Sprawled all over India are remnants of its mercurial past filled with stories of conquest, domination and repulsion of enemies. The massive thick walls still standing today represents the saving grace of kingdoms past - led mainly by the many Maharajas, whose mighty grip as rulers transcends and echoes still today, endlessly symbolized by these artistic ruins yet proudly erected Forts - a few of which we conquered on our 25-day jaunt around India.
Historical Fort-Hopping in India
First Line of Defense
The Forts used to embody the capitals where each Raja rules and around it, is where the community grows. From New Delhi, Agra to the state of Rajasthan, colossal fortified walls protects the inhabitants from threat of other kingdoms by being the first line of defense. Warfare back in the old days, means scaling these high walls amidst all flying debris with murderous intent.
This is just an introductory post on the forts of India that we visited. I will write a separate blog posts for each soon. To summarize it; from Agra Fort we went to the Red Fort in New Delhi (both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites) then the Forts in the state of Rajasthan: Amer fort in Jaipur, Mehrangarh fort in Jodphur and the ones in Udaipur and Jaisalmer.
Fortresses of the Maharajas
Enduring Icons of a Storied Past
Today, though the experience of visiting these forts are far away in my rear view mirror, I can still vividly remember each sweeping views from the high part of each fortified walls. The 'blue city' of Jodphur clearly visible from where I stand at Mehrangarh Fort, where you'd hold your breath just staring at it is just one of my favorite moments of the whole journey. Hundreds of forts are scattered all over India and visiting each would require a lot of time - which I am challenging myself to achieve someday.
Gone are the daily epic battles fought between the feuding Shivaji and the Mughals and the ensuing arrival and conquest of the British, today these forts stands as a mighty icons of India's storied past. As I look back from all the jumping from one city to the next, our fort-hopping inside these thick ancient walled cities were definitely one of the highlights.
Another side of Rajasthan, learn more about Pushkar.
