Viratnagar

Viratnagar is about 86 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Shahpura-Alwar route. You have to turn for Viratnagar at Shahpura on Jaipur Delhi Highway.

But why Viratnagar? Who goes to Viratnagar? You might ask.

A little time invested in visiting the sights this town has to offer will pay rich dividends, you will see.

Viratnagar  has been a witness to a lot of history being made. According to the excavations done around this town people have been living here since the prehistoric times.

Accorading to the Mahabharat,King Virat founded the city Viratnagar, and the Pandavs spent thirteen years of ‘Agyatvas’(exile) here. This is the city which saw much wheeling & dealing to broker peace to avoid the great war of Mahabharat. Ancient travelers have mentioned their visits to the city. The river Banganga flows near by, a fair is held here every year.

Beejak Ki Pahari

This serene site is in the lap of the Aravali mountain range. On a ridge under a rock shaped like a Cannon there is an ancient Hanuman temple.

And there are remains of a Budhist Monastry & a Budhist Stupa shrine from the Mauryan times. This site was found in work done in 1935-36. This is a protected site of ASI.

In recent development work done here a cement shelter has been built at the foot of the hillock.

Ganesh Mandir and the Local Museum. The museum has some relics of great importance and antiquity from the Ashokan period.

A stepwell on the way to Panch Malla Mahal badly in need of restoration.

Panch Mala Mahal. Raja Man Singh had this imposing structure made.  Emperor Akbar used to stay here on his way to the Ajmer shrine.

I think he has seen a lot of tourists pass by this palace.

The paintings on the domes of the chatries of the palace.

Shri Shri 1008 Digambar Jain Nasiyan.

Shri Shri 1008 Digambar Jain Nasiyan, Mughal Gate,Viratnagar

Maybe the ghost who walks was here! This is his mark.

The Jantar Mantar In New Delhi

Recently, I was on one of my rare visits to Delhi & I had my camera with me. So I could not resist going to Jantar Mantar  on Sansad Marg in Delhi to take pictures for my collection.

The first difference which struck me was the red color. The instruments are all colored in red. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is colored in Royal Yellow. The other thing which struck me was that the visitors were all over the monument’s various  instruments made of masonry. This really should be discouraged.

Jantar Mantars were a brain child of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Amber & Jaipur. These were stone astronomical observatories made of masonry and marble etc. so that they would give very accurate readings of the heavenly bodies. Precise calculations of the movement of the  Zodiac, Sun, Moon & Stars was required because all facets of an Indian’s life are governed by them. Furthermore Sawai Jai Singh found  the tables in use then to have several discrepancies because of  various reasons one of which was that the astronomers were using metal instruments of smaller sizes. So he decided to make huge instruments, in masonry no less, at several locations across India so that he could get the most accurate readings. The observatory in Delhi was made in 1724. It has been ruined & repaired several times. Till 1958 AD, the Sawai, the flag of Jaipur state used to fly here. In 1958 the monument was taken over by the ASI.

The image of the central part of the ‘Misra Yantra’ was used as the logo of the 1982 Asian games held in Delhi.

These  are some of the pictures I clicked.

To Sariska-By Road-An Album

These pictures are from the overnight visit Madhav, a cousin, and I took with our sons to Sariska Tiger Reserve & National Park & Alwar.
Sariska is some 110 km from Jaipur. We went on the Jaipur-Delhi Highway till Shahpura where we turned for Thana Gazi & The Fort View Camp. This camp site is managed by Club Mahindra. It is located quite near to the gate of the jungle.

On the way to Sariska,this is where we broke our journey to have some tea.
If for some reason the White House was located in Rajasthan I am sure the locals would have called it ‘Dholi Kothi’.

Fort View Camp at Thana Gazi

Fort View Camp,Thana Gazi,Sariska

This is the view of the dining hall from the reception area of the Fort View Camp Site.The food served in this picturesquely located dining hall was excellent.

View of the Fort of Thana Gazi from the Campsite.

The Location Map of the area.

The Trail

Paddy Bird

This Machan faces a stepwell where wildlife comes to drink water. As Sariska Tigerlands were a hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Alwar the Alwar Royals used to hunt wildlife from this Machan.

A badly needed drink at the stepwell facing the Machan.

Sambhar, the jungle guides call it the food of the tiger.

The Jungle

Neelgaay

This is the Paw print of ST-1 ( Sariska Tiger No.1)

As we wanted to photograph the Cenotaph, Moosi Rani Ki Chatri, we drove on to Alwar.

The next generation.

Books About Jaipur You Should Read

The Karan’s Jaipur Book Store

 

Times Food Guide-First Jaipur Edition

A Princess Remembers:The Memoirs of The Maharani of Jaipur By Gayatri Devi , Santha Rama Rau

The Last Maharaja: A biography of Sawai man Singh II,Maharaja Of Jaipur by Quentin Crewe

Building Jaipur:The Making of an Indian City By Vibhuti Sachdev

History Of The Jaipur City by Ashim k. Roy

A History Of Jaipur, C.1503-1938 by Jadunath Sarkar,Raghubir Sinh

Jaipur The Last Destination by Aman Nath,Samar Singh Jodha

Reversing The Gaze:Amar Singh’s Diary,A Colonial Subject’s Narrative of Imperial India By Amar Singh,Susanne Hoeber Rudolph,Loyd I. Rudolph and Mohan Singh Kanota

Jaipur And Its Environs by Harnath Singh Dundlod

The Relations Of Jaipur State With East India Company,1803-1858 by H.C.Batra

Notes On Jaipur By H.L.Showers

Homage To Jaipur by Mulk Raj Anand

Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur Life And Legend by R.P.Singh,K.Raj Pal Singh

Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II Of Jaipur The Photographer Prince By Yaduendra Sahi

Jaipur Nama: Tales From The Pink City by Giles Henry Rupert Tillotson

Jaipur City Palace by Giles Henry Rupert Tillotson and Vibhuti Sachdev

Postage Stamps Of Jaipur byJ.R.M.Albrecht

A History Of Rajasthan By Rima Hooja

Travel

Rajasthan by Outlook Traveller Getaways

Jaipur City Map by The RTDC

Jaipur City Guide

Cookery

Marwari Kitchen Published By Roli Books

Cooking Delights of Maharajas:Exotic Dishes from the princely house of Sailana by Digvijay Singh

Newspapers

Rajasthan Patrika

www.rajasthanpatrika.com

Dainik Bhaskar

www.bhaskar.com

Times Of India, Jaipur Edition

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Hindustan Times,Jaipur

http://www.hindustantimes.com

Web Portals

www.jaipurshop.com

http://www.pinkcity.net/

RTDC

http://www.rajasthantourism.gov.in/new/site/index.htm

There is a book store near you in Jaipur almost everywhere so buy a book and read it-that’s what they are there for.

Cafe Coffee Day,Gaurav Tower,( with Coffee Shop)

Cafe Coffee Day,M.I.Road,(Book Shop Only)

Barwara Book House,in Barwara House,near Ajmer Pulia,(2223042)

Books & News Mart,M.I.Road(2370252)

Books Corner,M.I.Road(2366323)

Bookwise,Mall 21,Bhagwandas Road(2364755)

Universal Books,M.I.Road(5105640)

Prakash Books,129,sunder Path,Banipark (5067175)

Book World,Rajasthan University Campus,(shopping complex)(2705773)

Rajat Book Corner,Narain Singh Road,near Trimurthy Circle(2568833)

Hindi Literature on the net
Hindi Poetry

BHOJPATRA
Hindi Prose

A Hindi Magazine