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Midway between Delhi and Jaipur lies Alwar,
known for its palace, museum, historical
remains and big and small game in the
neighbouring forests. It is 161 km. (100
miles) by road and about the same distance
by rail from Delhi.
Alwar was the capital of the former
princely state of the same name founded in
1771 by Maharaja Pratap Singh of the
Kachhawa clan of Rajputs.
The town is dominated by a fort situated
on a big conical hill and is backed by a
range of hills. A steep ascent leads to
the fort behind which stands the chhatri
of Maharaja Pratap Singh.
The City Palace, separated from the base
of the hill by Sagar, a picturesque tank,
consists of a group of building in
different styles. The museum lodged in a
portion of this palace has a collection of
manuscripts and paintings. Of the 7,000
manuscripts in Hindi, Sanskrit and
Persian, the most outstanding are the 24
m. (80 feet) long illustrated scroll of
the Bhagwat and an illuminated copy of the
Quran in Arabic with Persian translation
in red letters. There is also a matchless
copy of Sheikh Sadi’s Gulistan, decorated
with miniature paintings, which cost about
Rs. 1,25,000 and took fifteen years to
execute. It was prepared in the time of
Maharao Vinay Singh who built the Vinay
Vilas Palace. The painting gallery
has a valuable collection of Mughul and
Rajasthani paintings.
The Armoury has old swords, sabres, and
other weapons. The swords of Akbar,
Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Dara-Shikoh, Nadir
Shah and Aurangzeb, in addition to those
bearing the seals of Persian rulers, can
be seen here. Some of these have hilts of
gold studded with jewels.
The cenotaph of Maharao Bakhtawar Singh
lies to the south of Sagar. Raised upon
the centre of a platform, its plinth is of
red sandstone while the cenotaph itself is
of marble.
Thirteen kilometres (8 miles) south-west
of the city is Siliserh, a splendid lake
in picturesque surroundings. Adorned with
chhatris and fringed by a dense forest,
the lake covers an area of 10 sq. km. (4
sq. miles) and was formed by the
construction of a masonry dam. The lovely
palace on the lake has been thrown open to
tourists and a quiet holiday can be spent
here amidst sylvan surroundings.
Around Alwar, there are many places of
historical interest. Some of these are
pre-Mughul mosques and tombs at Rejara.
Near the old palace at Siraska is a scenic
spot named after Raja Bhartrihari, a
celebrated Hindu king, who performed a
severe penance there. Rajorgarh is a large
fortified town covered with ruins of
ancient structures. Of these, the
tenth-century temple of Nilkantha Mahadeva
is notable. Laswari, marks the battlefield
where the forces of Daulat Rao Scindia
were defeated by Lord Lake in 1803.
Rajgarh. Talao, Dapkan and Bhangarh are
some other sites of historical and
archaeological interest. |
