Taragarh Fort - Kota

Kota in southern Rajasthan is a place with a chequered history. Once a small village with forested landscape, the real transformation of Kota took place after the Rajputs and princely rulers took over. Today, the forts, palaces and gardens of Kota reflect the erstwhile glory of the place. The most magnificent of these monuments is Taragarh Fort, built in 12th century by the founder of Kota Ajay Pal Chauhan.

The main entrance to the imposing Taragarh fort is located some 39 kms away from the town centre that can be approached by a sharply sloping road. The main gateway of the fort has some meticulous carvings of elephants. Infact, there are three gateways to the fort. They are named Lakshmi Pol, Phuta Darwaza and Gagudi ki Phatak. Most parts of these impressive gateways are now in ruins.

During its heydays, Taragarh fort was renowned for its tunnels crisscrossing the entire hillside. These tunnels allowed the king and his deputies to flee in case there was an imminent danger to their lives from enemies. Unfortunately, no maps of these tunnels are available in present times.
From the Taragarh Fort, a spectacular view of Kota town is available.

The Taragarh fort has some huge water reservoirs . These reservoirs were built to store water and supply it to the residents during time of crisis. It is said that if released in full force, the water had the capacity to wash away people residing below. The reservoirs have been carved out of the rocky base of the fort.

There is a massive stone tower within the fort complex called Bhim Burj. The tower was built to house a huge cannon named Garbha Gunjan. Garbha Gunjan is regarded as the second largest cannon in India. The cannon made such a thunderous sound that soldiers had to run immediately after firing it.

Rani Mahal is a small palace within the fort complex built for the wives and concubines of rulers. The Mahal has, however lost most of its charm as the shine of its spectacular murals and stained glass windows have completely faded away.

According to local belief, a huge fortune lies somewhere inside the Taragarh fort. It is said that the fortune was guarded by an Afghan family of warriors and even the king never had direct access to it. But with the death of the last Pathan warrior during World War I, the secret was lost for ever. Locals say that the fortune consists of precious gold, diamonds, rubies and gems. Though a few missions were launched by later rulers to find the treasure, all efforts have been in vain.