Built mainly in 1734 by Maharaja
Sawai Jai Singh, the king of Jaipur, the fort was constructed as a place of retreat on the summit of the ridge above the city. Walls extended over the surrounding hills, forming fortifications that connected this fort to Jaigarh, the fort above the old capital of Amber. Though the fort never came under attack during the course of its history, it did see some historical events, notably, the treaties with the
Maratha forces who
warred with Jaipur in the 18th century. During the
Indian Mutiny of 1857, the
Europeans of the region, including the
British Resident's wife, were moved to Nahargarh fort by the king of Jaipur, Sawai Ram Singh, for their protection. The fort was extended in 1868, during the reign of Sawai Ram Singh. In 1883–92, a range of palaces was built at Nahargarh by Dirgh Patel at a cost of nearly three and a half
lakh rupees. The Madhavendra Bhawan, built by Sawai Madho Singh had suites for the queens of Jaipur and at the head was a suite for the king himself. The rooms are linked by corridors and still have some delicate frescoes. Nahargarh was also a hunting residence of the Maharajas. Until April 1944, the
Jaipur State government used for its official purposes solar time read from the Samrat Yantra in the
Jantar Mantar Observatory, with a gun fired from Nahargarh Fort as the time signal. Some scenes in the movies
Rang De Basanti,
Shuddh Desi Romance and
Sonar Kella were shot at Nahargarh Fort. == Visitation ==