Historical

Fort Madhogarh, a fort for sightseeing, is presently a heritage hotel, carrying its identity of an ancestral property. This is in Madhogarh town of Rajastan, near Khalakho. The fort is set on a hill in Madhogarh, once headquarters of Swathi Pratap Singh during his fight against the Marathas. The city is in the favorite list of historians.

The remains of the battle in Madhogarh, on the plains of Tunga river, is still present here as bits of rusted armours and human bones.

Balsamand Lake is the most popular picnic spot around Jodhpur. It is an artificial lake, built in 1159 AD as a water reservoir to provide water to the city. The lake is situated in the Jodhpur-Mandore Road, around seven kilometres from the centre of Jodhpur city.

The lake has a length of almost one kilometre, breadth of approximately 50 metres and a depth of 15 meters. Adjacent to the lake stands one of the several imposing palaces in the region, Balsamand Lake Palace. The lake is surrounded by 300 acres of lush green gardens that house groves of trees like mango, pomegranate, guava and plum and several animals and birds like jackal and peacock.

The Hall of Heroes is a monument located in Mandore, which is about 10 km north of Jodhpur. Mandore had been the capital of the princely state of Marwar before Jodhpur. The Hall of Heroes is situated near the temple-shaped cenotaphs of former Rajput kings in Mandore Gardens.

Jaswant Thada is about four kilometres away from Jodhpur city. It is situated on the left side of Fort Mehrangarh, in fact between the fort and the city. It is a royal cenotaph built in 1899 in commemoration of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, who was the 33rd king of Jodhpur.

Mehrangarh Fort is one of the most imposing and largest forts not only in Jodhpur but in the whole India. It is a fort that oozes the charm and grandeur of a bygone era. It is situated five kilometres away in a hill in the outskirts of Jodhpur city. Its construction was started around 1459 by the king known as the founder of Jodhpur, Rao Jodha. But he could not complete it in his life time.

Its construction is believed to have been completed by Raja Jeswant Singh in the second half of the 17th century. The walls of the fort have a height of 36 metres and a width of 21 metres. There are several palaces inside the fort. The fort looks magnificent from the city and if you go inside the fort, the fort reciprocates the favour: the city looks unbelievably wonderful from the fort.

Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the last palaces built in India. It was built in 1944 by Maharaja Umaid Singh. The king was attracted very much to the western style of living. The palace reflects his taste, as it is one of the rare palaces in India whose architecture is distinctly western.

There are many havelis in Jaisalmer. Three of them are considered as the main havelis and they are Patwon-ki-Haveli, Salim Singh-ki-Haveli and Nathmalji-ki-Haveli.

Patwon-ki-Haveli is constructed by a wealthy banker and merchant known as Guman Chand Patwa. This haveli was completed by Guman’s five sons after his death. This majestic structure built in five stories took nearly 55 years to complete. This is the largest, elegant and most attractive haveli in Jaisalmer.

Salim Singh-ki-Haveli constructed in 1815 by the then prime minister Salim Singh. This beautiful structure crowned with an arched roof with imposing blue cupolas. It has fantastic carvings of peacocks on the roofs and walls.

Jaisalmer Fort, the golden fortress constructed by the renowned Rajput ruler Jaisal in 1156, is located at the majestic Trikuta hills. It is also known as Sonar Kila. Its historical importance stands with the many battles fought in this spectacular Fort. The fort was the major protective cover for the Rajput Kings from the attacks of foreign invaders.

The eye catching monument of medieval period had built in sandstones reflect yellowish-brown lions color during the day time and changes to magnificent honey gold color during the sunset.

Amber Palace: Amber Palace is part of Amber Fort. Majestically placed in the lap of the gigantic Amber fort, Amber Palace boast of an artistic grandeur and structural expertise. It is a reminiscent of the bravery and courage of the mighty Rajputs, who had played a remarkable role in the history of medieval India.

This rambling Palace depicts the true lifestyle of the gutsy Rajputs who are better known for their radical, audacious, volatile and decadent behaviour. One among the best hill top palaces, amber palace presents a curious blend of Muslim and Hindu architectural design. An aide memoir of the yesteryears, this palace is a redolent of creativeness of the artisans of ancient time.

Image Credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashwinkumar/4446102560/in/photostream/

The palace is surrounded by a sky-scraping wall on all sides, which makes it slightly difficult to find out the main entrance of the palace. The plan of this extensive mansion is the plan of the city itself and so the palace can be accessed only after roaming through the various bazaars of the city.

Occupying the 1/7th area of the city, the city palace poses as an impressive citadel, which displays an elegant mixture of Mughal and Rajasthan style architecture. Built by Maharaja Jai Singh II, this complex building has witnessed many additions and alterations to it.