Places
of Interest: Alwar- Sariska- Deeg- Bharatpur- Karauli- Ranthambhor.
Popular Places: Alwar,
Bharatpur &
Ranthambhor
Alwar
has been among the historic cities in Rajasthan. Prehistoric as well as
historic sites that are an archaeologist's delight surround it. Once a
part of the Matsya kingdom, a visit to Alwar is like walking back into the
past. This area is protected from the desert sands by the Aravali range
that also provides Alwar with a lot of picturesque locations. The entire
region is rich in lakes and wooded hills that provide shelter to a large
variety of flora and fauna.
Today, Alwar is an important
industrial center and one of Delhi's satellite towns yet its ancient
temples, medieval forts and palaces, gardens and wildlife make it
interesting trourist destinations.
SIGHTSEEING:
Some important sights that are not to be missed are the Bala
Qila where Emperor Babur spent one night, the majestic City Palace
which houses a museum. In the museum can be found quite a few of Alwar's
legendary treasures - rare manuscripts, paintings, objects made from jade,
ivory and silver and a large collection of weapons. The beautiful Moosi
Maharani ki Chhatri is a majestic red sand stone and white marble
cenotaph built in the memory of mistress of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh, a
ruler of Alwar. Other interesting monuments are Vinay Vilas Palace,Vijay
Mandir Palace and Moti Doongri.
A little further on the road to
Jaipur is Alwar's most popular picnic spot - Siliserh. Built as a
summer resort,it is a delightful little palace overlooking atranquil lake
and surrounded by hills. You can go for long treks along the hills ( don't
forget to take along a comfortable pair of walking shoes), boating, or
just sit on the terrace of the palace hotel and watch the water birds and
the beautiful sunset over the lake. It is one of the most peaceful areas
in the vicinity.
To the west lie the protected forests of Sariska.
Once the hunting grounds of the rulers of Alwar, the Sariska Tiger
Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary today provides shelter to a large
variety of wildlife which includes smabhar, chinkara, wild boar, jackal
and the elusive tiger. Birds that can be found here are parakeet, gray
partridge, crested serpent eagle, bulbuls. The forest area of Sariska is
replete with relics of the past. To the west lies Viratnagar, a
city revered in history for having given shelter to the mighty Pandava
brothers of the Mahabharata. Explore the forests for temples, even rock
formations that have some association with the past. It is also one of the
oldest historical sites in Rajasthan. An edict of King Ashoka the
Great dating back to the 3rd century was found here. In another part of
the site are the ruins of a circular Buddhist temple, considered to be the
earliest free standing structures in India. There are many places in this
region which once visited will always be remembered.
The palaces
and gardens of Deeg are among the most beautiful in this region.
Being closer to Agra and Delhi, the Mughal influences were stronger here.
This small town has some of the most well laid out gardens and palace
pavilions. The Gopal Bhawan, Nand Bhawan and Krishna Bhawan are
ingeniously designed palaces that have attractive features and are rich n
history. A visit to these palaces will give an idea of the care and
meticulous planning that must have gone into their construction.
A
visit to this region is not complete without a trip to Bharatpur.
The history of Bharatpur traces the rise and fall of Jat power in eastern
Rajasthan.This was the region where important Jat rulers like Churaman,
Badan Singh and Suraj Mal dominated the history of this entire belt. They
fought the invading Marathas, Mughals and the interfering British and were
a power to reckon with and strong enough today down their own terms and
conditions. The fort of Bharatpur is the focal point of the town. It took
sixty years to build and was known as Lohagarh or the Iron Fort. Don't
forget to look out for the moat and solid mud walls that once surrounded
this fort.
Today, the stark and rugged fort is partly used by
the government to run its offices and large part houses the Government
museum. Bharatpur is a small city but what makes it special is the
Keoladeo National Park. Once the hunting preserve of the princes of
Bharatpur, today, it is ranked among the world's best bird sanctuaries.
Every year, this park is visited by over 400 species of water birds
which include exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, Central Asia,
Siberia and Tibet. The graylag and bar headed geese are among the
important visitors but the star of this sanctuary is the rare Siberian
crane. If you're a bird lover, then this is you paradise, but even if you
just have a passing interest in birds you cannot fail to be impressed by
the mind-boggling variety of birds that arrive in this park. The stone of
Dholpur is famous throughout the country and has been used for the
construction of many a fort and palace not only in Rajasthan but in Agra,
Delhi and other states as well. You can pick up small mementoes from the
markets.
Dholpur in itself does not seem to have too many
tourist attractions but the areas surrounding Dholpur are important for
their historicity. Jhor was the site of the oldest mughal garden
built by Baber in 1527 and rediscovered in the 1970s, there is the famous
machkund where a religious fair every year seen a gathering of devotees
seeking a cure for their skin ailments after a dip in the holy kund. Other
important areas include Bari and Damoh and the Van Vihar and ram Sagar
Sanctuary.
Ranthambhor needs little introduction, as it
is one of India's conservation success stories. This is the ideal place in
Rajasthan to see the Indian tiger in its natural; habitat. Lush green
forested hills, lakes inside the national Park , lodges and water holes ;
Ranathambhor is a different world altogether . Don't come to Ranthambhor
as a tourist, let the wildlife enthusiast in you take over and just allow
yourself to be guided by the jungle atmosphere. If you can pull yourself
out of the Ranthambhor forest, don't miss the formidable fort of
Ranthambhor, which has a popular Ganesh temple. A little further afield is
the unusual Sunheri of Tonk. It is possible to pick up felt rugs called
namdas and leather stuff from Tonk.
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