Description

Located in the midst of Jalore city, Topekhana was once a grand Sanskrit school built by King Bhoj sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries. A scholar of Sanskrit, King Bhoj is known to have built several similar schools in Ajmer and Dhar to impart education. The school was renamed Topekhana during the pre-independence period after officers used the building to store artillery and ammunition. Today, the structure of the building is in disrepair but it is still extremely impressive and is adorned with stone carvings. Two temples flank the Topekhana on either side but they no longer house idols. The most impressive sight of the Topekhana is a room built about 10 feet above the floor of the building with an imposing staircase leading up to it, the room is believed to have been the abode of the headmaster of the school.