Mehrangarh Fort is the crown of Jodhpur – it sits like one. Indomitable and impregnable, Mehrangarh fort rises 400 feet above the surrounding skyline. The near vertical walls of the fort seem an architectural extension of the cliff it is built on. Built as defensive architecture, the fort is enclosed by these imposing walls, which at certain strategic points, are 6m thick. Though battle-scarred in places, the fort has never fallen to an enemy. It stands in majestic isolation – the pride and love of Jodhpur.

At one precipitous end of the fort is the temple of Chamunda Mataji (a form of Goddess Durga) - the guardian deity brought and installed here from the old capital of Mandore in 1460 by Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur. She remains the Isht Devi (patron deity) of the royal family. It was here, on the morning of September 30, 2008, that more than 25,000 worshippers had gathered at this hilltop temple at the start of the Hindu festival of Navratra, a nine-day celebration of the nine incarnations of the Hindu mother goddess, Durga. As the doors to the temple opened, a stampede occurred killing 168 devotees and injuring many more.

The Mehrangarh Fort and Museum must easily be the best-managed heritage monument in the country. The Museum Shop is unlike any other in South Asia – it offers a great collection of unique and unusual souvenirs displayed aesthetically.