Chittorgarh

Here is a famous saying in Chittorgarh 'Garho mei Garh Chittorgarh Baki sab Garhi' it means 'the only Fort is Chittorgarh and rest of Forts are Mansion', about 110 km from Udaipur, Chittorgarh is one of the largest Fort in India and it's a UNESCO world heritage site, situated on a hill top the Fort covers an area of 13 km which has 7 gateways, it is said that the Fort  is built by local Maurya rulers in between 6 to 7 century, but there are many stories about the creation of Fort one of them is, this Fort belongs to the legendary hero 'Bheem'  of (Mahabharata period), but from 7 century  the Fort was ruled by Mewar kingdom, the fort was attacked three times and unfortunately Mewar loses all three times, 1st it's attacked by 'Alauddin Khilji' (sultan of Delhi) in 1303 when the ruler of Mewar is 'Raja Ratan Singh' the story of the war is interesting, tales of the beauty of 'Rani Padmini' spread across India, she was so beautiful that water can be seen coming down to her throat, the sultan of Delhi 'Alauddin Khilji' impressed with her beauty and desperately want to marry her, he sent a marriage proposal to Rani Padmini but for the dignity and pride of the clan she rejected the proposal, and then Alauddin attacked over Chittorgarh and try to abduct 'Rani Padmini' unfortunately Chittor lost the battle, but he failed to capture 'Rani Padmini', instead of surrendering to Sultan the Royal Rajput ladies led by Rani Padmini preferred to die, they commit 'JAUHAR' (self-immolation on  a pyre). For the sake of pride and dignity of the clan The women's of Chittor commits 'Jauhar' whenever anyone tried forcefully to capture them.

Chittorgarh Fort has big premises which have a lot of things to watch, such as,

RUINED TEMPLES

                     

MEERABAI TEMPLE -: A Rajput princess, she was an ardent devotee of lord Krishna and dedicated her entire life to his worship, her family members was unhappy due to her practices and they were trying to kill her but she survived, In the memory of Meerabai ‘Rana Kumbha' built a temple, the temple in an ornate Indo-Aryan architecture style, in the same  compound is the 'Kumbha Shyam Varha' temple.

MEERABAI TEMPLE

KUMBHAVARHA TEMPLE

VIJAY-STAMBH (VICTORY TOWER) -: This monument is my favourite one built in between 1458 to 1468 by ‘Rana Kumbha’ in the memory of the victory over Malwa and Gujrat, a nine-story building with a height of 37.2 meters (122 ft) long, you can watch the whole of Chittorgarh city from the top of the tower. 

VIJAYSTAMBH

KIRTI-STAMBH (TOWER OF FAME) -: Built by a Jain merchant, dedicated to 'Adinath Tirthankar' (1st Tirthankar of Jains), this is a six-story building which is 22 meters (72 ft) high, this building looks similarly like 'Vijay-stambh'.

KIRTI STAMBH

RANA KUMBHA PALACE -: The oldest monument in the fort, Meera bai lived in this Palace, also the place where Rani Padmini commits Jauhar (consigned herself to the funeral pyre) and the birth place of 'Maharana Udai Singh' the founder of Udaipur city, the popular folk lore linked to his birth that his maid 'Panna dai' saved him from the traitor general of Mewar 'Banbir' by substituting her son in place of 'Maharana Udai' she put the prince in basket and hide the basket, the palace included elephant and horses stables and a temple of lord Shiva, but the entry in Palace is closed till 2018 due to maintenance work underway.

RANI PADMINI

GAUMUKH RESERVOIR -: A spring feed the tanks from a carved cow's mouth, the pool was the main source of water.

PADMINI PALACE -: Surrounded by water a three-story building where the Rani Padmini lived, it's a place where Alauddin was permitted to glimpse the mirror image of Rani Padmini.

PADMINI PALACE

SAMADHISVARA TEMPLE -: Dedicated to lord Shiva, this temple was built by ‘Bhoj Parmara' in the middle of 11th century, the colossal image of trinity lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is enshrined in the sanctum, the temple is built in Indo-Aryan architectural style, there were many temples in the fort premises but all are ruined by the Muslim rulers remains of these temples are still here.

JAUHAR KUND -: Next to the temple is Jauhar Kund, the place where 16000 women's commit Jauhar (consigned to the funeral pyre)

WAY TO JAUHAR KUND

SHOPPING -:

There are some famous products which only manufactures in Chittorgarh which you should definitely buy, such as sarees which are made of Bamboo pulp, Sandalwood, Zinc, Custard apple seeds, and Rajai which is made of 100 gm cotton, these products are good and affordable too.

HOW TO REACH -:

Chittorgarh is well connected by, Railways and Roadways from Udaipur- 110 km, Ajmer- 200 km, Jaipur- 300 km, nearest Airport is Udaipur.

Best time for travel- August to February

ADDITIONAL TIPS -:

A day is enough to wander Chittorgarh, from Railway station or Bus stand auto-rikshaw charges about 100 to 120 Rs to the main gate of Fort and charges about 450 Rs for the whole visit of Fort. 

The official guide charges about 750 to 1000 Rs, the local guide provides the same information in 50 to 100 Rs you can find them outside the monuments or you can ask from your auto-rikshaw driver he can give you the information.

For any other query related to the fort, there is an office of Archaeological survey of India in front of Railway station main gate.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE -:

Tourist reception centre, Janta Awas griha, phone- 01472-241089

Rajasthan tourism official website -: http://tourism.rajasthan.gov.in

MY OTHER BLOGS -: Jaipur City - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/2016/11/inside-jaipur.html

Udaipur City - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/p/inside-udaipur.html

Kumbhalgarh Fort - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/2017/01/kumbhalgarh.html

Blog by -: ARMAAN SINGHAI

Udaipur Diaries

Udaipur

The 'Mewar' province of Rajasthan, Udaipur was known as the (Venice of East) or (The city of Lakes) Udaipur is a very popular tourist destination, known for culture, History, Heritage, and scenic location, founded in 1553 by 'Maharana Udai Singh' of Sisodia clan. The glory of Udaipur belongs to their bravery kings.

HOW TO REACH 

Air -: There is a domestic airport in Udaipur and you can get flights from major cities of India.

Railways -: Well connected with the various railway network.

Roadways -: Road connect udaipur with Delhi - 657 km, Jaipur - 390, Bombay - 760, Ahmedabad - 250, Ajmer - 260, Jaislmer - 489, Jodhpur- 265.

Best time for traveling - August to March

Udaipur is not a big city you can excursion Udaipur in a day, and excursion the whole 'Mewar' province in 3 to 4 days if your time management is good, back to Udaipur, we start our day early morning about 9:00 hrs and our first point is

DOODH TALAI ROPEWAY -: Doodh Talai is a lake located in the center of the Udaipur city, here is a ropeway which takes you to the hilly point, from where you can see the whole Udaipur city, the view is amazing from the top. There is also a Karni Mata temple on a hill where you can see the white mice ran here and there.

Charges 100Rs for adult and 40Rs for children, after that we move towards the most famous destination of Udaipur that is CITY PALACE.

CITY VIEW FROM DOODHTALAI

CITY PALACE -: City palace is quite big and it takes time, The Palace is located on the bank of lake Pichola and it was built in a flamboyant style, fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture that mesmerized you. The construction began in 1553 by 'Maharaja Udai Singh II' who shifted his capital from Chittorgarh after the attacks of Mughal forces, Maharana administered their kingdom from this Palace. This Palace holds the great history of 'Mewar' and to understand that I suggest you hire a guide who describes you each and everything relates to the Palace. Inside The Palace have lot of things like 

• Badi Mahal (Garden Palace)
• Suraj Gokhda (Sun balcony)
• Mor-chowk (Peacock courtyard)
• Manek Mahal (Public meeting hall)
• Zanana Mahal (Queen's living place)
• Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace)
• Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace)
• Dilkhush Mahal (Palace of Joy)
• Laxmi Vilas chowk (Collection of Mewar Paintings)

MOR CHOWK

SHEESH MAHAL

MANEK MAHAL

The museum have a great collection of 'Maharana Pratap' belongings which include his spear weights about 80kg, Sword 25kg, Armour 80kg, Shoe 5kg each, the stories of the valor of 'Maharana Pratap' is still famous all over India, he is a true patriot and a great hero who fights for his motherland.

ZANANA MAHAL

The tickets are quite expensive costs about 800Rs in a combo, which includes museum ticket, camera ticket, and boat ride in Pichola, but I suggest you buy separate ticket of museum it costs about 280Rs, camera ticket is not that necessary because the guards didn't notice that much and you can easily take photographs, and boat ride in Piccola outside the Palace costs 30Rs which are quite cheaper than this ticket, parking costs 150Rs.

Timings -: 9:30 am To 5:00 pm

Evening light and sound show Timings -: 7:00 pm (sep-feb), 7:30 pm (march-april), 8:00 pm (may- aug), Entry- 200/100 adults/childrens

JAGDISH TEMPLE -: Short walk from City Palace will bring you to this Temple, The Temple was built in 17 century, the architecture of Temple is decorated by beautiful and ornate carving, The Temple has an idol of lord Jagganath.

PICHOLA LAKE AND NEHRU GARDEN -: Boat ride in Pichola is an amazing experience, there were 2 kinds of boat ride option one is charge 30 Rs which can take you to the 'Nehru Garden' and the other one is charge 200 to 250 Rs this is a jet boat which is for thrilling experience, but this boat didn't take you to the 'Nehru Garden'.

NEHRU GARDEN

MOTI-MAGRI -: Overlook the Fateh Sagar Lake in the memory of Maharana Pratap a bronze statue of the Maharana astride his horse 'Chetak', there was a museum in which the paintings of Mewar kings and the miniatures of Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh Fort, if you have no plans for Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh so these miniatures are so affected that you will be compelled to go there. If you are intrested in history you will definetly love this place. 

Entry Fee-80 Rs, Parking-60 Rs, Timings- 7:00am to 8:00pm

MINIATURE OF HALDIGHATI BATTLE

SAHELIYON KI BARI (GARDEN OF THE MAIDENS) -: The Garden is located on the bank of Fateh Sagar Lake, the garden have beautiful lotus pools, marble pavilions, and Elephant shaped fountains, it's a nice place for chillout the cool water fountain gives relief, the Queen, and her maids spend time here due to this fact the garden got its name.

SAJJANGARH (MONSOON PALACE) -: Situated on a hilltop, built in 19th century by 'Maharana Sajjan Singh', it was built to watch the monsoon clouds hence it is popularly known as 'Monsoon Palace', The Royal family used this building as a guest house and as a hunting lodge, The white marble Palace has a grand central courtyard and many rooms and quarters, but now it's abandoned, The Palace offers a panoramic view of the city and provides a beautiful view of the sunset.

Timings- 9:00 to 5:00, Entry Fee- Indian/foriegner- 10/80, Parking- 150 Rs.

SHILPGRAM -: I am fortunate that I am in Udaipur at the time of Shilpgram fair, every year in between 21 to 30 December the Shilpgram fair is held in which 750 performers and 960 tradesmen of 21 states take part, the fair is quite big and based on village theme, immense crowd were gathered, people from around the Udaipur come to watch the fair, highlight of the fair is performer of various states who represents their culture and the other best thing is that you can get specialised product of different states at one place.

HOTELS AND RESTURANTS 

You will find high-class hotels in Udaipur, some of them are,

• The Leela Palace - https://www.theleela.com/en_us/ 

• Jagat Niwas Palace - http://www.jagatcollection.com

• Chunda Palace - http://www.chundapalace.com

• The Oberoi Udaivilas - http://www.oberoihotels.com/hotels-in-udaipur-udaivilas-resort/

• Taj lake Palace - https://taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-lake-palace-udaipur/

• Radisson Blu - https://www.radissonblu.com/en/resort-udaipur

MULTICUISINE RESTURANTS

• Hotel Natraj- (Veg. Resturant) provides traditional delicious Indian food, near Railway Station

• Flames Resturant and Bar - Pratap Nagar.

• Zeal Multicuisine Restaurant - 47, Panchwati near Axis bank.

• Green Lemon - Chandpole

EXCURSION NEAR UDAIPUR -:

NATHDWARA -: If you are interested in Temples then you must visit Nathdwara, about 55 km from Udaipur, this temple of the lord 'Krishna' is very famous, devotees of the lord 'Krishna' from around the world come to this temple.

EKLING JI -: On the way to Nathdwara, 22 km away from Udaipur, Ekling Ji is a form of lord Shiva the beautifully sculpted temple complex includes 108 temples within its high walls
Timings- 4:30 am to 7:00 am, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm

HALDIGHATI -: This place have great significance in Indian History, 40 km from Udaipur, the name Haldighati have originated from the turmeric colored yellow soil of the area, it is the site of 'Battle of Haldighati' which took place in 1576 between 'Maharana Pratap' and 'Akbar', the story of this battle is very interesting, which reflects the valor of 'Maharana Pratap' he is a true patriot who  fought for his motherland, here is a museum that focuses on the life of 'Maharana Pratap', for more information about 'Maharana Pratap' follow the link below
http://indiancollectiveinfo.blogspot.in/2015/04/some-of-rare-facts-and-information.html

YELLOW COLOUR SOIL AT HALDIGHATI

CHETAK SAMADHI

Haldighati is also known for Rose products, such as Rosewater, Rose syrup, perfume these products are prepared from special technique named 'Aswan', these products are genuine and original, but bargain the prices they cut up to 30% on prices.

RANAKPUR -: In the valleys of Aravali ranges, about 90 km from Udaipur, the renowned Jain temple built in the 15th century by a local Jain merchant, the architecture, and artifact of the temple is amazing the temple is dedicated to Tirthankar 'Adinath' the first Tirthankar of Jains.

RANAKPUR TEMPLE

KUMBHALGARH AND CHITTORGARH -: These two forts have the long history which I wrote in my next blog.

MONEY SAVING TIPS -: If you can do small savings, you can save a lot of money.

• The parking charges inside the tourist places are very high and even they didn't take care of your vehicles so it's better you can park your vehicle outside.
• Take auto rickshaw for excursion instead of a cab, it is quite cheaper than cabs.
• If you are a student then bring your valid ID card with you, there is more than 70% discount on tickets.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE -:

Rajasthan tourism official website and contact no -: http://tourism.rajasthan.gov.in
phone - 0141-5110598

Tourist information centre Udaipur - regional tourist office Fateh memorial, Suraj pole,
phone - 0294-241135

Tourist office, Dabok Airport - 0294-2655433

Tourist Information counter, Railway station - 0294-2412984

My other Blogs -: Jaipur City - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/2016/11/inside-jaipur.html

Chittorgarh - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/2017/01/chittorgarh_14.html

Kumbhalgarh - http://myworldinmybagpack.blogspot.in/2017/01/kumbhalgarh.html

Blog by -: ARMAAN SINGHAI