Alwar, about 130km northeast of Jaipur, was once the capital of the Rajput state established in the 18th century by Pratap Singh. It was one of the first Rajput states to ally with the British. The main reason most people will come here is traveling through to go to Sariska National Park. Almost every city or town in Rajasthan is blessed with a fort. So is Alwar.The name of Alwar's fort is Bala Quila. The huge structure sits on top of a 300 metre steep cliff. Although the fort was built before the arrival of Mughals in India, the name of the person who built it is not known.Which means that it was built before the 16th century. Mughal Emperors Babur had spent some time in the fort. Babar had spent a night at this fort and took away the hidden treasures to gift to his son, Humayun. Akbar’s son , Jahangir had also stayed here for some time during his exile. The place where he stayed is called salim mahal. The fort was finally annexed by maharaja Pratap singh in 1775 A.D.The fort is believed to be constructed by Nikumbh Rajputs in 928 AD. It then passd in to the hands of the Jats and the Mughals.In 1775 AD the fort was conquered by Maharao Raja Pratap Singh ,the founder of the Alwar State. The most distinguished visitors to the fort were the Mughal Emperors Babur who stayed overnight, and Akbar the Great,on his way to Fatehpur Sikri in 1579. Prince Salim son of Akbar also resided here during his exile, the palace where he stayed is called as Salim Mahal which is now in the ruins. The ramparts of the fort are very extensive stretching to 5 kms from north to south and 1.6 kms from east to west. There are 66 large and small towers that were built to keep a watch on enemies. The fort also had 446 openings for musketry and 8 huge bastions. The fort was built in such a way that it was almost invincible.The fort has several gates - jai pol, Suraj pol, Laxman Pol, Chand Pol, Kishan Pol and Andheri Gate. Also there are remains of Jal Mahal, Nikumbh Mahal, Salim Sagar, Suraj Kund and many temples |
