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Places
To Visit
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The word desert brings to mind visions of a sun
scorched and wind swept terrain, devoid of life.
An expanse of howling sand storms and illusive
mirages. Where man and animal alike find it difficult
to survive and uncharted sand dunes are a veritable
death trap.
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However, in spite of the inevitable harshness
of atmosphere , the Rajasthan desert is inviting
and enchanting. This inhospitable landscape is
inhabited by an extremely hospitable people. The
erstwhile ruling class of the kingdom of yesterday,
the Rajputs, have been described as a class valiant
in war and glorious in peace. It is astonishing
that during the short interludes between wars,
they found time for finer aspects of life. They
erected massive, impregnable forts and palaces
with a filigree quality, laid extensive gardens
and created vast lakes.
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Jaipur
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Jaipur,
the City of Victory is now the Capital of Rajasthan.
It is said to be the best planned historic city
of India and even today one will find this rosepink
city a fantasy in stone, set like a Jewel in the
land of desert.
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As
observed by Shri Jawar Lal Nehru in his "Discovery
Of India" - "The city of Jaipur was
so well and wisely planned that it is still considered
a model of town planning.". This planning
was done the 18th century when there were few
planned cities in Europe and during one the darkest
periods of Indian history when "disruption,
war and tumults filled in the scene".
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ALWAR: A TREASURE
OF SURPRISES
A
visit to Alwar is in a sense, a re-entry into historical
chapters of great antiquity, a return to a time when warfare
was of life and peace a brief interlude to gild the state
with splendor. A fort, a palace, a lake, a temple, and a
garden were the five attributes of great Rajput princes:
a dictum which Alwar's rulers took seriously to heart, judging
by the plethora of creative activity they sponsored.
AJMER AND PUSHKAR
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Ajmer is located 80 miles (130 km) west of Jaipur,
in a picturesque valley surrounded by the hills
of the Aravalli range. Of strategic importance
in erstwhile Rajputana , it is today an important
center of pilgrimage for the Muslims of the sub-continent,
due to its association with the great Sufi saint
Muin-ud-din Chishti.
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BIKANER :
JEWEL IN THE SUN
Bikaner : This desert city was a major trade center on the
old caravan route linking Central Asia and North India with
the Gujarat seaports long before a Rathore prince, Bika,
conquered it in 1486 A.D., and called it Bikaner.Bikaner
is famous for carpets and namdas (coarse woolen rugs) and
lately for its crisp namkins and spongy rasgullas. The master
craftsmen have perfected the art of gold work on camel hide
which is done nowhere else.
BARMER
Barmer is small put a lively desert town, famous for its
hand block textile printing and carved furniture. There
is a Barmar Festival every year in March.
JAISALMER
: DESERT CITADEL
Sometime after the epic war of Mahabharat, it is believed
that there began an exodus of yadavas from Mathura and some
of them may have migrated to this region.
The founding of the city of Jaisalmer is connected with
power lust.
The desert here is at its harshest, but also the most beautiful.
The city, with its carved mansions and palaces, is a jewel
in the sand. It is as much a visual delight as an architectural
marvel.
JODHPUR
Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459, Jodhpur is also sometimes
called the Sun City. With a population of 6.6 lakh (in 1991),
it is the second largest city of Rajasthan. Once the capital
of the princely State of Jodhpur, the city sprawls at the
foot of a hillock on its west. The hill itself is crowned
by a fort which now houses a magnificent museum. Jodhpur
is the second-largest city of Rajasthan. It still fulfills
its historical role as the area's main trading center for
wood, cattle, camels, cotton, salt hides and agricultural
crops.
MOUNT ABU :
PILGRIM CENTER
To discover a tropical hill-resort in the middle of the
Rajasthan desert would appear impossible. Yet this is exactly
what Mount Abu is. The broken ridges of the Aravalli hills
attain the highest point at Guru Shikhar, the Saints Pinnacle,
in the southwestern corner of Rajasthan, bordering the State
of Gujarat. This range is separated from the main chain
of he Aravallis by a valley about 15 miles (24 km) wide.
In this vale are grown the fruits and vegetables that feed
the
surrounding region.
UDAIPUR :
MEWAR, LAND OF LEGEND
Udaipur Today : The spirit of Udaipur, someone has said,
gazes towards Chittor, as at a lost and distant horizon.
For it is from the misfortune of that fort that this city
of pleasure was born. Luxurious Udaipur is an interesting
counterpoint to stark Chittor. While the fort stands rugged,
battle-scarred, blending with the scrubby country, atop
a stark plateau, Udaipur nestles like a gem in a valley
surrounded by the green Aravalli hills, reflected smooth
and white in the clear blue of LakePichola.
The old city within the fortifications is built on tiny
hills. Narrow medieval roads and lanes wind and bend, with
a small temple at each turning, making the city one of the
most charming in all Rajasthan.
IN AND AROUND
KOTA
The city of Kota is situated at the center of the southeastern
region of Rajasthan, a region widely known as Hadaoti (Hadavati),
the land of the Hadas.
Originally, all this formed the Hada state of Bundi with
Kota as the jaghir (land grant) of the eldest prince of
Bundi.
Kota later became a separate state in 1624. The domain of
the Hadas of Bundi and Kota extended from the hills of Bundi
in the west to the Malwa plateau in the east, with a similar
expanse north to south. The state of Jhalawar was formed
in 1838, out of Kota territory.
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Copyright
© 2000 The Bank Of Rajasthan Ltd.
All rights reserved.