The biggest attractions of Rajasthan are its ancient monuments - forts, palaces, funerary monuments - which are architectural masterpieces. Added to these are eco-sites celebrating water, such as stepwells (temple-like, intricately carved wells with steps that lead down to a subterranean water source), temples at the sites of natural perennial mountain springs, and palaces set in the midst of lakes.
Hospitality at Sarang palace includes taking guests on tours of these heritage sites in and around Jaipur. The most famous of these are the Amber Fort , Jaigarh and Nahargarh Forts, the City Palace, Hawa Mahal (the Palace of Winds, a five-storied viewing gallery for the royal ladies), Jal Mahal (the Palace of the Waters), the Jantar Mantar observatory, the cenotaphs of Gaitore, the temples at the perennial springs of Galta, and the Sisodia Rani Bagh (a royal pleasure garden built for a queen, with interesting architectural detail).
Guests are also taken to visit functioning temples and mosques. Some of these go far back in time, such as the 18th. century Govind Devji Mandir (temple dedicated to Krishna) in Jaipur, and the 13th. century tomb and mosque of Kwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer. These religious shrines not only represent distinctive architectural styles - Islamic, Hindu, and a blend of the two), but also provide insights into different religious beliefs and practices besides bringing you up close to ordinary people.
Depending on the length of your stay at Sarang Palace, and how many of these sites you wish to cover, the cost could range from INR-800 to 1500 per taxi . A day trip to the temple town of Pushkar and the Sufi shrine of Ajmer Sharif (130 kms) would cost INR 2500 to 3000 per taxi.
Ajmer has a 1300 year old history, and is the quintessential symbol of India's syncretic culture: an amalgam of Hindu, Islamic and Jain cultures and traditions that survives even today.
Founded in the 7th. century as 'Ajay Meru' ('the invincible hill'), by Maharaja Ajay Pal of the Chauhan Rajput clan as the capital of his kingdom, it yielded to Islam at the end of the 12th. century, when the Turkish invader Mohammed Ghori defeated Prithvi Raj Chauhan, the last Hindu king of Delhi. After a turbulent 300-year old history, Ajmer became an integral part of the Mughal empire in the mid-16th. century, when the Emperor Akbar made it his base for his conquest of Rajputana. In the early-19th. century, the city came under British rule - a little pocket of British India with an important military base - while the rest of Rajputana remained under the rule of autonomous Rajput kingdoms, albeit under 'benign' British supervision.
Today, the ancient quarter of Ajmer has well-preserved architectural remains - forts, Hindu and Jain temples and cenotaphs, Indo-Islamic architectural monuments such as tombs and palaces, some now converted into museums - from all these phases in its history.
Ajmer is most visited for its 13th. century Dargah Sharif, one of the holiest Muslim shrines in India. This is the final resting place of the Sufi saint and mystic Kwaja Moinuddin Chishti, also known as the 'Bestower of Boons'. The shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims - including Hindus - from all over the world, who come to make a wish and, again, to offer thanks after their wish is fulfilled.
Visit Ajmer and learn about the Chishti legend. Be introduced to the moving strains of the Qawwal - a Sufi musical tradition - that transports the believer into a realm of mystical love. And make your wish, by tying a little red-and-yellow thread to one of the marble filigree windows of the shrine. You will see millions of little threads there, tied by pilgrims who visited before you in the hope of a dream coming true. The pilgrims vow to return when their wish is fulfilled, when they untie any one of the threads on that window and fasten it on to their own right wrist as a symbol of gratitude
Pushkar is 11 kms from Ajmer, the two places naturally separated by the 'Snake Mountain'. Pushkar's sacred lake - 'Lake of Lotuses' - is believed by Hindus to be as old as creation, and its waters a source of special powers that bestow health, beauty, fertility and wisdom. A place of pilgrimage through centuries, Pushkar's glories are celebrated as far back as the ancient epic Ramayana. Punched coins date its presence to the 4th. century B.C. And, archaeological excavations show it to have been a Jain settlement before it became a Hindu temple city in the 9th. century.
Its layers of historical tradition intact, this ancient city continues to be a major pilgrim center. It is best known for its 14th. century Brahma Temple, believed to be the only temple in the world dedicated to Brahma, the god of creation. When you visit, you will hear the colourful legend of Brahma's amorous dalliances with a local Pushkar girl that invited the curse of his wife that he would remain forever homeless on earth outside of Pushkar.
Imagine a blue lake in the center, a dense cluster of whitewashed temples around it, and the whole surrounded by acres and acres of red roses… and you have Pushkar!
Today around five hundred temples - some dating back to the 10th. century - dedicated to all the major and minor gods in the Hindu pantheon, ring the Lotus Lake. Broad flights of steps lead down from the temples to the holy waters. What is distinctive about Pushkar is that every caste group in Rajasthan - high and low - has always had its own temple there, each with its own rest houses and resident and visiting sadhus (ascetics, many in dreadlocks, and always dressed in flowing saffron or white robes). In the cobblestone lanes of the city, sadhus and pilgrims from every part of Rajasthan in distinctive traditional attire jostle with locals and tourists. Tiny colourful shops line these streets selling offerings for worship, sweets... something for everyone. All these together make Pushkar a truly exotic experience.
Two other features add to Pushkar's uniqueness. Surrounding the city are nearly a thousand acres of farmland that grow only roses. You will see these bright red roses everywhere you look: piled high in Pushkar's and Ajmer's flower shops, adorning the deities in the temples, woven into chadars (screens) offered at Muslim places of worship, and in the flower markets of Jaipur and beyond. Pushkar came to be established as a center for red rose cultivation by an order of the Mughal court, its main clients being the royal court, places of Islamic and Hindu worship, ittar (perfume) and wine making factories, and manufacturers of ingredients for pan (betel leaf) preparations. The Mughal court may have become extinct, but the roses of Pushkar continue to service the other sets of clients.
The other unique feature is the annual week-long Pushkar Camel Fair, that begins on the 8th. day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October-November) and closes on the night of the full moon. Believed to be the largest and only animal fair of its kind in the world, it combines cattle trading and religious activities in the first and second half of the week, respectively. In this week, Pushkar becomes an explosion of colour and festivities that offers a feast for the senses. You can see horse and camel races, rural games and competitions, beauty contests for animals and humans, performances of folk music and dances from across Rajasthan, and sale of handicrafts
Amber (or Amer), 10 kms. from Jaipur, was established in the 16th. century as the first capital city of the Kachchawa kings. The imposing Amber Fort houses an enormous complex of palaces, zenanas (women's residences), royal halls of audience, temples, army barracks, and pleasure gardens. It runs across one of the high hills of the Aravalli Range that provided the natural fortification for the later, and more settled, city of Jaipur that Maharaja Jai Singh commissioned in the 18th. century.
Today, the ancient city of Amber outside the fort complex is in ruins, but makes for dramatic viewing from the fort and from close-up. The present municipality of Amber has a dense presence of traditional handicrafts - carpets, quilts, miniature paintings on silk, block printed sheer cottons, colourful textiles in tie-dye, marble and stone sculpture, leathercraft - manufactured for the modern luxury market.
When the Kachchawa capital moved to Jaipur at the foot of the hills, the kings built two more forts on nearby hill-tops - Jaigarh and Nahargarh -to form a ring of fortification for the new city. A trip to Amber would ideally include these two unmissable forts, which also contain their own distinctive architectural styles and palace complexes, besides offering unforgettable views of Jaipur city spreading out in the distance.
The road to Amber from Jaipur also consists of a magnificent stretch with once-beautiful but now old and crumbling monuments running along one length, and a promenade-fronted lake along the other. In the center of the lake sits the exquisite Jal Mahal ('Palace of the Waters') (now under restoration), against a background of gently rising green hills. From here, the road rises into the starkly dramatic Aravalli Hills, and leads on to the Maoti Lake that mirrors a stunning view of the Amber Fort.
Jaipur is the acknowledged gateway to the region. Historically, by virtue of its proximity to Delhi, it was open to the cultural influences of Mughal rule and, later, British colonial rule. Today, it has the state's only international airport. Jaipur is an unspoilt, 18th. century experience that prepares the traveler for what the rest of the state has to offer. Along with Delhi (250 kms) and Agra (230 kms), Jaipur makes up the 'golden triangle' that offers probably the single largest concentration of places of tourist interest in northern India.
Jaipur - the 'Pink City' - was built in the early 18th. century as a planned city with seven gates, to replace Amber as the capital of the Kachchawa kings. The Kachchawa Rajputs trace their ancestry back to the sun, hence the Sun God as the symbol of Jaipur. Maharaja Jai Singh, its founder, was India's greatest astronomer king, who opened his court to scientific knowledge from all over the world, and designed the Jantar Mantar, the world's largest stone and marble crafted observatory with 17 large instruments.
Essential viewing of historical monuments in Jaipur are: Amber fort, the City Palace and museum, Ram Niwas Bagh museum, Hawa Mahal, and the Jantar Mantar observatory. No trip would be complete without handicraft and jewellery shopping.
For the leisurely and focused traveler, there are more monuments: Sisodia Rani ka Bagh (Mughal-style pleasure garden), the ancient springs and temples of Galta, the cenotaphs of Gaitore, the step-well at Abhaneri, the Govind Devji Mandir (temple), the ancient craft bazaars, the timeless temple town of Pushkar, the 13th. century shrine of the Sufi saint Chishti...