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Great tourist spot. You can spot the ruins of a fort, and relate to the history very well. We all enjoyed exploring some narrow steps that led to underground/terrace areas! But, since we decided to go on new years, it was super crowded with the localites. Vehicles had to be parked far off, and it was a long long walk esp with children. Some Jeeps etc were organised, but they were also jam packed. We later realised there's a famous temple on the way, and so the localites were bombarding the place for God's wishes on new years. So, avoid visiting on any religious/Imp day.…
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Date of experience: December 2020
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No visit Ranthambore National Park is truly complete without visiting the beautiful Ranthambore fort. The Chamanas (Chauhan’s) built the fort between the 10th and 11th century. The date varies, depending on who you ask. Its grisly history came to a head in the 13th century. This was when the scourge of India, that blight on human history, Alauddin Khiljigot into a conflict with Hammira, the then ruler from the Chahaman Royal family. If the Devgiri / Daulatabad fort appears impregnable, the Ranthambore fort takes things up by a couple of notches. The drive to the fortress main is on a narrow cobbled road. This is surrounded by dense jungles on one side and the forbidding ramparts of the fort on the other. You twist and wind up the hilly thoroughfare to get to the entrance of the fortress, from where it is all on foot. The walls are now in a sorry state of disrepair that begs the question – why the hell can the much vaunted ASI not fix this? The structure is beautiful in a forbidding way, built of blackened stone. You walk up winding stairs, crossing numerous gates, each of which promises to have been a citadel in itself in protecting the fort. Each turn of the stairs gives breath – taking glimpses of the forest below. This view alone is worth the effort of trudging up to the fort. Adding to the charm of the walk up is the running commentary by the guide, “See here, last week I found a tigress relaxing after a kill at 6 in the morning!” he announced, eliciting excited squeals from the kids and disbelieving grunts from us adults. History of Ranthambore Fort Walking up, our guide narrated how the fort has never been conquered, save by treachery. As the tale goes, Alauddin Khilji’s army under General Ulugh Khan was returning after a campaign in Gujarat. For unknown reasons, a few of the Mongol forces in his army mutinied. While this mutiny was put down, two of their generals, Muhammad Shah and Garbharuka escaped. They came to Hammira seeking asylum, which he graciously granted. Mind, these were ‘neo – Muslim’ Mongols, who had probably converted to curry royal favour more than anything else. Moving on, Alauddin Khilji asked Hammira to either send the asylum – seekers back to him or kill them. Hammira in true Rajput tradition, asked him to take a long walk and not return. This set off a saga of one Khilji general after the other trying to besiege Ranthambore fort. Each of them was either killed or sent packing with their tails between their legs. Apparently, Hammira’s defense were so strong and his army so fierce, that the Khilji forces didn’t even manage to get close to fort, let alone besiege it. Finally, Khilji sent Ulugh Khanhimself, ostensibly with a message. Ulugh being a messenger, Hammira allowed him and his forces within vicinity of the fort, which ended up being his undoing. Ulugh had no intent to broker a peace and this was merely a ruse for him to get within striking distance to the fort. Nevertheless, this proved a pointless exercise, for no matter what he tried, he couldn’t break through the defenses. Eventually, Khilji himself deigned to descend on the fort to try and get through. He didn’t meet with much success either and had to suffer heavy losses. Realizing there was no other way, he asked Hammira to send an emissary to broker a truce. The ever – trusting Hammira sent his trusted General Ratipal to negotiate on his behalf. Of course, Khilji had no intention of brokering anything. He promptly promised Ratipal the sun and the moon if he turned traitor. Actually, he promised him governorship of Ranthambore if he helped him defeat Hammira. Ratipal, the pathetic excuse for a Rajput, readily agreed. One fine evening, he and Ranmall, another general that he had managed to turn, rode out the fort gates with the bulk of their forces. Left with no army to speak off, and dwindling food stores, Hammira decided to go out in a blaze of fury, attacking the Khilji forces. With his brother (the ones left), sons and whatever handful of forces he had, he fell on the Khilji forces on a Kamikaze – like attack. The Mongol generals killed their wives and children and joined Hammira in this blitzkrieg, while the women in the fort committed jauhar. Thus ended the tragic and heroic tale of the siege of Ranthambore. Once again, Khilji managed to defeat yet another brave though unsuspecting Indian ruler through treachery. If it’s any consolation, after he had taken the fort, Khilji promptly had Ratipal and Ranmall put to death. His reasoning was that if these blokes couldn’t be loyal to their own ‘kaafir’ king, it was unlikely they’d remain loyal to him. Sound thinking and just desserts. Ranthambore Fort today We spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the magnificent fort. Monkeys and peacocks now overrun the grounds. Somehow, this adds to the beauty of the place. The guide showed us the tank where the women committed jauhar. This sent a shiver down our spine. There’s also a lake where Hammira is supposed to have dumped all his wealth. He did this so Khilji couldn’t lay his hands on it. Indira Gandhi probably had the lake searched though, so don’t waste your time if you have any thoughts of looking for lost treasure! If you go to Ranthambore National Park, a visit to the fort is certainly worth it. For a more detailed review of Ranthambore, please visit the link on our bio.…
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Date of experience: December 2020
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The fort boasts of great history and offers a panoramic view of the Ranthambore National Park. It's nice to drive into the park upto the fort in your vehicle.You don't need any entry ticket to visit. The fort however has not been well maintained and needs better management and cleanliness. There are lot of temples inside the premises. We visited the Ganesha Temple which is very popular and revered in Ranthambore. Overall, a good visit! You would need 2-3 hrs to visit and make sure you reach before 4 pm as the entry is closed after that.…
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Date of experience: December 2020
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It's a great tourist spot where u can take your own personal vehicle inside the jungle and till the fort. Parking is easy and fort is built within ranthambore national park which gives you a clear view of national park from the fort. Fort has very famous tri naitra ganesh temple and many people come there to see it. Fort also has dargah, jain temple as well. You will see lot of Langoors and can easily feed then from your hand.…
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Date of experience: November 2020
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This is a grossly underrated Fort. People don't give too much importance to it, which is unfortunate n unjustifiable, coz it is a beautiful fort and gives a wonderful view of the town. Tourists coming for the Ranthambore National Park for jungle safaris should visit this fort as well. Look at the pics I hv shared to see why this is worth a visit. …
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Date of experience: October 2020
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