Bhainsrorgarh Fort

Bhainsrorgarh Fort sits on a sheer ridge about 200 feet high above the meeting of the Chambal and Bamani (Brahmani) rivers in Chittorgarh district. It is still a lived-in fort, with around 5,000 people inside its walls; one wing is a heritage hotel run by the former ruling family and another remains their home.

The present fort is credited to Rawat Lal Singh II of Salumbar, who was granted the estate as a jagir in 1741 by the Mewar ruler Maharana Jagat Singh II. Folk tradition says it was first raised by the merchant Bhainsa Sah and the trader Rora Charan as a refuge from bandits, joining their names. Colonel James Tod admired it so much that he said he would choose it above any other jagir in Rajasthan, and it is sometimes called the Scotland of Rajasthan. Crocodiles bask on the river banks, and the Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, with chinkara, four-horned antelope, jackal, hyena and many birds, lies around it.