Is Meherangarh Fort Cursed? Here's What No One Tells You About Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur.
"Meherangarh Fort"
Once, Rudyard Kipling called it "Work of the Giants and color of the morning sun" due to its enormous structure.
This is not an exaggeration.
It stands tall four hundred feet above Jodhpur's skyline; the mighty Meherangarh Fort is truly the sun's citadel. This is also one of the impressive forts in India and accredited as the best-preserved fort in India.
Many have already visited this fort and boasts about its structure and architecture. But, In this article, nor I am not going to describe its beauty or share my experience, but instead, I am going to share a not very well known truth, which probably no one would like to mention.
Yes, the truth, that the fort was cursed.
To start with, let's go 600 years back.
The fort was constructed by Rao Jodha when he wanted to shift his capital from Mandore as it was not providing sufficient security. He found a safer place on a hill known as Bhaurcheeria. He desperately wanted to displace the only living being residing on the hill, a hermit named Cheeria Nathji. When requested to move, he refused categorically.
After several attempts, Rao Jodha took extreme measures and sought help from another more powerful saint, the female warrior sage Shri Karni Mata Ji of Deshnok. On the king's request, she visited Cheeria Nathji and asked him to move from the place. He left at once but upset with the displacement, hermit cursed the king, and the fort, will never live in peace, and the area will suffer from water scarcity.
The curse's extent is that even today, Jodhpur faces water scarcity every 3 to 4 years. Rao Jodha managed to please the hermit by building a house and a temple in the fort. To bypass the curse, the king implored to the hermit. As the hermit unable to take his words back, he came up with a solution that someone has to sacrifice and buried alive in the fort's foundation willfully.
To this, Rajaram Meghwal (Rajya Bambi) valiantly and willfully agreed to sacrifice his life; in return, the king has to take care of his entire family. The year was 1459. According to the fort's legends, four people were buried alive before the fort's construction started on an auspicious day on an auspicious spot.
To pay tribute to the sacrifice of Rajaram Meghwal, a sandstone memorial is built over his grave near the fort site, with his name and date engraved on the burial stone.
Rajiya's descendent till today is looked after by the present king of Jodhpur. They stay in an estate called Raj Bagh, near the fort area.
It may seem the fort is cursed, but the fort foundation tells the story of sacrifice, bravery, courage, and promise. The promise to look after the family of Rajiya by the king is being fulfilled to date. Maybe this is known as the word of honor.
Isn't the story interesting? To believe it, you need to visit it.
Suggested reading:
The House of Marwar by Dhananjaya Singh
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