Alwar fort

History

Bala Quila (alwar fort), situated on a 300m steep mountain, is what gives this historical city a unique character. Though no idea yet who built this glorious fort, it has stood there watching over Alwar from even before the Mughals came into the scene. Which means that it was built before the 16th century. and we know this for sure because Babur (the first Mughal king in India) is known to have spent a night here. Not just that, he even took away the fabulous treasure that was kept here and gifted it to his son, Humayun. Later Jahangir had also stayed there for some time when he was packed off by his authoritarian father, Akbar. The place where he stayed came to be called Salim Mahal. (Jahangir was actually banished by Akbar because he tried to assassinate Abul Fazal, one of the nine jewels of his father's court). Bala Quila was finally taken over by Pratap Singh in 1775._{Subscript text}

The Fort legend

The ancient Hindu scriptures, the Puranas, dictate that 'a fort is the strength of a king'. The Bala Quila exemplifies it to perfection. The extensive ramparts stretch 5km from north to south and 1.6km from east to west. Within this are 15 large and 51 small towers is perched on the ridge top, 340 m above the city and 595 m above the sea-level. The fort's security was quite solid; there are 446 openings for musketry, along with 8 huge bastions encompassing it. The 300 metre high Bala Quila is accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles, or by a steep footpath. Also, see the Superintendent of Police, Alwar, for permission to visit the place.[1]

References

http://www.alwarcity.com/hot%20spots/bala%20quila.php
http://alwar.nic.in/bala.html