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The southwestern monsoon has arrived early this year. Storm clouds hit Kerala in late May. And in the coming month India will slowly and magically bloom green from Kanyakumari gradually northwards. Rajasthan is one of the prettiest places to be during the monsoon. The hot, burning sands sprout odd patches of bright green. The baked havelis and palaces are washed down and the land cools off. Alwar, a place charming in any season, is probably at its best in the monsoon.
This overview of Alwar is another edition of Rediff Travel's series of short getaways. Earlier, we had covered the Danish-influenced Tranquebar, the Orissa beach resort, Gopalpur-on-Sea, and the hill towns of Mirik and Kurseong, south of Darjeeling.
We followed up with the historical Rajasthani town of Chittaurgarh, beautiful Sarahan in eastern Himachal, forgotten Orchha in Madhya Pradesh, lush green Chikhaldhara in eastern Maharashtra, holy Gaya, wet, wet, wet Cherrapunjee, little-known, wee Bithur and the very exotic, unsual Loktak Lake. Alwar
This town is located in a forested valley, not very far from the border between New Delhi and Rajasthan, in the Aravalli hills. And on the border of Rajputana, positioning it at the crossroads of history. Alwar has had a tumultous past and the keepers of the keys of the kingdom have warded off enemies as varied as Jats, Mughals, the British, the Marathas and fellow Rajputs. Alwar's huge Bal Quila fort -- where Babar and Jehangir have each spent a night or two -- is strategically situated on a cliff overlooking the town. Its statistics: 65 towers, 446 musketry openings and eight towers encircling it. Today, it is a radio station. The Vinay Vilas Palace is situated in the heart of the walled town, which can be entered by five gates. As palaces go it is a sumptuous one, sporting umpteen curly-cued embellishments. The attached museum (closed on Friday), with its hundreds of royal artefacts, including some very valuable manuscripts, rare Rajput art and weapons, gives some insight into court life. Be warned: much of the palace has been taken over by government offices who have populated it with their files, typewriters and army of clerks. Next door, set in gardens of peacocks, is Bakhtawar Singh's sandstone and marble cenotaph. Some say it is a cenotaph to Singh's devoted mistress, who committed sati. Don't miss the ceremonious elephant carriage nearby. Alwar has another palace -- Yeshwant Niwas -- which was created by Jai Singh in an odd unidentifiable style. And on a whim -- that only royalty are permitted to have -- Singh decided the mahal was inhabitable and unappealing and built a 100-room alternative, Vijay Mandir, a few kilometres away, where his descendents still live.
One of the advantages of holidaying in Alwar is the proximity of the Sariska Tiger Reserve (37 km away). Open all year round (this year it was closed for one month for tiger census but will reopen on June 6), the park was once the Alwar royal hunting grounds. Sariska has a wealth of wildlife, though tigers can be rarely spotted. You may wander the 480 sq km on jeep safaris to view the nilgai, jackals, hyenas, porcupines, deer, boar, antelopes, langurs and a variety of birds. Within the park are several interesting monuments like the Kankwari fort, the Neelkanth complex of temples, the Sariska hotel which was once a hunting lodge and a temple dedicated to monkeys. Another interesting side trip from Alwar is to Deeg, a tiny, little visited hamlet that has some fascinating 18th century palaces. Deeg is two hours away from Alwar by train.
The best time to visit Alwar is in winter from November to early March. But the monsoon, from late June to September, is as good a time. It will afford a different view of the town.
Alwar has a few decent hotels as well as the stately Lake Palace:
Alwar is 197 km from New Delhi and 185 km from Jaipur. Both Jet Airways and Indian Airlines fly into Jaipur daily from New Delhi and Bombay. Indian Airlines CD 7491 departs from New Delhi daily at 1040 hours and arrives in Jaipur at 1140 hours. The economy class one-way fare between New Delhi and Jaipur is Rs 1,170. Indian Airlines CD 7492 departs from Bombay daily at 1710 hours and arrives in Jaipur at 2035 hours. The economy class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 4,580. The business class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 6,810. Jet Airways 9W373 departs from Bombay daily at 0630 hours and arrives in Jaipur at 0805 hours. The economy class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 4,600. The business class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 7,060. Jet Airways 9W371 departs from Bombay daily at 1715 hours and arrives in Jaipur at 1815 hours. The economy class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 4,600. The business class one-way fare between Bombay and Jaipur is Rs 7,060. Jet Airways 9W721 departs from New Delhi daily at 1630 hours and arrives in Jaipur at 1710 hours. The economy class one-way fare between New Delhi and Jaipur is Rs 1,770. The business class one-way fare between New Delhi and Jaipur is Rs 2,675. The Shatabdi pulls into Alwar daily from New Delhi, except Thursdays. It is a 2 1/2 hour ride. Several other trains link Alwar with Delhi daily. From Bombay it is possible to reach Alwar via Jaipur. Bombay-Ahmedabad Janata Express goes up to Jaipur. 9707 Dn will leave Bombay Central daily at 1935 hours and reach Jaipur the next day at 1930 hours. A one way ticket by second AC would be approximately Rs 1,615. A one way ticket by third AC would be approximately Rs 1,004. A one way ticket by second class would be approximately Rs 340. | ||
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Meenal, near Circuit House, tel # 0144-22852: Two air conditioned double rooms are available for Rs 600 per night. Four air-cooled (by cooler) double rooms are available for Rs 400 per night. The hotel has an inhouse restaurant.
