Taragarh Fort is a fortress built upon a steep hillside in the city of

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...

in the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

.It was constructed in the 8th century by Ajayaraja Chauhan (721–734) and it was originally called Ajaymeru Durg.

History

This fort was known for its strength and strategic importance. First attack on this fort was made by

Muhammad of Ghazni Muhammad of Ghazni ( fa, محمد غزنوی) (b. 998 – d. 1041) was ''sultan'' of the Ghaznavid Empire briefly in 1030, and then later from 1040 to 1041. He ascended the throne upon the death of his father Mahmud in 1030. He was the younger of ...

in 1024 AD. He laid down the siege, was wounded and failed to take the fort. Prithviraj, son of

Rana Raimal Raimal Singh Sisodia, also known as Rana Raimal, (r. 1473–1509) was a Hindu Rajput ruler of Mewar. Maharana Raimal was the son of Rana Kumbha. He came to power by defeating his patricide predecessor, Udai Singh I in battles at Jawar, Darim ...

of Mewar and elder brother of

Rana Sanga Sangram Singh I (IAST: Rāṇā Saṅgrāma Siṃha; c. 1482 – 1528 CE), popularly known as Rana Sanga or Maharana Sanga, was an Indian ruler from the Sisodia dynasty. He ruled Mewar, the traditional territory of Guhilas (Sisodias) in presen ...

, captured Taragarh fort of Ajmer during the end of 15th century, after slaying Governor Mallu Khan. The fort is also called Taragarh, named after Prithviraj's wife Tarabai. It remained under control of Mewar and later

granted it to Karamchand Panwar

Architecture

There are three gateways to the fort known as Lakshmi Pol, Phuta Darwaza, and Gagudi ki Phatak. There were 14 bastions in the wall of this fort. Most parts of these gateways are now in ruins. The largest of its battlements is the 16th-century bastion known as the Bhim Burj, on which was once mounted a large cannon called Garbh Gunjam, or 'Thunder from the Womb'. In the fort are water reservoirs. The fort also holds a shrine dedicated to Miran Saheb ki Dargah, who lost his life in 1202 CE during a

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

attack. He was killed by Rajput bravehearts. As per Tarikhi Daudi, there was no Dargah when Sher Shah visited the fort in 1544 CE and this place has no importance. It was later made up as Dargah. Ajmer, Historical and Descriptive, pp. 56

History

Architecture

References

Further reading