You can do all the
sightseeing in Alwar in a day, but don't
take this to mean that there is little of
note in the town. The city is dotted with
heritage buildings, though it hasn't learnt
to showcase them yet. Therefore, one finds
that the City Palace, a sprawling complex,
is consumed by government offices, with only
a rooftop museum there for consolation; the
Vijai Mandir Palace is locked up owing to a
legal dispute; the Bala Qila is with the
police; and the guard at Fateh Jung ka
Gumbad may or may not turn up, and the tomb
may remain locked during your visit. That
one manages to enjoy one's stay in Alwar,
despite these hurdles, is an indication of
its charms.
A tomb and a palace that wasn't
A five-storey medieval
tomb, Fateh Jung ka Gumbad outclasses all
its contemporaries in Delhi, barring the
tomb of Emperor Humayun. It is the
easternmost of Alwar's monuments, lying just
across the railway line by a pedestrian
over-bridge, close to the Bharatpur Road.
The tomb stands amidst a walled garden,
which houses a school. The guard who unbars
the steps leading up to
the mausoleum seldom turns up before 9 am.
After Fateh Jung ka Gumbad, cross the
railway line back into the city, and take a
rickshaw to Moti Doongri, the grand palace
that couldn't be. Built in 1882, Moti
Doongri was the main residence of the Alwar
royals till 1928, when Maharaja Jai Singh
decided to raze the palace and build a more
magnificent one in its place However, the
ship carrying materials from Europe for the
new palace sank, and with it ended the grand
project. None theless, climbing up the wide
ramp to the top of the old rock has its
reward: an unhindered view of the city.
Purjan
Vihar
A short walk away from Moti
Doongri, towards the railway line, stands RR
College, once known as the Vinay Vilas
Palace. The building is worth a look from up
close, and from here, you can head to Purjan
Vihar, or Company Bagh, as it is called.
This is a beautiful garden with a large,
domed summer house,
called Shimla, set in a trough amidst the
rich verdure. Maharaja Sheodan Singh laid
out the garden in 1868, and Maharaja Mangal
Singh built Shimla in
1885. Locals take great pride in Shimla,
which has walkways and fountains.
Company Bagh timings
Always open Summer House timings 9
am-5 pm Entry Free
From Company Bagh, head up
the Church Road, past the stone-built St
Andrew's Church, which is usually locked. By
evening, Church Road is a busy market, but
in the morning you can stop and admire the
old havelis here. At the end of the road
lies Hope Circus, a traffic island with
shops on the street level and a temple
above. Seven streets radiate outwards from
the circle. The fifth from Church Road leads
to the Clock Tower and has the Kalakand
Market strung along it. The fourth street
from Church Road leads to the Tripolia
Gateway and on to the City Palace complex.
From outside, Tri-polia looks like an
unremarkable gate-way, but small shrines
have been built into its corners. On either
side of the gate, while going towards City
Palace, are old markets, called Sarafa
Bazaar and Bajaja Bazaar. Both are famous
for the gold ornaments sold at the shops.
You will also find beautiful havelis along
the way.
City
Palace
The City Palace complex is
accessed through a gateway with projecting
balconies on either side. Beyond the gate
lies an open ground with Krishna temples on
all four sides. The City Palace, Sagar, a
tank, and Moosi Rani ki Chhatri are located
just behind these temples.
Morning is the best time to visit City
Palace as the sun shines directly on its
fagade. The building has been completely
taken over by state government offices, the
Alwar Collectorate and the police
superintendent's office. Still, apart from
admiring the architecture and ornamentation
of this late 18th century palace built in
1793 by Raja Bakhtawar Singh, visitors can
climb up to the museum at the top.
It has three sections: the first
hall has royal robes and clay
toys, an interesting exhibit
here being the bicycle of
Maharaja Jai Singh with three
hub gears and brakes built into
its pedals. The second hall is a
storehouse of paintings,
including large canvases of
notable Central Asian
conquerers, right from Timur to
Aurangzeb. The third has a
display of weapons, and placed
without obvious distinction
among other weapons are the
swords of Akbar and Jehangir.
Timings 10 am-5 pm,
Fridays closed
Just behind the
palace lies the large tank called Sagar,
which has beautiful, two-tiered, domed
pavilions set around it. Steps go down
to the water, which was used for ritual
bathing in the old days. Feeding pigeons
is a tradition at the tank. Across the
water is a string of temples, and on the
right, the beautiful marble and Karauli
sandstone cenotaph of Raja Bakhtawar
Singh. But it is named after his
mistress, Rani Moosi, who performed sati
on his funeral pyre.
Vijai
Mandir Lake Palace
This beautiful
palace, built in the year 1918, was the
royal residence of Maharaja Jai Singh.
It is a sprawling building with a
beautiful Ram Temple inside, but it lies
locked up because of family disputes.
The palace cannot be seen from the front
but you can get a good view of it from
the shore of the lake behind it. The
road past the lake leads up to the Bala
Qila .
Bala
Qila
The City Palace
complex forms the eastern extremity of
Alwar, and beyond it run the Aravallis,
with Bala Qila standing guard atop them.
The fort's walls spread out over the
hills like tentacles, piercing the green
cover in wild sweeps. The name Bala Qila
(Young Fort) is ironic, as it is the
oldest extant structure in town, dated
to 928 CE, when the Nikumbha Rajputs
were in power. There's little of worth
within the fort — the Durbar Hall at the
top now houses Alwar Police's wireless
room — but the 10-km drive (Rs 120 by
diesel auto from ISBT Alwar; also see
Vijai Mandir Lake place on facing page)
is its own reward.
the road is good, the tree cover
dense all along, and the
majestic old wall, with steps
built along it, surfaces from
time to time. The fort is
entered through Jai Pol, which
remains open from 6 am to 7 pm
on all days but Tuesdays and
Saturdays, when it closes at 9
pm for the convenience of
devotees visiting the Kami Mata
Temple down a hillside. While
entry into the inner fort at the
top is free (the permission of
the Superintendent of Police's
office is not required now, as
was the case earlier), visitors
need to sign in the register
kept with the sentry before they
can walk around.
NEEMRANA
Holding fort
There are no turbaned
and moustachioed doormen to stamp their feet
and salute you as you enter, no bent-over
ushers holding onto your words. At the
Neemrana Fort-Palace, the service is
discreet and friendly, a description that
holds true for the rooms as well. Each room,
or rather mahal, is tastefully done up with
period furniture and antiques, without
ever going over the top. Neemrana, in fact,
is a study in architectural influences,
showcasing styles dating as far back as the
mid-15th century. From Delhi Sultanate
architecture as seen in Neelam Mahal to the
19th century influence in Colonial Francisi
Mahal to the contemporary Deva Mahal, you
can take your pick of the era you wish to be
transported to. The fort-palace
started taking shape
during 1464, under the area's Chauhan
overlords. The palaces became bigger with
additional structures being added till
about the late 19th century, when it
altogether covered three acres. Then it went
into decline, and had become a ruin by 1986,
when it was taken over for conversion to a
heritage resort (also see And the rest is
history on page 316).
The fort-palace is
always quiet, notwithstanding the mostly
occupied 46 rooms and suites. The silence of
the place is conducive to relaxation, which
is what most big-city dwellers turn to this
laidback nook for.
Around Neemrana Holding Fort
The nine-tiered
fort-palace offers many pleasures for the
tourist, beginning with its rooms that are
full of surprises. Even the public spaces
have their quiet charms. The Tibari (a room
fronted with three arched gates), for
instance, has a beautiful view of the palace
building and the path leading inside from
Suraj Pol, the main gate. From the swiings
in Hindola Mahal (hindola is a large swing
with space for four), you have an
uninterrupted view of the plains below the
fort. The lotus pool called Holi Kund and
the terrace beside Aranya Mahal are also
vantage points with unique views. For
relaxation, there are options such as
swimming or an Ayurvedic massage at the spa,
or a workout at the gym. The reception
houses a small library, and the new wing has
a games room with chess, carrom and cards.
Outside the fort,
hardly five minutes away by car, lies a
nine-storey deep baoli. You can also walk or
ride a camel cart to reach here. There is a
small watchtower, a 500-m climb away. The
village below the fort has silver-smiths,
who still use angithas (clay furnaces), and
their work is a joy to watch.
Sightseers are welcome
at the fort-palace during the day (9 am-5
pm), on a certain payment of per head for 2
hrs, which entitles them to walk around the
public areas and eat at the restaurants.
Picnics are not allowed.
Cuisine
The cuisine at the
fort-palace represents the diverse tastes of
the guests as well as the management,
ranging from Rajasthani to Continental, with
a special mention for French. Their
Rajasthani menu includes dal-baati-Choorma,
gatte ki subzi, kair sangri, papad mangori,
panchmela dal, karhi pakodi, lal maas,
chicken vindaloo, shahi tukra, halwa,
balushahi, kheer, shrikhand and Alwar's
famous kalakand.
Shopping
The fort-palace has its
brand shop, The Neemrana Shop, just after
Suraj Pol. It sells merchandise ranging from
table linen, clothes, candles and pottery to
tea sets. Just below the fort are two shops,
Ambika Arts and Shyam Silver Craft, which
stock Rajasthani souvenirs. If looking for
traditional jewellery, walk down the old
market, which has some 35-40 shops of
jewellers selling handcrafted jewellery such
as heavy newris (anklets).
Monsoon
magic
Alwar is most beautiful
in the monsoon, when the hills are green,
the lakes full of water, and the hills
abound with cascades. Chief amongst the
places you must visit during the rains is
Talvriksha, about 45 km south-west of Alwar.
A 10-km diversion from Kushalgarh on the
Sariska-Alwar Road leads up to some cold and
hot water springs, a Ganga temple, and
abundant natural beauty. About 25 km down
the Jaipur Road is the village Natni ka
Baran, from where a 6-km trek leads to
Naldesh-war, a breathtakingly green area
with a naturally formed Shivaling. About 10
km from the Siliserh Lake is the beautiful
waterfall called Garbhaji, while another
waterfall, called Choohar Sidh, can be found
near Dehra Village, a couple of kilometres
away from Vijai Mandir Palace.
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