Jhansi fort relives its glory, shines with new light and sound show

JHANSI: The four hundred year old historic Jhansi fort, an epitome of the first war of independence, now relives its glory with the beginning of the laser guided light and show narrating the story of the fort and the warior queen of Jhansi Rani Laxmibai.
The fort, which earlier used to look gloomy after the sunset, now shines in the light of the latest facade lights. The fort is spread in over fifteen acres of land and has 22 bastions with massive fortification walls and moats on two sides.
It is a landmark for the first war of independence and for iconic warrior Rani Laxmibai whose story is now being showcased through the light and sound show. The show takes the audience on a virtual tour of pre-independence era. Installed at a cost of Rs 20.51 crore as a part of the Smart City project, the show casts a 270 degree immersive projection mapping based show on the 80mt wide facade of the fort giving a realistic effects. It took eight units of 33,000 lumens laser projectors, twenty moving heads, ten laser lights and a 5.1 surround sound along with high-end advanced software and most advanced 3D projection technology with sound within the fort walls to make the show happen. Similarly, the facade light is also theme based including 20 festive themes.
As per the organisers, the projection surfaces on the walls of the fort which are dynamically layered with arches and staircases, creating an opportunity for innovation in content development. "Vibrant colours have been used considering the wall textures in different climatic conditions to narrate the iconic story of Rani Lakshmi Bai's valour during the period of 1857-58. This is one of its kind shows in the entire country", said Jhansi Municipal Commissioner, Avanish Kumar Rai who overlooked its commissioning. "The objective was to attract tourist from all over the places and make them stay overnight to watch the show, which in turn would increase the tourist revenue of the city," added Rai.