AHHICHATRAGARH FORT

Nothing remains of the first foundations dating from the 4th century and the adobe fortress built by the Nagavanchi, the ancestors of the Rajputs. The fortress that stands today on the heights of Nagaur dates back to the 12th century. Ahhichatragarh means "hooded cobra" and expresses the desire to isolate oneself from the world. It is also a name intended to terrorize the enemies of the city. Nagaur is one of the first cities conquered in the long run by the Muslim sultans. The palace occupies the center of the fortress with double enclosure. The architecture is a clever mix of Rathor and Mughal art, with a two and three storey palace, Turkish baths, wells and 90 fountains. Some parts of the palace have preserved magnificent frescoes like the Badal Mahal, the Shish Mahal and the Hadi Rani Mahal. The wings of the palace have names in memory of the events that the fort went through: the Bakht Singh Mahal in memory of the prince who killed his father in order to inherit the throne in the early 18th century; the Amar Singh Mahal in honor of the ruler of Nagaur whose wife committed sati by throwing herself into her husband's funeral pyre; the Akbari Mahal which forever celebrates the reconquest of Nagaur, then in the hands of the ruler of Ajmer, by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The Ahhichatragarh Fort underwent a thorough renovation by the Aga Khan Foundation for Culture in the late 2000s. This renovation has revealed some of the frescoes that are visible today.