Bala Quila

Pride of Alwar

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Bala Quila or Alwar Fort is situated on Aravali Hills and looks upon the whole city like a guardian of old times. The view from the top of the fort is magnificent.

The fort is approximately 8 Km from the city center as per google maps, but one has to stop 4 km from the fort as personal vehicles are not allowed beyond a point. We were informed, tourists were earlier allowed to take their vehicles but now only government-approved 4×4 vehicles can enter the area.

They charge about 60 INR per head for entry and 1400 INR for the car ride which will give you a tour of all gates of the fort and the guide will explain to you complete details of the fort. Also, you will get a 1-hour Safari and might get lucky and spot a leopard.

We hired a personal vehicle for the two of us and started our trip. It was a good open Jeep, you could sit or stand and enjoy the complete view. The route to the top is really nice and you can see many birds and animals along the way.

Travel Tip: Don’t forget to take water bottles, you will find nothing inside, and keep yourself hydrated.

This fort has a grand history and a lot of confusion around who built the fort. Some believe it was built by Rajputs and others believe them to be Mughals. It spreads over an area of 5 km. The fort has six gates Jai Pol, Suraj Pol, Laxman Pol, Chand Pol, Krishen Pol, and Andheri Gate. We crossed the 4 gates and temples along the way. The guide informed us that Akbar sent his son Salim in exile here for 3 years. Woah!

Upon entering the fort, we saw 2 temples, one had Durga Maa’s idol and another one had Ram Ji Sita Ji’s idols. There is uniqueness in both the idols. Durga Maa’s lion is always on the left side, but here on this idol, it is on the right side. Also, this is the only temple, where Ram Ji’s idol’s color is kept black. This can be seen in the pictures below. And yes, these are actual images and not photoshopped ones. 😃

Talking about the fort, it is huge than we expected. One can see the whole city from here. The walls of the fort have unique sculptures and crafted with ancient scriptures. We were lucky as we had this fort to ourselves. There were not many tourists at that time. (5 groups to be precise on that day) This place is heaven for budding photographers. We couldn’t explore many places of the fort as it was closed for some maintenance and beautification work.

After we were done with the fort, it was time for our safari. The fort is situated around Jungle and is home to many wild animals and therefore the paths are also not well made, which makes the Safari ride more interesting. We saw many animals and birds. Deers, peacocks, peahens, and many unique and pretty birds very close.

Cost to reach

INR 1600 for 2 with 4×4 Cab

~Appetitravel recommends~

Safari around Bala Kila