The impregnable fortress with a storied past

Picture yourself leaving the busy markets of Jaipur behind and embarking on a trip upwards. As you ascend a ridge of the Aravalli Hills, a impressive silhouette forms against the sky. It is your first glimpse of Nahargarh Fortress, a grand structure completed in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.

Though initially named Sudarshangarh, the citadel eventually earned the moniker "Nahargarh," meaning "abode of tigers." Some say the citadel was named so due to the population of tigers that in earlier times called these hills home. Other legends suggest that the citadel owes its name to the Rajput kings who fought for their motherland with the prowess of tigers.