Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh is a hilltop fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, founded around 1459 by the Rathore ruler Rao Jodha as the new capital of Marwar, though most of the structure standing today was built in the seventeenth century under Maharaja Jaswant Singh. Rising about 122 meters above the surrounding plain across a complex of some 1,200 acres, the fort is enclosed by red sandstone walls as much as 36 meters high and 21 meters thick, entered through seven gates including the Jai Pol, built in 1806 to commemorate a military victory of Maharaja Man Singh. Within its walls stand palaces noted for intricate stone carving, including the Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal and Sheesha Mahal, now housing a museum of palanquins, howdahs, miniature paintings, musical instruments and armor. Rudyard Kipling described it as a palace that might have been built by giants and colored by the morning sun, and the fort has since served as a filming location for productions including The Dark Knight Rises and Disney's The Jungle Book.