If you want to get a feel of Royal Rajputana, Ahhichatragarh Fort should be on your must-visit list

The grand wedding of prince Shivraj Singh and princess Gayatri Kumari at the Umaid Bhawan was the first thing that crossed my mind when I reached Nagaur, barely 110 kilometres from Jodhpur.



For, I was about to experience the legacy of Rajputana by staying at the palace which was originally built for the wives of the Rajput maharajas. I was putting up at Ranvas Haveli which is a magical journey back in time to one of India's most ancient forts.

Ranvas Haveli, inside the 4th century Ahhichatragarh Fort (Fort of the Hooded Cobra) in Nagaur, is the perfect place to know what a heritage hotel actually means. The property which was opened by Maharaja Gaj Singh, in association with the Meherangarh Museum Trust, is a perfect blend of traditional and modern Rajasthan. History says Fort Ahhichatragarh was specially designed as it was the most important stop for traders.

Au00a0pleasure palace
The fort was created to guard the trade route from the external troubles and this resulted in a pleasure palace that evoked artistic senses, and that beauty exists to this day. Ahhichatragarh is one of the finest and most extensive examples of Rajput-Mughal architecture in the Marwar region.

The fort features a series of painted palaces, mosques, temples, intricate baoris (reservoirs), water systems, fountains, open terraces and Mughal pleasure gardens. Ahhichatragarh Fort had passed from the hands of Mughal Emperors to the Maharaja of Jodhpur, with whom it remains today.