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Almost every city or town in
Rajasthan is blessed with a fort. So
is Alwar. The huge Bala Quila,
sitting high up on a 300m steep
cliff, is what lends this ancient
city much of its character. Though
we do not know who built this
forsaken fort, it has stood there
watching over Alwar from even before
the Mughals came into the scene.
Which means that it was built before
the 16th century. and we know this
for sure because Babur (the first
Mughal king in India) is known to
have spent a night here. Not just
that, he even took away the fabulous
treasure that was kept here and
gifted it to his son, Humayun. Later
Jahangir had also stayed there for
some time when he was packed off by
his authoritarian father, Akbar. The
place where he stayed came to be
called Salim Mahal. (Jahangir was
actually banished by Akbar because
he tried to assassinate Abul Fazal,
one of the nine jewels of his
father's court). Bala Quila was
finally taken over by Pratap Singh
in 1775.
¤ The Fort Premises
The ancient Hindu scriptures, the
Puranas, dictate that 'a fort is the
strength of a king'. The Bala Quila
exemplifies it to perfection. The
extensive ramparts stretch 5km from
north to south and 1.6km from east
to west. Within this are 15 large
and 51 small towers. The fort's
security was quite solid; there are
446 openings for musketry, along
with 8 huge bastions encompassing
it.
¤ The Major Gateways of Bala
Quila (Forts)
All forts in Rajasthan have huge
ornate pols (gates). So does this
one. Some of them are the Jai Pol
Suraj PolLaxman Pol, Chand Pol,
Kishan Pol and andheri Gate. There
are the remains of other structures
too, like the Jal Mahal, Nikumbh
Mahal, Salim Sagar, Suraj Kund and
about 15 temples. The most
impressive aspect of the fort is the
spectacular view of the city and the
lake studded countryside below. |
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