Incredible India - Excursions

Excursions

Eklingji
Built in 734 AD, it is a complex of 108 temples located 22 kms from Udaipur. On Udaipur-Nathdwara route. There are hills around and small springs of water. The temples are exquisitely carved out of sandstone and marble and are devoted to Lord Shiva, the family deity of the Mewar rulers.

The Maharanas of Mewar, worshipped Shinaas Mahadeva Chaumukhi, the quadriform divinity, represented by a bust with four faces. It has an ornate Mandap [a pillared hall] anda huge pyramidal roof composed of hundreds of knots very vividly carved and finely decorated with coloured stones. Before the entrance to the main temple, there is a beautifully sculpted huge Nandi (the sacred bull, mythologically the vehicle of Lord Shiva.)

It is here that the tourists take a break.The devotees pay theirhomage through out the year.

Kumbhalgarh Fort
Located 84 kms north of Udaipur in the wilderness, Kumbhalgarh is the second most important citadel after Chittaurgarh in the Mewar region. Cradled in the Aravali Ranges the fort was built in the 15th century ADby Rana Kumbha.The inaccessibility and hostility of the topography lends a semblance of invincibility to the fort. It served the rulers of Mewar as a refuge in times of strife. The fort also served as refuge to the baby king Udai of Mewar. It is of immense sentimental significancefor the people beingthe birthplace of Mewar's legendary king, Maharana Pratap.

The fort is self-containedin all respect to withstand aprotracted siege.Its defences could be breached only onceby the combined armies of the Mughal and of Amber primarilyfor scarcity of drinking water. There is a magnificent array of temples built by the Mauryas of which the most picturesque place is the Badal Mahal or the palace of the clouds. The fort also offers a superb bird’s eye view of the surroundings. The fort'smassive wall stretches some 36 kmswith a widthenough to take eight horses abreast. Maharana Fateh Singh renovated the fort in the 19th century. The fort's large compound has very interesting ruins anda walk around it can be very educative.

Chittorgarh
Chittaurgarh epitomizes Rajput spirit, valour, pride and romance. It reverberates with heroism and sacrifice the tales of which are still sung by the Bards of Rajasthan. The imposing and awe inspiring fort stands on a 240-hectares site, on 180m high hill that rises rapidly from the plains.

It has one kilometre zigzag ascent to it. The road leads through seven gates to the main gate Rampol (meaning Gate of Ram). On the ascent between the second and the third gate, you see two ‘Chattris’ (cenotaphs) built to honour Jaimal and Kalla heroes of 1568 siege by Emperor Akbar. The main gate of the fort itself is Surajpol (meaning Sun Gate).

The fort fell thrice to the enemies in its entire history. The first attack occurred in 1303 when the Sultan of Delhi Ala-ud-din Khilji, overwhelmed by the beauty of Queen Padmini, besieged the fort with sinister design to capture the queen. In 1535 Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, besieged the fort causing immense carnage. It is said that 32000 men donned the saffron robes of martyrdom and rode out to face certain death. The women folk led by Rani Karnawati committed Jauhar (collective self immolation by fire) to save their honor.
In 1568 Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered it. In 1616, Mughal Emperor Jehangir restored the fort to the Rajputs. Now, a new township sprawls below the hill on the west side.
According to the legend the construction of the fort was started by Bhim, a Pandav hero of mythological epic Mahabharata. The fort has many magnificent monuments.Even though the fort mostly isin ruins,it stands asan overwhelming reminder of its past history of triumph and tragedyand its walls resonate with unbelievable legend of extraordinary men and women and their equally astounding deeds.

Chittaurgarh is connected by both bus and rail. The bus stand and the railway station are located in the new township.

Haldighati
The historical site of Haldighati, situated towards the south west of Nathdwara, witnessed the great legendary battle fought between Maharana Pratap andthe mighty Mughalarmy in 1576 AD.
Here stands a cenotaph with delicate white marble columns, which is dedicated to the indomitable Maharana Pratap's loyal horse, Chetak.

Ranakpur
Beautifully sculptured Jain temples mark the glory of this renowned place. Considered as one of the five holy places for the Jain community, these were created in the 15th century during the reign of Rana Kumbha. These are enclosed within a wall. The central Chaumukha [four faced temple] is dedicated to Adinathji. The temple is an astounding creation of architectural splendorwith 29 halls and 1,444 pillars all distinctly carved,no two pillarsbeing alike.

Every hall oftemple has inconceivable surface carved with equal delicacy.Facing the main temple are the temples -Parasvanath - Neminath with exquisite figure carving which looksimilar to that ofKhajuraho sculptures. Another temple worth visiting is the nearby 'Sun Temple' dedicated to the 'Sun God'. The temple has a polygonal wall, richly embellished with carvings of warriors, horses andcelestial (Nakshatras, grahs) bodies.The Sun God has been shown riding its vehicle, the chariot. There is a stream of devotees eagerforblessings.Ranakpur is known as 'the tranquil pilgrimage town'. The faultless architecture, intricate carvings, delicate designs neatly chiselled idols, diverse and multiple hues and above all, the ambience of Ranakpur palace is at par with another equally famous group of Jain temples at Mt. Abu- the Dilwara temples.For the tourism buffs a ride to the outskirts like ' Sadari' - 'Desuri'- 'Ghanerao'- 'Narlai', will be found to be exciting.

Shree Nath Ji- Nathdwara
Nathdwara lies 48 kms from Udaipur and literally means the gateway to the Lord. This great Vaishnavite shrine was built in the 17th century dedicated to Lord Krishna. The legend has it that the image of Lord Krishna was being shifted to a safer place from Vrindaban in order to protect it from being desecrated and vandalized by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

When the image reached the spot where the temple exists, the wheels with the axle of the bullock cart carrying the image sank deep into mud. Human efforts failed to move the cart further. The accompanying priest interpreted this as the Lord's indication to be installed at this spot. Accordingly a temple was built here.
This is a revered temple and a place of pilgrimage for the believers. Devotees throng the shrine in large number during the occasions of "Janamashtmi", the day of Lord Krishna's birth and other festivals like Holi. The priests treat the image like a living deity and tend to the lord with daily normal function like bathing, dressing, meals (called "prasad") and resting at regular intervals. The main attractions are the ‘Arties’ and the ‘Shringar’. The formal prayer is offered with ‘diyas’, incense sticks, flowers, fruits and other offerings with local instrumental and devotional music for the Lord according to the demand oftime and occasion. The fine intricately woven ‘shaneels’ (velvet) and silk cloth with real original zari and shredded work done upon them along with real antique jewellery looks dazzling. The view of the idol after the ‘pardha’ (curtain) is removed is spectacular, rather mesmerizing compelling the waiting devotees to scramble for a view of the Lord. It is here that the mystic, spirited aura of India comes alive. Nathdwara has a small but throbbing township around the temple. Its shopping in the bye lanes is a great revelation. It's famous for its 'pichwani' paintings, with Lord Shri Krishna in the centre, where gold colour is used for profusely.

Kumbhalgarh Sanctuary
Is located in the most rugged of the Aravalli hills in Pali, Rajsamand and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan. It takes name after the impressive historic fort of Kumbhalgarh, which come into view over the park. It is 578 sq Kms in area and at an altitude of 500 to 1,300m. It is home to a large variety of wildlife, some of which are highly endangered species. The wild life includes wolf, leopards, sloth bear, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, ‘smabhar’, ‘nilgai’, ‘chaisingh’ (the four horned antelope), ‘chinkara’ and hare.

The bird life at Kumbhalgarh is also gratifying. The normally shy and untrusted grey jungle fowl can be spotted here. Peacocks and doves can be sighted regularly feeding on grains scattered by the jungle guards. Birds like the red spur owls, parakeets, golden oriole, grey pigeons, bulbul, dove and white breasted kingfisher can also be seen near the water holes.
Kumbhalgarh’s natural beauty is attracting many tourists and especially for its accessibility from Udaipur, which is 100 Kms from here. Foot tracking and horse safari organised by local tour operators are proving to be very popular. A typical safari route enters the sanctuary from the Kumbhalgarh Fort and cutting across the sanctuary it reaches Ghanerao, and then borders an old abandoned road. On this road, one can sight ‘chinkaras’, ‘neelgais’, four horned antelope and many birds.

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