Alwar
is renowned for its museum, palaces, historical ruins and game sanctuaries in
the neighbouring forests. Once an ancient Rajput state, formerly known as Mewat,
Alwar was nearest to the imperial Delhi. The people of the state did not accept
any external interferences and daringly resisted against foreign invasions.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, they formed a group and raded Delhi. But finally
Sultan Bulban (1267 A.D - 1287 A.D) suppressed them, bringing the area under
the Muslims rule.
In 1771 A.D. Maharaja Pratap Singh, a Kuchhwaha Rajput belonging to the clan
of Jaipur's rulers, won back
Alwar and founded a principality
of his own. Apart from its long history, the city has a rich natural heritage
with some beautiful lakes and picturesque valleys thickly wooded in parts. Some
of the finest variety of birds and animals are spotted here. Alwar has one of
the finest wild life sanctuaries in Rajasthan-Sarika, which is an excellent
tiger country.
PRIME SITES
The
City Palace : Seperated from the base of the hill by Sagar, a picturesque
tank it consists of a group of buildings in different styles. The Armoury has
old swords,sabres and other weapons of Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh,
Nadirshah and Aurangzein addition to those bearing the seals of persian rulers,
can be seen here. Of these some have hilts of gold studdes with jewels.
The
Fort -Bala Qila
: This huge fort with its ramparts stretching
5 km form north to south and 1.6 km from east to west, stands 300 metres above
the city and 595 metres above the sea level. Constructed before the rise of
the Mughal empire. Babar had spent a night at this for and took away the hidden
treasures to gift to his son, Humayun. Akbar’s son , Jahangir had also
stayed here for some time during his exile. The place where he stayed is called
salim mahal. The for was finally annexed by maharaja Pratap singh in 1775 A.D.
It is a forbidding structure with 15 large and 51 small towers and 446 openings
for musketry, along with 8 huge towers encompassing it. The fort has several
gates-jai pole, Suraj pole, Laxman Pole, Chand Pole, Kishan Pole and Andheri
Gate. Also there are remains of Jal Mahal, Nikumbh Mahal, Salim Sagar, Suraj
Kund and many temples.
Museum :The museum is lodged in a portion
of the City Palace and has a finest collection of Mughal and Rajput painting
dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries and some rare ancient manuscripts
in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit. "Gulistan " (the garden of
roses) , " Waqiat-I-Babri " (autobiography of Mughal emperor Babar)
and Bostan (the garden of spring) are some of the notable ones amongst the collection.
It also has the copy of the great epic "Mahabharata" painted by the
artists of the Alwar school. A rich collection of the Indian armoury are among
other exhibits of the museum. Behind the City Palace is an artificial lake built
in 1815 A.D. by Maharaja Vinay Singh with few temples along its banks. A marvellous
chhatri with unusual Bengali roof and arches, also known as the Moosi Maharani
ki chhatri, is situated in this are Purjan Vihar (Company Garden) : A picturesque
garden,laid out during the reign of Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in 1868 A.D. The
garden has an enchanting settign called "Shimla" which was built by
Maharaja Mangal Singh in 1885 A.D. The lush surrounding and the cool shades
make it the idyllic visiting spot during summers.
Vijai Mandir Palace (10 km)
: A splendid
palace, built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1918 A. D. picturesque lake overlooking
the palace makes it a fascinating sight. A fabulous Sita Ram Temple in the palace
attracts number of devotees, especially during Ramnavami. One needs prior permission
from the Secretary to visit the palace.
Siliserh Lake Palace (13 km)
: An idyllic
picnic spot with enchanting landscape of wooded hills and beautiful chhatris
on the embankment of the 10.5 sq. km placid lake. A magnificient royal palace
and the hunting lodge, built by Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1845 A. D. for his queen
Shila stands overlooking the lake. Now converted as the Hotel Lake Palace,it
offers boating and sailing facilities and is a delight for the trigger-happy
phjotographers and fil makers.
Jai Samand Lake (6 km)
: A beautiful
artificial lake constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1910 A.D. is a popular
spot for outing and picnics. During monsoons,sprawling greenery all around makes
it a visual treat. Easily accessible by road from Alwar.
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary :
Located at a distance of 32 kms from Alwar, Sariska Sanctuary was established
in 1955
A.D.
under the Rajputana Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act,1951. It is on the
Delhi - Jaipur National Highway, 201 kms from Delhi. The area of the Sanctuary
is about 461 sq. km. A large variety of indigenous birds and wild animals, particularly
tiger, panther, sambhar, nilgai, wild boar can be seen in an evening drive round
the Sanctuary. The valley has picturesque surrounding of wooden hills. Facilities
are available for general shooting and tiger photography in the forests near
Alwar .
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