Mewar Circuit
Places of Interest:
Udaipur - Kumbhalgarh - Nathdwara - Chittaurgarh

Rajasthan's
Mewar region encompasses dramatic hills, shimmering lakes,
deep valleys and much more. It is land rich I royal heritage, with romantic
water palaces, historic hilltop forts and beautiful gardens. Explore the beautiful
region with its rich cultural heritage, visit its numerous picturesque villages
and you will discover that the charm of Mewar is undoubtedly unique.
Places To See:
Its lakes, its marble palaces, and its beautiful gardens dominate
Udaipur,
the enchanting city. The founder, Maharana Udai Singh, was overcome by the
misfortunes that his old capital of
Chittaurgarh had to face. Weary
of the repeated attacks that he had to face, Udai Singh sought the help of a
holy man and asked him to suggest a sage place for his new capital. Udai
Singh was advised to shift his capital to the banks of Lake Pichola. The
holy man assured him that his new capital would never be conquered. The city
of Udaipur was thus founded and grew around the lakes
The
City Palace is the focal point of the city and has several areas of
interest like the
Suraj Gokhada, Badi Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Bhim vilas,
Chini Chitrashala, Mor Chowk, the Zenana Mahal, Fateh Prakash and Darbar
Hall. Located close to the City Palace is the Jagdish temple with its
imposing sculpted figures and heavily ornamented interiors. The abundance of
water in Udaipur made it possible for the town planners to design some
well-laid out gardens. These were the spots where the Maharanis would come
to enjoy the natural surroundings amidst the beautiful flowers and
fountains. The 18th century
Sahelion ki Bari, or the Garden of
Maidens, is a popular tourist spot with its fountains and delicately carved
kiosks and elephants in marble.
Udaipur has other attractions
like the Gulab Bagh, Doodh Talai,Jag Mandir, Moti Magri, Bharatiya Lok Kala
Mandal, Ahad and the Sajjangarh Palace. As you move around this beautiful
city, there is a lot that catches the eye, its as if the city has been laid
out with the tourist in mind. Thankfully, with a growing awareness towards
conservation nuerous heritage sites have been preserved. The
Ahar
village and Museum are of great archeological importance. A little
further away from the city are the
Shri Eklingji Temple complex
which houses 108 temples, Nagda where the temples of Saas-Bahu, or
shastrabahu and Adbhutji are worth seeing. More temples can be found at
Rajsamand and Kankroli, located 60 km from Udaipur. To the north of Udaipur
lies the battlefield of Haldighati.
The very ground here is
sacred as it carries memories of the famous battle between Maharana Pratap
and Emperor Akbar in 1567. It was a fierce historic battle where the Rajputs
fought so valiantly that this encounter is referred to in murals and ballads
throughout Rajasthan. Maharana Pratap National Memorial is being built at
this site to pay homage to this great warrior for his spirit of freedom.
Nathdwara is a renowned center of pilgrimage for the devotees of Krishna
and Vishnu alike. It is a town devoted totally to the
Shrinathji temple
and all activities in this little town revolve around the famous temple of Shrinathji.
Let yourself be carried away by the religious atmosphere as you wander around
the small market with tiny shops selling portraits of Shrinathji, beads, silver
and meemakari mementoes, and other related items. While you're there, don't
forget to try the special prasad, or temple offerings, and sweets that are popular
with the devotees.
If any one fort of Rajasthan had to be singled out for its glorious
history and its stories of heroism, then it would be the fort of
Chittaurgarh.
Countless tales of this rugged fort and the battles fought here by its
legendary heroes fill the pages of history books. Equally well known were
the
Maharanis of Chittaur. As you explore the fort and its various
palaces and temples do look out for Rani Padmini's palace.
The
beauty of padmini attracted the
Sultan of Delhi, Allauddin Khilji so
much that he set out to attack the fort and win her in battle. A fierce
battle was fought, 7000 warriors lost their lives but the Sultan could not
get Padmini. The Maharani, with her entire entourage, committed jauhar. It
is one of Chittaurgarh's most enduring stories and one that is told and
re-told countless times.

Travel to the west of Chittaurgarh to reach the second most important bastion
of Mewar
Kumbhalgarh. Covering an area of 12Sq. km this formidable fort
fell only once to the army of Akbar and that too because the water supply was
contaminated by the enemy forces. Even today, it is one of the most inaccessible
forts of Rajasthan and reached with great difficulty. It served as a refuge
to the rulers of Mewar in times of strife and contained within its ramparts
almost an entire township, self-contained to withstand a long siege. Explore
the huge complex and see for yourself how well prepared the rulers had to be.
Some areas of interest are
the palaces and temples and water storage tanks. It is at a height of 1100
metres and if you walk along the ramparts you can get some excellent views
of the countryside. Today, most of the surrounding area has been turned into
farmland but in the olden days these were the grounds on which many a battle
was fought. The fort is also significant for being the birthplace of
Maharana Pratap. This region is famous for its marble, miniature paintings,
kundan and meenakari work and clay and wooden product. The colorful mud
panels of Molela are available in Udaipur.
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