Beyond question, Mehrangarh Fort tops the list of ‘must visit’ places in Jodhpur. It is one among the largest Indian forts. This invincible fort stands magnificently 400 feet above the city. Rao Jodha constructed the fort in 1459 AD. Though the attempt to construct the fort was started in 1459, the fort had seen many centuries before it was completed. Hence, you could find that the style of architecture represents various periods. The grandeur in architecture is awe-inspiring. The Dark Knight Rises was also shot here.

Visitor Information

• Famous for: History, Architecture, Photography, Adventure.


• Tickets: 60 INR for Indians and 400 INR for foreigners. A trip to museum will cost 70 INR for Indians, 600 INR for foreigners plus 200 INR and 100 INR for photography and videography respectively. Discounted prices for senior citizens and students.


• Opening Timings: Open on all days (9am to 5pm).


• Duration: 2-3 hours.

What You Can Do Around Mehrangarh Fort

• Visit the Ranisar and Padmasar lakes.


• Explore the fort’s museum.


• Go ziplining (Flying Fox Tour).


• Take a guided tour around the fort.


• Visit the Chokelao Bagh.

Mehrangarh Fort and Museum | A Wonder in the Blue City of Jodhpur, India

• Post author:Subhadeep Mondal


• Post last modified:July 23, 2023


• Reading time:36 mins read

Mehrangarh Fort above the blue city of Jodhpur, with its massive structure and thick walls, looks like an indomitable fort standing tall on an almost perpendicular cliff for over five centuries. Built-in red sandstone, this formidable and one of India’s largest forts gives an impression that “you are being watched” from up there. That feeling often makes the structure seem mightier and haunting at times. It is truly the Citadel of Sun that has a glorious past reflecting Rajputs’ valour and the occasional dark secrets hidden behind the lofty walls. A visit to Mehrangarh Fort and the museum had always been on the bucket list of travellers visiting India.

“A palace that might have been built by Titans and coloured by morning sun”

– Rudyard Kipling

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Table of Contents

History of Mehrangarh Fort

Rao Jodha, a ruler from the Marwar Kingdom, built Mehrangarh Fort. He shifted the capital from Mandore to Jodhpur in 1459 and built the fort over the hill, 400 feet above from surrounding plains.

In 1438, on the night of Diwali, Rao Ranmal, Rao Jodha’s father, was killed in Chittor Palace by the men of Prince Chunda, the son of the Late Rana Lakha Singh. Ranmal’s own queen Bharmali was a part of this conspiracy. Invited by her sister Hansa Bai, the queen grandmother of Rana Kumbha, Rao Ranmal was also taking care of the Mewar Kingdom and young Rana Kumbha after Rana Mokal Singh’s assassination for a brief period of time until he got killed.

Following his father’s death, young Rao Jodha, who was living in Chittor with his father, was able to escape from Chittor with the help of his fellow countrymen. But he could not get back to Mandore because it already came under the control of the Mewar kingdom after the death of Rao Ranmal. So Rao Jodha hid in villages near Bikaner, and for the next 15 years, he made several unsuccessful attempts to capture Mandore. In 1453, when Rana Kumbha was busy fighting the sultans of Malwa and Gujrat. Jodha was finally able to get control of Mandore.

But this frequent battle with Mewar and the occasional encroachment from Delhi Sultanate made Rao Jodha shift his capital to a more strategically advantageous position, on a hilltop nine kilometres south of Mandore. The hill was known as Bhakurcheeria, the mountain of birds. To lay the foundation of his fort, Jodha had to displace the hill’s sole occupant, a hermit named Cheeria Nath Ji, who was very influential among the local population.

After repeated requests from the king, Cheeriya Nath Ji denied moving. So, Rao Jodha asked Karni Mata of Deshnoke for help, a saint with superior power. Seeing a superior power in front, Cheeriya Nath Ji moved out of the hill but cursed the Kingdom, always facing scarcity of water. Rao Jodha managed to control Cheeriya Nath Ji’s anger by promising him to build a house and a temple beside the fort. And eventually, Jodha, with the help of Karni Mata, laid the foundation of the fort.

But the story did not end there. The king needs to sacrifice human life to ensure that Cheeriya Nath Ji’s curse gets negated and the new place brings good luck to the kingdom. That is when Raja Ram Meghwal came and agreed to sacrifice himself for the kingdom, provided the dynasty would look after his heirs. Thus eventually, the construction of the fort was started. Rajaram Meghwal has been regarded as an eternal martyr since then, and his successors have been taken care of till now.

You will find so many forts in Rajasthan, but only one with a name that is not directly connected to its founder.

The Rathores think of them as a descendant of the Sun God and thus named the fort as Mehrangarh Fort. The word Mihir means Sun, and Garh means Fort. But the local Rajasthani pronunciation calls it Mehrangarh instead of Mihirgarh. This is the explanation I came to know from different sources, which does not look very convincing.