
Overview
Fast Fact
-
Best time to visit Kuchaman
Rooms are air-conditioned, so summer are tolerable, winters is still the best
Kuchaman City is a city and a municipality in Nagaur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The city includes a few Havelis in the Shekhawati style and a fort overlooking the city. The fort is about 1100 years old and was built in the 9th century by Rathore ruler Zalim Singh. One can also find fresco painting here on variable subjects such as flowers, motifs, and Hindu Mythology.
In 950, The Chauhans of Ajmer drove out the Gurjar Pratihars to open a new chapter in the history of Kuchaman Fort. in the following centuries the Gaurs won and controlled the fort until they surrendered it to the might of the Rathores. Being Suryavanshi Kshatriyas who trace their lineage back to Lord Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, the Rathores brought to the fort their long and 470 AD with Nayal Pals conquest of Kanauj, near modern Kanpur in U.P.
This fort is a major tourist attraction and is also part of the route of Palace on Wheels
-
Places to visit in Kuchaman
Kuchaman Fort
Perched atop a 1000 ft high cliff, the Kuchaman Fort is the most important attraction of Kuchaman. Converted into a heritage hotel now, the fort displays a rich collection of original inlay work in semi-precious stones, glass and gold paint. The Sheesh Mahal (glass palace) is a sight to marvel at. Meanwhile, a colorful bazaar located below the fort is a great place to shop for handicrafts and fabrics.
Meera Mahal
This beautiful palace houses exquisite miniature paintings that depict the life of Meera Bai. The Meera Mahal is an exquisite palace which plays host to the miniature paintings illustrating the life story of Rathore poet saint Meerabai, the passionate devotee of Lord Krishna. The passion and dedication with which Meera (a married Rajput woman) worshipped Lord Krishna has been a part of the folklore for ages and is still considered to be one of the finest efforts by any devotee to evince the allegiance to Lord. The Meera Mahal has paintings all over it and the cumulative effect of these excellent paintings has to be seen to be believed. Ranjit singh constructed the Mahal (Palace) and its temple containing lok devtas, and gurus.
Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal (Water Palace) is a unique concept visualized and implemented with an aim to provide the queens (yes many of them) and princesses with a hidden swimming pool. The fort has two swimming pools. Jal Mahal which is an underground pool is royal in every aspect with its supercilious cloisters and arcades. The fort is now a Heritage hotel and provides an opportunity to its customers to saturate in these pools and envisage the imperial beauties that have owned and exploited it. The marvel however doesn't end here. Apparently the pool is also capable of controlling the water temperature.
Sabha Prakash
The Sabha Prakash (Illumination Meeting) used to be the formal chambers for meetings and for holding court to interact with the citizen. Many critical decisions for welfare and dispute settlement have been delivered from the main hall. The hall itself is decorated exquisitely and is adorned with polished walls that are imaginatively strewn with semi precious pebbles and shingles that are intricately inlayed. The decoration of the Sabha Prakash has been specifically done keeping in mind the exhaustive exposure it would have to the public eye. The decoration marginally shifts towards the Shekhavati style, however, it must be said that most of the decoration is unique to the Kuchaman Fort.
Lok Dev Temple
Built by Ranjit Singh, this temple showcases paintings of Lok Devatas like Sant Gogaji, Baba Ram Dev, Sant Ravi Das and Sant Kabir.
China Pole
Complete with intricately painted interiors, this pole was constructed by a Chinese traveler who wanted to narrate his travel experiences in a unique way.