By Monidipa Dey,
The name Bhangarh is nicely identified amongst these who reside in Alwar and the NCR location. Often termed as the bhootiya garh or the haunted fort, with innumerable tales of spooky sounds and ghostly sightings which, if absolutely nothing else, additional adds to the thrill of the revellers that arrive in loaded vehicles for a quick daylong weekend trip to this rather isolated fort.
Situated in the Rajgarh location below the Alwar district of Rajasthan, Bhangarh fort lies just at the border of the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Built in the 17th century, this fort stands as a testimony to the architectural designs of these occasions, and tales of mass immigration mixed with folklores.
Built by the Kachwaha ruler of Amber, Raja Bhagwant Singh in 1573 CE, this fort was to serve as a residence for his younger son Madho Singh. His elder son Man Singh was the extremely celebrated common in the court of Akbar. Madho Singh’s son was Chatr Singh, who was succeeded by his son Ajab Singh and the well known folklores linked with this fort begins with the two kids of Chatr Singh, Ajab Singh and Ratnavati.
As per 1 story, a sorcerer with powers to carry out black magic fell in adore with the princess Ratnavati, who was famed for her beauty and genial nature. Knowing that his probabilities had been otherwise nil to get the princess’s adore and focus, he attempted casting a spell on her by means of a perfume that her maid purchased from the fort market place. However, Ratnavati somehow became conscious of his nefarious plans and threw away the bottle. The curse in the perfume backfired and killed the sorcerer. Before dying he nevertheless cursed the princess and all other folks living inside the fort. The extremely subsequent year a war began, which ultimately led to the death of the princess and the Bhangarh fort residents. The other folklore speaks of a sadhu named Balu Nath who lived on the hilltop exactly where the fort was constructed, and his request was that a shadow must in no way fall on his dwelling. However, Ajab Singh disobeyed this request and constructed columns that triggered a shadow to fall on the sadhu’s property. The sadhu’s curse subsequently led to the fort turning into a ruin, and it has remained as such till date.
Historically, nevertheless it is more probably that right after Chatr Singh’s death in 1630 people today began immigrating to the Ajabgarh fort, constructed by Ajab Singh, for a much better livelihood. Later in 1720 as the the Mughal Empire began declining, Raja Jai Singh II (grandson of Man Singh) forcibly annexed the Bhangarh fort, possibly causing additional immigration, and in 1783 a devastating famine forced these remaining to move out and seek greener pastures.
The Bhangarh fort now holds the ruins of the palace, bazaar, and other broken structures. There are numerous intact temples standing inside the fort premises that are functional, such as the Hanuman temple, Gopinath temple, Someswara temple, and two devi temples, and 1 can spent rather some time admiring their beauty. The ruined palace and the bazaars can develop an eerie feeling creating 1 really feel uneasy, but possibly it is only for the reason that of the folklores that hold playing in the thoughts.
The Ajagbarg village that is situated rather close by, also holds a palace of which only the walls now stay. There are numerous wonderful abandoned havelis in Ajabgarh that are somehow nevertheless standing, and 1 can effortlessly commit half a day walking by means of the streets exploring these homes. Part of the village is nevertheless inhabited and a temple from the occasions of Ajab Singh nevertheless stands, with crumbling remains of the town walls displaying that it was as soon as a forted location, a lot like the Bhangarh fort. The whole location presents a wonderful landscape with the low rolling Aravalli ranges and scrub forests, and tends to make for a fantastic road drive specially in the course of the winter months.
Travel guidelines: the two ASI internet sites of Bhangarh and Ajabgarh are positioned close to Jaipur and Sariska, and as soon as can effortlessly get started early in the morning and cover each the locations by day finish. Bhangarh can be reached inside 1 and half hours from each Jaipur and Sariska, and the easiest way to attain is by a auto. Best time to travel is in the course of the winters.
(The author is a nicely-identified travel and heritage writer. Views expressed are individual.)