Travel: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Jaisalmer city as seen from Jaisalmer Fort. The city was also known as Golden city because of the color of the local stone used for construction. It actually glows to glory along with Sun set...

Travel: Bada Bagh, Jaisalmer

In the outskirts of Jaisalmer (around 6 kms away towards Lodurva) 'Bada Bagh' is a royal garden containing cenotaphs of Maharajas of Jaisalmer state.

The Conversation...

Somewhere in Thar, A camel owner is on discussion with his pet...

Travel: Lodurva Jain Temple, Jaisalmer

Lodrawa (Lodurva or Lodarva) is a village in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, India. Situated 15 km to the north-west of Jaisalmer, it was ancient capital of the Bhatti dynasty till 1156 AD, when Rawal Jaisal shifted it to present Jaisalmer, when he founded the of Jaisalmer state.

In the 9th century, Deoraj, a famous prince of the Bhati Rajput clan, captured Lodhruva from another Rajput clan and made it his capital. The city stood on an ancient trade route through the Thar Desert, which also vulnerable to frequent attacks. Mahmud of Ghazni laid siege on the city in 1025 AD, in the coming decades the city, now more vulnerable was repeatedly attacked by foreign invaders. Later it was again attack and sacked by Muhammad Ghori in 1152 AD, which eventually led to its abandonment and established in new capital Jaisalmer by subsequent ruler, Rawal Jaisal, 16-km away on a more secure Trikuta Hill in 1156 AD, where the present fortress stand today.

The place was also the setting for the doomed-loved story of Princess Mumal and Mahendra, the prince of Amarkot, recounted in local folklore and songs.

(Source: Wikipedia)

From 2012 to 2013...

What a crazy year it was, the 2012 and when it was about to end, it was almost maddening from the work front... Still a complete year with its own shades of ups and falls... And with many new hopes for the coming time :)



As the last Sun of the year 2012 goes down behind the sand dunes somewhere remote in Rajasthan where I manages to spend some quite and me time... I wish you all a very happy time ahead in year 2013.
I believe, the new rays in 2013 will give us new hope and a peaceful time ahead with a better society to live in. Cheers.

Udaipur: City Palace

This marvelous piece of Architecture built in 16th century is the largest Palace Complex in Rajasthan. And it is situated near Pichola Lake(which is almost dry now a days) and on a hilltop with a spectacular view of the whole Udaipur city.

The structure built by Maharaja Udai Singh and later many additions by his successors is a rare combination of Medieval and European Architecture. A chunk of the palace is still being used by the 'Royal Family'.

The most part of the Palace now serves as museums. Crystal gallery is one of the main attractions, while there are many other things to see like, Mewar Paintings, Ancient Weapons, Sculptures, Antique Furnitures and as well as Royal Riviera-A Royal Cafe.

The massive Entrance Gate...






Lake PICHOLA...










A Panorama of inside Courtyard...








If you have a pinch of interest in Fort/Architecture and you have never visited Rajasthan/a Fort before, then this is a MUST. And not to mention, it is really massive and you need 1/2 of a day to visit.

Complete Photo Album HERE.

Eureka...

Oh man, 'm happy like anything. The reason is, I just discovered a TREASURE. A pile of photographs from Udaipur, which were lying in a messy corner of my external hard drive(only have 3 of them :P). I was wondering where I missed them after my visit last year... Now could not resist to put them in a post. I really have stories to share with you, from Udaipur Fort Palace. But hopefully next week, now already started imagining sleepless nights for submissions... eerrrr... 'm not complaining, it's just another part of life.

Cheers.

Chittorgarh

I was on my way to Udaipur from Kota. Started from Kota in late afternoon and was in a full mood for a night drive. But thanks to the RAIN which forced me to take my survival kit out, the Eicher-India Road Atlas. Suddenly my eyes got stock at a point 'Chittorgarh' and I got a shock, HOW I MISSED THIS PLACE!!!

Few steps down the memory lane and in to the 'History of Architecture' book; the Royal Rajasthan was again blinking in my eyes. After struggling a little I only managed to remember the 'Victory Pillar' but nothing else. I always felt a heaviness in the name 'Chittorgarh', later also discovered the importance of the place in the history of India. The placed seemed to be closer and decided for the night-stay there and to explore the city in the morning. So started looking for the road-signs.

The city is 10-15 kilometers off NH-76 and seemed to be bit sleepy, the stormey night might be the reason. Still managed to dash in a room but saddest part was there was no electricity. Damn, I so much wanted to google about the place, anyways there is always an option 'Live GPS'. Before I enter into my room, the chatting session with the guy at the reception was quite informative. Now there was a pure excitment to explore Chittorgarh.

Chttorgarh City from the Fort...


The weather was clear and pleasant, so perfect to visit a Fort.

This 7th Century city was the capital of Mewar and betterly known for the heroism and sacrifise of Rajput Men as well as women with loads of stories to blow the trumph. The place also has links with 'Mahabharat Era', as there are stories related to Pandavas. This place is also associated with Meera, the poetess devotee of Lord Krishna. The fort itself covers more than 700 acres of land and properly walled with two entrances, one from the hillside and the other from the cityside. The hill side entrance is called 'Suraj Pole' and used to be the main entry for the Fort.

The various structures and monumets inside it are Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory), Kirti Stambh (Tower of Fame), Gaumukh Reservoir, Rana Kumbha Palace, Padmini Palace, Kumbhaswamin Temple, Meera Temple, Kalika Mata Temple, Bhim Talao etc. The Fort had 84 water bodies in total covering about 40% of total land coverage.

Vijay Stambh



Kirti Stambh



Kumbhaswamin Temple



Meera Temple


Suraj Pole


Bhim Talao




One of 'Many' Water bodies

Royle Architecture: Udaipur City Palace

A Front Panoramic View...

Looking At Stars

Rooted in ground,
Looking at sky,
Searching for stars...

'Neemrana' - Once Again

I was wondering how many times did I visit this place, I literally have lost my count. Before shifting to Delhi I was damn crazy for NH-8, so I hit this on the very first day of entering NCR (North Capital Region). After that numerous times I experienced it and so 'Neemrana'.

NEEMRANA:
This place is less known to people who do not carry any interest in Forts, Luxury Resorts or Industrialization.
'Neemrana' is an ancient historical town of Alwar district in Rajasthan. It lies some 120 kilometers from Delhi on Delhi-Jaipur highway (NH-8). 'Neemrana Fort Palace' and 'Industrial Zone' are two reasons for which Neemrana is known for.
'Neemrana Fort Palace', the 14th century architecture built by Chouhans now houses a 5 star resort and also in private possession.
'Industrial Zone' is known for factories like Parle, Frosters, ASI Glass, Top Reman etc to name a few.

And this time I managed to explore the surroundings of Neemrana, and not to mention that I was so blown by it that I realized it after some 12-15 kilometers as I was driving alone. The beauty of the green wheat fields and yellow mustard flowers are yet to believe and the mountains at the backdrop was just making it double. The village was 'Naghodi', and the road I was traveling connects to Haryana. The snaky road, the small villages, the lovely kids and bumpy roads..... all was just another experience.... I really love winter :)

'Baoli' at Neemrana








'The Couple'


Village 'Naghodi', some 10 kilometers from Neemrana