Travel Circuits in Rajasthan
Mewar Circuit:
Places of Interest: Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh - Nathdwara
- Chittaurgarh.
Its lakes, its marble palaces, and its beautiful gardens dominate
Udaipur,
the enchanting city. The founder, Maharana Udai Singh, was overcome by the misfortunes
that his old capital of
Chittaurgarh had to face. Weary of the repeated
attacks that he had to face, Udai Singh sought the help of a holy man and asked
him to suggest a sage place for his new capital. Udai Singh was advised to shift
his capital to the banks of Lake Pichola. The holy man assured him that his
new capital would never be conquered. The city of Udaipur was thus founded and
grew around the lakes
The City Palace is the focal point of the city and has several areas
of interest like the
Suraj Gokhada, Badi Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Bhim vilas,
Chini Chitrashala, Mor Chowk, the Zenana Mahal, Fateh Prakash and Darbar Hall.
Located close to the City Palace is the Jagdish temple with its imposing sculpted
figures and heavily ornamented interiors. The abundance of water in Udaipur
made it possible for the town planners to design some well-laid out gardens.
These were the spots where the Maharanis would come to enjoy the natural surroundings
amidst the beautiful flowers and fountains. The 18th century
Sahelion ki
Bari, or the Garden of Maidens, is a popular tourist spot with its fountains
and delicately carved kiosks and elephants in marble.
Udaipur has other attractions like the Gulab Bagh, Doodh Talai,Jag Mandir, Moti
Magri, Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, Ahad and the Sajjangarh Palace. As you move
around this beautiful city, there is a lot that catches the eye, its as if the
city has been laid out with the tourist in mind. Thankfully, with a growing
awareness towards conservation nuerous heritage sites have been preserved. The
Ahar village and Museum are of great archeological importance. A little
further away from the city are the
Shri Eklingji Temple complex which
houses 108 temples, Nagda where the temples of Saas-Bahu, or shastrabahu and
Adbhutji are worth seeing. More temples can be found at Rajsamand and Kankroli,
located 60 km from Udaipur. To the north of Udaipur lies the battlefield of
Haldighati.
The very ground here is sacred as it carries memories of the famous battle between
Maharana Pratap and Emperor Akbar in 1567. It was a fierce historic battle where
the Rajputs fought so valiantly that this encounter is referred to in murals
and ballads throughout Rajasthan. Maharana Pratap National Memorial is being
built at this site to pay homage to this great warrior for his spirit of freedom.
Nathdwara is a renowned center of pilgrimage for the devotees of Krishna
and Vishnu alike. It is a town devoted totally to the
Shrinathji temple
and all activities in this little town revolve around the famous temple of Shrinathji.
Let yourself be carried away by the religious atmosphere as you wander around
the small market with tiny shops selling portraits of Shrinathji, beads, silver
and meemakari mementoes, and other related items. While you're there, don't
forget to try the special prasad, or temple offerings, and sweets that are popular
with the devotees.
If any one fort of Rajasthan had to be singled out for its glorious history
and its stories of heroism, then it would be the fort of
Chittaurgarh.
Countless tales of this rugged fort and the battles fought here by its legendary
heroes fill the pages of history books. Equally well known were the
Maharanis
of Chittaur. As you explore the fort and its various palaces and temples
do look out for Rani Padmini's palace.
The beauty of padmini attracted the
Sultan of Delhi, Allauddin Khilji
so much that he set out to attack the fort and win her in battle. A fierce battle
was fought, 7000 warriors lost their lives but the Sultan could not get Padmini.
The Maharani, with her entire entourage, committed jauhar. It is one of Chittaurgarh's
most enduring stories and one that is told and re-told countless times.
Travel to the west of Chittaurgarh to reach the second most important bastion
of Mewar
Kumbhalgarh. Covering an area of 12Sq. km this formidable fort
fell only once to the army of Akbar and that too because the water supply was
contaminated by the enemy forces. Even today, it is one of the most inaccessible
forts of Rajasthan and reached with great difficulty. It served as a refuge
to the rulers of Mewar in times of strife and contained within its ramparts
almost an entire township, self-contained to withstand a long siege. Explore
the huge complex and see for yourself how well prepared the rulers had to be.
Some areas of interest are the palaces and temples and water storage tanks.
It is at a height of 1100 metres and if you walk along the ramparts you can
get some excellent views of the countryside. Today, most of the surrounding
area has been turned into farmland but in the olden days these were the grounds
on which many a battle was fought. The fort is also significant for being the
birthplace of Maharana Pratap. This region is famous for its marble, miniature
paintings, kundan and meenakari work and clay and wooden product. The colorful
mud panels of Molela are available in Udaipur.
