The large fort covering 5.2 hectares area, having seven gates and is studded with number of temples and palaces which are preserved as museums and give us an idea of the living style of Maharanas of Rajasthan. It is one of the major forts of Rajasthan which is not built on hilltop.
The fort complex was built under supervision of Karan Chand, prime minister of Raja Rai Singh. It is made of red sandstones and marble. The fort walls are 14.5 feet wide and 40 feet high. The major feature of the fort is stone carving done in red and gold colored stones. The interiors of the palaces are painted and decorated in a traditional rajasthani style.
The large fort covering 5.2 hectares area, having seven gates and is studded with number of temples and palaces which are preserved as museums and give us an idea of the living style of Maharanas of Rajasthan. It is one of the major forts of rajasthan not built on hilltop.
The fort complex was built under supervision of Karan Chand, prime minister of Raja Rai Singh. It is made of red sandstones and marble. The fort walls are 14.5 feet wide and 40 feet high. The major feature of the fort is stone carving done in red and gold colored stones. The interiors of the palaces are painted and decorated in a traditional rajasthani style.
The Junagarh palaces have a large number of rooms, as every king built his own separate set of rooms, not wanting to live in his predecessors’ rooms. Several types of architectural style are discerned in the fort complex and hence it is called a true depiction of composite culture. Thus, the unique monuments on display in the Junagarh Fort represent sixteen successive generations of the rulers of Bikaner, starting from the end of the 16th century.
While the main entry gate was Karan Pol ,facing east, the current gate of entry is called Suraj Pol (meaning the Sun gate), built in gold coloured sandstone, unlike the other gates and buildings built in red sandstone. It is the east facing gate permitting the rising Sun’s rays to fall on the gate, which is considered a good omen. te. The other gates are Karan Pol, Daulat Pol, Chand Pol (a double gate) and Fateh Pol; these provided access to various monuments in the fort. Forty-one hand imprints are seen on the Daulat Pol gate wall ,in red,colour, of the wives of the Maharajas of Bikaner, who committed sati (self immolation) on the funeral pyres of their husbands who died in battle.
Different palaces in the fort are karan mahal, phool mahal, Chandra mahal, anup mahal, ganga mahal, badal mahal which are built by different emperors who ruled . The museum within the fort called the Junagarh Fort Museum was established in 1961 by Maharaja Dr.Karni Singhji under the control of "Maharaja Rai Singhji Trust". The Museum exhibits Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts, miniature paintings, jewels, royal costumes, farmans (royal orders), portrait galleries, costumes, headgear and dresses of gods’ idols, enamelware, silver, palanquins, howdahs and war drums. The museum also displays armoury that consists of one of the assorted collection of post medieval arms.
