Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Rajasthan rolling - 10(concluded) Pushkar and Chittorgarh

On our way from Jaipur to Pushkar we had planned a short visit to Ajmer too but the President of our country had similar ideas due to which we were forced to trash our Ajmer visit by the security forces.
Reached Pushkar at forenoon and checked in the beautiful property of Hotel New Park. It was edenic with


peacocks and other birds flying around in the gardens facing the cottages. Had a quiet lunch and set out in


the evening to visit the only Brahma temple in the country which is what Pushkar is famous for apart from the annual camel fair.
Hired a ‘guide on a motorcycle’ who led us through the maze of bylanes to the temple and thrust upon us the local priest to pray for our ancestors. After having resisted guides almost all through the tour we indulged in getting ripped off and hoped that our ancestors in faraway lands were satiated by our prayers and offerings.


Apparently if we pray at the lake surounded by thousands of temples, our ancestors will be pleased and we were made to do just that! Then we were led to the Brahma temple where fortunately there were no crowds

and unfortunately no photography was allowed hence after a brief darshan we were on our way back to the Hotel.



In the evening though we went for a walk round the lake. It was very peaceful despite the crowds. Had a


refreshing cup of coffee at ‘Koffe Kulture’, took some pictures and realised that there were more foreigners than Indians out there!
Next morning we set out for Chittorgarh which was a mere 200kms away. We had a booking in RTDC’s property which was in a huge property but had the usual flaws of a Government run institution. Made ourselves as comfortable as possible in the circumstances and after a quick lunch in their restaurant we rested for a while and set out to visit the main attraction – the Chittorgarh Fort. The nice thing was that we could drive all the way up and inside the fort too for a price.

Photograph : Nakul Amembal

The Chittorgarh fort is considered to be the largest in the country and is spread over 700acres. It was built by Maurya rulers in the 7th century. There are palaces, towers, temples and cenotaphs in the fort.

Photograph : Nakul Amembal

The Gaumukh reservoir is a huge water tank that gets water from a 'Cow's mouth' shaped rock. 
The Padmini Palace has an interesting tale. It is in the northern end of the Padmini lake and apparently it was here that Rana Ratan Singh showed a glimpse of the legendary beauty of his wife Padmini to Allaudin Khilji through a mirror who got enamoured with her beauty.

Photograph : Nakul Amembal

In the middle of the lake there is a three storeyed structure with arched openings and is locally called the Jal Mahal.
Allaudin Khilji who coveted Queen Padmini of Chittaur, invaded the city in 1303 A.D. Queen Padmini and the women of the court sacrificed themselves in a pyre of fire rather than submit to anybody. This supreme sacrifice has been called 'Jauhar' and epitomises the fiery spirit of the Rajputs of the day.
The Vijay Stambh (tower of victory) is the most impressive structure of the Chittorgarh Fort. It was

Photograph : Nakul Amembal

constructed by Maharana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over Mohammed Khilji in the 15th century. This giant tower is nine-storied and offers a picture-perfect view of the down-town from its balconies. This huge tower extends to the height of 122 feet and width of 47 sq ft at the base. The circular stairs of this tower has 157 steps. This imposing tower took 10 complete years to construct. You can trace sculptures of the Hindu gods on the alcoves of this tower.
They do have a ‘light and sound’ show every evening but we decided to skip it and chose to get back to the Hotel and retire early as we had to leave early next morning on our last leg of the trip to Vadodara and then back home.
This was indeed a magnificent road trip through a very colourful land of Rajasthan!

40 comments:

  1. Wonderful Travel pics and a treat to see read - surely this is a wonderful side of India seen thro your lens -All credit.
    kind Rgds

    TR

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  2. All pilgrimage centres are attracting more foreign tourists than Indians these days. They come for the 'different' experience and also affordable lodgings and boarding. :)

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    1. Cool pics and wonderful description .... Interesting part was Gaumukha reservoir , there many such places where water come out of Cow's mouth and many places they are named as Papanasini . I think there are few more lesser know temples dedicated to Brahma apart from Pushkar

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    2. Thank you Dhiru. Agree with you about the Brahma temple but this one is somehow famed as 'the only Brahma temple in India' Maybe at some time it was.

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  4. Chittorgarh fort is real beautiful!

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  5. An exclusive and informative post. Incidentally by 7 th Century AD the Mouryans were an extinct dynasty. Wikipedia info seems incorrect.

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    1. This is what happens when Wiki is blacked out. Got the information from
      http://www.chittorgarh.com/tourism_at_chittorgarh.asp

      Shall wait till the Wiki blackout is over and then amend as necessary.

      Thank you for pointing it out.

      From some other sites also learnt that the building of the Fort was actually started by Bhima!

      If you have any authentic information please give it to enable me correct the inaccuracies.

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    2. Just checked on Wiki and this is what it has to say
      It is stated that the fort was constructed by the Mauryans during the 7th century AD and hence derives its name after the Mauryan ruler, Chitrangada Mori as per inscriptions on coins of the period.

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  6. Beautiful fort. Nicely written.


    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  7. This is one place I could not visit but now through your lens ,visit is complete.

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  8. Mindblowing pics.The Chittorgarh fort,Gaumukh reservoir,Padmini Palace & Vijay Sthambh are all awesome.

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    1. Thank you so much Sir! All credit to the Chittorgarh photographs to my son.

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  9. Beautiful photos--a place that would be a treat to visit. Mickie ;)

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    1. Thank you Mickie. Yes it is indeed a treat to wander around there!

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  10. Hi, nice blog & good post. You have beautifully maintained it, you must try this Indian Travel Agency website which really helps to increase your traffic. hope u have a wonderful day & awaiting for more new post. Keep Blogging!


    Flexi said...Indian Travel Agency

    Indian Travel Agency

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  11. a great series of images you got there! the fortress is indeed very beautiful :)

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  12. nice travelogue...

    beautifully captured photos...

    thanks

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  13. Thank you for taking me on a travel to Rajasthan. I have never been to India, although I have visited all the countries around, like Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. I think it's about time. Great story and great photos.

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    1. Thank you Otto and yes you must visit India. You will love it!
      Feel free to ask if you need any assistance.

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  14. beautiful pics... reminds me of my childhood when I visited these places.

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  15. great pictures... i loved it.
    www.rajnishonline.blogspot.com

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  16. What a way to conclude your road trip (and my virtual trip) through Rajasthan. I'm definitely going to come back when I need tips. Thanks for the post.

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  17. What a way to conclude your road trip (and my virtual trip) of Rajasthan. Definitely going to come back for tips. Thanks for the post.

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  18. interesting...my husband is very keen on visiting puskar....so this is a good info for me to show him!!!


    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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  19. wow :D is just the word.
    So much to see. SO much to learn
    Much beyond what we yearn

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