Not just another fort in Rajasthan

Travel tale

I have visited many forts in India and in the Middle East, but never have I come across a fort as amazingly located as the Gagron Fort.

This huge structure is in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan near the town of Jhalawar. The Hadoti region is named after the Hada Rajputs, who ruled this area around Kota and Bundi (Bundi being the capital of the Hadoti kingdom).

This region is dotted with forts, big and small and the jewel in its crown is the mid-sized Gagron. The Gagron Fort is a ‘jal and van durg’ and is surrounded by the tranquil waters of the Ahu and Kalisindh rivers that meet at the foot of the structure. Like some other forts in Rajasthan, it is also a world heritage site, but the least visited.

This structure was built over several centuries (8th to 14th century) by the Doda Rajputs. They were defeated by the Khichi Chauhans at the end of the 12th century. The Gagron kept changing hands from Bhimkaran to Mahmud Khilji to Rana Kumbha to Akbar. It remained with the Mughals till 1707, when Bhim Singh of Kota got it as a grant from Aurangzeb. It stands witness to 14 battles, the most famous being the battle of Gagron fought between Rana Sanga and Mehmud Khilji.

The ride to the fort was smooth and filled with heavenly sights of scenic greatness and the view from atop its turret is one scene that words do not do justice to. Here one stands at the confluence of two rivers and as far as the eye can go, one’s gaze is met with blooming red palash and the ochre of the wheat below the blooms.

A long narrow bridge now connects the fort to a narrow road which is in parts cobbled.

Architecturally, the Gagron is fashioned to be impregnable. Its tall walls rise from the river, which form a natural moat on its three sides, wide enough to be out of range of cannon fire. The fort houses palaces, pleasure gardens, water reservoirs and everything that makes for fine living of its occupants. No wonder so many battles were fought for its control. From Gagron, I rode out to Jhlrapatan, a distance of about 12 kms to see the masterpieces that adorn the outer walls of its Surya Temple. 

The Surya Temple of Jhlrapatan is a must visit for lovers of ancient Indian sculptures. Surprisingly, this 1,000 years old temple houses an idol of Vishnu as its primary deity instead of Surya. I wondered why this structure is called Surya Temple till I saw a magnificent carving of Surya on its outer wall behind its sanctum sanctorum and that explained it all.

This structure has an amalgamation of two different styles of architecture, namely the earlier Bhumija style and the later Rajput style inspired by the Bengal dochala temple roofing. These two styles together give the temple a strange look…the reason behind this is the destruction of its jagmohan (causes unknown) and its subsequent repair after several centuries.

The outer walls of the Surya temple are dotted with magnificent red sandstone carvings of different deities. They are sculpted with utmost perfection. Some of them are damaged and many in the upper levels are still intact. This site sits right in the centre of the Jhlrapatan town and being a functional temple has many shops selling puja items all around it. On does not get an unhindered view of the structure till one climbs a nearby roof which I did.

I have visited several ancient Surya temples like the Khatarmal in the hills of Uttarakhand, the Konark temple in Odisha, the Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat and Ranakpur Sun Temple near Udaipur, Rajasthan. The Jhlrapatan Sun Temple, though a Vishnu shrine is comparable in beauty to the above mentioned temples.

Overall, my visit to Gagron and Jhlrapatan in the Hadoti Region of Rajasthan was an experience that needed sharing…tourism to this area is still nascent but given the historical treasures that dote this region I am sure in years to come the Rajasthan government will improve its infrastructure which in turn will boost tourist visits. 

How to get there

How to reach Gagron Fort and Jhlrapatan: Kota to Baran 70 kms. Baran to Jhalawar 82 kms. Gagron fort is 6 kms before Jhalawar town. Jhlrapatan is 6 kms from Jhalawar town. Jhalawar has Rajasthan Tourism guest house and two private hotels.