: Gagron.
- The easy pair: Amber and Ranthambore from Jaipur, or Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh from Udaipur.
What most visitors miss at the six
At each fort, one small thing tells you more than the big views. These are the details our guides save for the end.
Chittorgarh: the names carved under the gods on the Vijay Stambha. Ask your guide to read a few aloud.
Kumbhalgarh: the Mamadev temple and its tank on the lower slope, where Rana Kumbha was killed in 1468. Most people walk straight past.
- Ranthambore: the step tanks and reservoirs on the plateau, the reason the fort could hold out so long.
- Gagron: the dargah of Mitthe Shah, the sweet saint, just outside the walls, still a place of pilgrimage.
- Amber: the Shila Devi temple at opening time, when the lamps are lit and the courtyards are still quiet.
- Jaisalmer: the Jain temples inside the walls, carved in the same golden stone as the fort.
- All six: the view outward from the walls. Ask what a lookout would have watched for, and you will understand why the fort stands exactly there.
Local tip
Keep a small notebook of the gates you pass through at each fort. By the third fort you will start predicting where the next bend will be, which is exactly what an attacker could never do.
Before you go
Forts are big, open and often steep. A little preparation makes every one of them easier.
Hire a guide at each fort: the stories are the point, and each fort has its own experts.
Dress for temples: every fort has working shrines, so covered shoulders and knees help.
Facts to know
- Best months
- October to March
- Best hours
- Opening time and the last two hours of light
- Bring
- Good shoes, water, hat, a light scarf
- Guides
- Registered local guides at each fort
- Mobility
- Steep ramps and steps; we plan routes
- Respect the memorials: places linked to jauhar are spoken of with grief and pride. Keep voices low.
- Mind the monkeys: langurs and macaques live on most forts. Keep food out of sight.
- Summer: from April to June, see each fort at opening and be in the shade by mid-morning.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan.