Rathore Mahal, Tarahati Kalinjar, Naraini, District Banda, Uttar Pradesh, India.
The Kalinjar tour could have been more memorable if the arrangements for stay and cabs in Kalinjar were better. This is the fort on which famous kings tried to increase their pride by conquering and some were successful. In which the Mughal emperor Akbar was also one and after winning, he gifted Birbal as a jagir who was his best companion and one of the Navaratnas. Tarahati Kalinjar has the remains of a beautiful palace called Rathor Mahal which is situated in its magnificence.
Inside the settlement below the fort, means in the foothill area one encounters the remains of several palaces and mosques structures of Mughal-era. The Rathor Mahal, to the right of the road leading to the fort, is an attractive building located in this basti, which is said to have been built by Akbar in 1583.
The main gate of this two-storied palace has a magnificent iwan and is adorned with a pointed stone arch. The decorative work has been done by stucco. The door frame and the door are of wood. The upper storey is a hanging balcony made of decorated stone pillars and arches supported by decorated stone brackets. There are attractive niches on either side of the main entrance. Due to the closure of the main gate of this palace, I could not enter inside, it was painful but as a tourist often I used to encounter such incidents.