When in Jaipur, spend the evening at Nahargarh Fort famed to be the most popular sunset destination of the city. Sighting its popularity the only mantra to remember is to climb to the fort early, find a spot to sit and wait for the sun to gently go down behind the city. Nahargarh Fort on a summit of the Aravali range overlooks the city of Jaipur and thus offers a magnificent view of the unobstructed sun gliding down to rest for the night within the chaos of the concrete below.
Stepwell in the Nahargarh Fort
I made my plans of witnessing the sunset at Nahargarh fort just as I planned my visit to Jaipur. (Read my previous post on my experience of touring Jaipur and Amer.) Though it was a tight schedule for the day, I managed to enter the fort just in time.
We actually had a little spare time before the sunset to explore the other areas of the fort. So before venturing to the sunset spot we quickly went around the fort to see the palace and other areas.
The name Nahargarh actually means ‘abode of the tigers’. We did not see any tigers around nor did we experience any ghostly acts, as the legend says this place was once haunted by the spirit of Nahar Singh Bhomia. (We did see tigers in Ranthambore, read my experience of tiger sighting.)
After exploring some parts of the beautiful fort, we walked towards the sunset point. The RTDC Padao restaurant on the far western corner of the fort is the predefined spot for watching the sunset. They charged Rupees 100 per person for entry with a complimentary beverage of choice included within. We were late and all the favourite spots were gone.
The fort was already crowded and this area at this time was buzzing with people. We hardly managed to climb to a raised platform near the rampart and find a spot. With this came the complimentary pushing and shoving by our fellow sunset watchers and Instagrammers. It seemed, to get the perfect spot and perfect shot they could go to any extent like easily pushing others down the slope to have their frame clear.
I tried to be courteous enough to keep myself out of their frame. Then followed the repeat request to free them the spot. I prevented myself from falling off the platform after being pushed by them in this melee.
I somehow managed to hold my ground and get my pictures. It was definitely a tough experience that I will remember for a long. And for now, I will let my pictures do the rest of the talking on my visit to Nahargarh Fort and watching the sunset there.
You managed to see a beautiful sunset, after all the trouble. Nice pictures, Sarmistha. I hope you found it worth all the effort.
Yes Arv, it was definitely worth all the effort to keep standing on my grounds 😀 It was a sunset of a different kind that we generally don’t get to see with the sun taking a dip into the city. Lovely cityscape it was. Thank you Arv. 🙂
Certainly, it is different. Not many cities can boast a view of the city so close. Anyways, wach of the city is unique so I’m sure it is one of its kind. 🙂