Alwar

Destination Details

Alwar was an ancient Rajput state, known for its rich natural heritage, beautiful lakes and valleys. This city was formerly known as ‘Mewar’, the people of the state did not accept any external interference’s and daringly resisted against foreign invasions. In the 12th and 13th centuries they formed a group and raided Delhi. But finally Sultan Bulban (1267 A.D. – 1287 A.D.) suppressed them, bringing the area under the Muslims rule. Maharaja Pratap Singh, a Kuchhwaha Rajput belonging to the clan of Jaipur’s rulers, won back Alwar In 1771 A.D. and founded a principality of his own. Situated between small hills of the Aravali range Alwar is 170 km from Delhi and 150 km from Jaipur. Alwar is also known for its finest wild life sanctuary in Sariska.

History of Alwar

The erstwhile state of Alwar, in North Eastern Rajasthan, is possibly the oldest kingdom in kingdom-studded Rajasthan. In 1500 BC it formed a part of the Matsya territories of Viratnagar (present-day Bairat), which also encompassed Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli. History becomes inextricably bound with mythology, as it was here in the ancient kingdom of Matsya. The city of Alwar is believed to have founded by a member of the Kachh family who hailed from Amber, but control was wrested from the Kachhwahas of Nikumbhas. They in turn lost the city to Bada Gurjara Rajputs of Machari. It passed to the Khanzadas, under Bah Nahara of Mewar, who converted from Hinduism to Islam to win the favour of Emperor Tughlaq of Delhi. At this time, Alwar was part of the kingdom of Mewar.

Descendants of Bahadura Nahara defended the Alwar fort against the Muslims in 1427. Alwar’s fortunes were inextric bound with those of Mewar, which was contiguous with Delhi. As Alwar located on the strategic south-western tier of Delhi, this of course rankled with Mughals, who mounted numerous military forays into the region, only conquering after great difficulty. Alwar was later granted to Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur by Aurangzeb. The Jats of Bharatpur then threw their hat into the ring, briefly overrunning the region, and installing themselves in the Alwar fort. They were evicted by the Lalawat Narukas (descendants of the Kachhwaha prince of Amber, Naru) between 1775 and 1782 under the leadership of the Naruka thakur (noble) Pratap Singh.

His descendants were great patrons of the arts, commissioning the transcription of numerous sacred and scholarly texts and encouraging painters and artisans to visit the Alwar court. In 1803, the British invested the Alwar thakur with the title of Maharaja as thanks for their support in a battle against the Marathas. This friendly alliance was short-lived, however, with the Maharaja of Alwar strongly resenting British interference in governance when a British Resident was installed in the city. Following Independence, Alwar was merged with the other princely states of Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur, forming the United State of Matsya, a name which reflected the fact that those states all comprised the ancient Matsya kingdom. In 1949, Matsya was merged with the state of Rajasthan.

Climate of Alwar

The climate of Alwar is quite dry. The summer season is very hot, but a little less than the other cities of Rajasthan. The average temperature in the summers ranges between 41°C (maximum) to 28°C (minimum), approximately. Alwar weather experiences a cold winter. The winter temperature falls in the range of 23°C (maximum) to 8°C (minimum), approximately. Regarding more information about the climatic conditions of Alwar, the city experiences a short monsoon. The average annual rainfall is approximately 57.77 cm, with the average humidity being 70%.

Tourist Attractions in Alwar

The City Palace: Seperated from the base of the hill by Sagar, a picturesque tank it consists of a group of buildings in different styles. The Armoury has old swords,sabres and other weapons of Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan, Dara Shikoh, Nadirshah and Aurangzein addition to those bearing the seals of persian rulers, can be seen here. Of these some have hilts of gold studdes with jewels.

The Fort Bala Quila: This huge fort with its ramparts stretching 5 km form north to south and 1.6 km from east to west, stands 300 metres above the city and 595 metres above the sea level. Constructed before the rise of the Mughal empire. Babar had spent a night at this for and took away the hidden treasures to gift to his son, Humayun. Akbar’s son , Jahangir had also stayed here for some time during his exile. The place where he stayed is called salim mahal. The for was finally annexed by maharaja Pratap singh in 1775 A.D. It is a forbidding structure with 15 large and 51 small towers and 446 openings for musketry, along with 8 huge towers encompassing it. The fort has several gates-jai pole, Suraj pole, Laxman Pole, Chand Pole, Kishan Pole and Andheri Gate. Also there are remains of Jal Mahal, Nikumbh Mahal, Salim Sagar, Suraj Kund and many temples.

Museum: The museum is lodged in a portion of the City Palace and has a finest collection of Mughal and Rajput painting dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries and some rare ancient manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit. “Gulistan” (the garden of roses) , “Waqiat-I-Babri” (autobiography of Mughal emperor Babar) and Bostan (the garden of spring) are some of the notable ones amongst the collection. It also has the copy of the great epic “Mahabharata” painted by the artists of the Alwar school. A rich collection of the Indian armoury are among other exhibits of the museum. Behind the City Palace is an artificial lake built in 1815 A.D. by Maharaja Vinay Singh with few temples along its banks. A marvellous chhatri with unusual Bengali roof and arches, also known as the Moosi Maharani ki chhatri, is situated in this are Purjan Vihar (Company Garden) : A picturesque garden,laid out during the reign of Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in 1868 A.D. The garden has an enchanting settign called “Shimla” which was built by Maharaja Mangal Singh in 1885 A.D. The lush surrounding and the cool shades make it the idyllic visiting spot during summers.

Vijai Mandir Palace (10 km): A splendid palace, built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1918 A. D. picturesque lake overlooking the palace makes it a fascinating sight. A fabulous Sita Ram Temple in the palace attracts number of devotees, especially during Ramnavami. One needs prior permission from the Secretary to visit the palace.

Siliserh Lake Palace (13 km): An idyllic picnic spot with enchanting landscape of wooded hills and beautiful chhatris on the embankment of the 10.5 sq. km placid lake. A magnificient royal palace and the hunting lodge, built by Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1845 A. D. for his queen Shila stands overlooking the lake. Now converted as the Hotel Lake Palace,it offers boating and sailing facilities and is a delight for the trigger-happy phjotographers and fil makers.

Jai Samand Lake (6 km): A beautiful artificial lake constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1910 A.D. is a popular spot for outing and picnics. During monsoons,sprawling greenery all around makes it a visual treat. Easily accessible by road from Alwar.

How to Reach Alwar

By Air:
Nearest airports are in Jaipur and Delhi.

By Road:
Alwar is well connected to different cities around it by road. Alwar is linked with Bharatpur, Deeg and Jaipur by road.

By Train:
An exciting and exotic train ‘Fairy Queen’, which is the oldest running steam locomotive in the world, runs from Delhi to Alwar. It takes about 3-4 hours to reach Alwar. There also other trains traveling from Delhi to Alwar.

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