Hadoti Circuit
Places of Interest: Bundi - Kota - Jhalawar
- Baran
Towards
the southeast is one of Rajasthan`s least explored regions. It is a region that
is full of great historical towns with a proud heritage dating back several
centuries. Walk back into the past as you visit pre-historic cave paintings
and look for other traces of early civilization. It will delight the archaeologist
in you as you drive along the
Chambal and stuble upon more relics from
the past.
Hadoti has a wealth of beautifully sculpted temples that seem
frozen in time.
SIGHTSEEING
Bundi, the first major destination in Hadoti to be reached from Jaipur,
has a strong association with
Rudyard Kipling, who drew inspiration from
the beautiful town and its surroundings. Set in a narrow encircling gorge, the
palaces and fortress of Bundi seem to come straight out of a fairy tale. Very
few places in the country can match this small town's picturesque location.
The
Bundi Palace presents a fine example of Rajput architecture with
its carved brackets, pillars and balconies. While you're at the palace don't
miss the famous Chitra Shala with its exquisite paintings of the Bundi School
that adorn the walls here. You can also visit the
Phool Sagar Palace, Sukh
Mahal, Shikar Burj and Sar Bagh. The step wells of Bundi are works of art
and a very beautiful example can be found in the center of the town - the Raniji
ki Baodi. This stepwell is profusely decorated with carved pillars and ornate
archways and makes you wonder why a simple function of drawing water from the
well needed so much embellishment. More decoration can be seen on 64- pillared
17th century cenotaph just outside the town. It is a region that has kept its
past alive but has also prepared itself to face the 20th century with all the
necessary equipment.
Take the bustling, cluttered city of
Kota. It's a thoroughly modern,
industrial city with its smoke emitting factories and an incredible number of
vehicles on its crowded roads. But it also has its majestic fort and palaces.
A lot of other reminders of its past are
scattered
all over the city, like the fort with its museum and the
Jag Mandir, the
Brijraj Bhawan Palace and the Umain Bhawan Palace.
Kota is famous
for its sarees called Kotadoria. These cotton sarees are very popular as summer
wear. Moving further into the
Hadoti region the towns get less crowded
and less touristy. The temples and the forts are all there for you to explore,
as you drive into the interior you chance upon a ruined temple here and an abandoned
fortress there. The people, beyond Baran, are warm and welcoming an can be willing
guides to help you understand the area better. Some areas worth exploring are
the
Badoli Temples that date back to the 9th century, the 11th century
Ramgarh Bhand deora temple, Sitabari, an ideal picnic spot with temples and
seven tanks and the fort and mosque of Shahbad. The countryside has wooded hills
and valleys that provide shelter to large variety of wildlife.
The Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, once used as the royal hunting ground,
today protects panther, spotted deer, wild boar and bear.
Jhalawar is
a typical small Hadoti town where the focal point is the fort itself. Located
in the middle of the town, most of it now houses disctrict offices but try and
get some body to show you the Zenana Khas portion of the fort as it has some
really exquisite paintings on the walls.
When you decide to move out of Jhalawar, there are other places of interest
like the wooden cottage called Rain Basera, the 7th century temples of Chandrabhaga,
sun temple at Jhalarapatan and the magnificent 8th century Gagron fort.
Travel Circuits in Rajasthan:
Dhundhar Circuit | Brij
- Mewar Circuit | Hadoti Circuit | Mewar
Circuit | Vagad Circuit | Godwar
Circuit | Desert Circuit | Merwara
Mewar Circuit | Shekhawati Circuit
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