Written by léonie sidwick | 05 July 2010

Junagarh Fort feels like its hiding in the centre of Bikaner as rarely for a fort, it is not placed on an elevation. A low red sandstone structure, it sits level with the surrounding town and feels like it jumps out at you as you turn a corner as if to say “Boo! You found me!”. The outer walls are quite ornate which gives you a taster of whats to come inside. I personally think it would be fair to say that the interiors must be some of the most highly decorated in Rajasthan. Each of the mahals shows the stamp of a different Maharajah and feature decorations in mirror tiles, gold leaf, lacquer, coloured glass, carved ivory, imported blue and white tiles and frescoes. A Wire favourite is the Badal Mahal (cloud or monsoon palace) which is covered in blue clouds and gold lightening and was purported to have been painted for the royal children so they would not be frightened when the monsoon really arrived which happened so infrequently. The audio guide, which is included in the entry price, is very informative and well paced.