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Jodhpur
At the entrance to the Thar Desert stands Jodhpur, the fortified city whose foundations were laid by Rao Jodha, Chief of the Rathore clan, in 1459 A.D.
The palaces within are noted for their fine lattice work in red sandstone. The Lakes and the temples add to the beauty and grandeur of Jodhpur. A view of the desert landscape and the fort against the sun’s rays at sunset present an unusual glow lending the fort a formidable look.
WHAT TO SEE:
MANDORE GARDENS: 
A pretty park, 8 km north of the city, it was the early capital of Marwar.The park contains the shrine of 300 Million Gods, a series of gigantic painted figures, some covered by devotees in layer over layer of silver leaf. Nearby, the hall of heroes was carved from a single rock wall.
VICTORY GATE & MEHRANGARH FORT:
Jodhpur’s massive Victory gate was erected by Ajit Singh to mark a military defeat over the Mughals in the 18th century. Above it, the 500 year old Mehrangarh Fort looms almost 500 feet dominating the entire landscape. It is a grim, almost impenetrable fort concealing extraordinary
palaces and spanning five centuries of Rajput glory.
UMAID BHAWAN:
Now a luxury hotel, the building is really new incomparison.It was finished in 1942. It is made with pink sandstone, a stamp really of the massive edifices designed by Edward Lutyens for New Delhi. In fact, one of Umaid Bhawan’s architects, H.V.Lancaster, had worked with Lutyens.
An interesting fact about the palace is the reason for constructing it. Maharaja Umaid Singh commissioned the palace to provide work thousands of his subjects in 1930 when a particularly severe famine had hit the princely state.
EXCURSIONS:
FORT POKHARAN:
Pokhran, incidentally, was the site of India’s nuclear test explosion on May 18, 1974. The massive, cream-coloured, 14th century fort, 168 Km from Jodhpur, always a town of narrow lanes bordered by slopes and houses. Pokharan (formerly Balagarh) Fort once sheltered the 16th century Mughal Emperor, Humayun’s- Babar,s son and Akbar’s Father) from the Afghans led by Sher Shah Suri – builder of the famous sub-continental Grand Trunk Road after he lost in a battle.
STANDARD SIGHTSEEING TOURS:
HALF DAY CITY:
Half day tour visiting the Mehrangarh fort, situated on a low sandstone hill, including, Moti Mahal and Phool Mahal. Also visit Jaswant Thada, an imposing marble memorium built in 1899 and the Museum located in the Umaid public gardens.
HALF DAY EXCURSION TO MANDORE:
Mandore, the ancient capital of Marwar (8 Kms from Jodhpur) was abandoned for strategic reasons. At the foot of the hills amidst gardens, commemorative cenotaphs line the silent city. A shrine reportedly of 300 million gods contains the life size statues of local deities and heroes.
Kota
A blend of the ancient and the new, Kota today is a modern town throbbing with activity and progressive industrialization. But the old world charm lingers. The ancient town on the banks of the Chambal River is one of the ideal places to study the fusion of the traditional and the modern. A fort overlooks the Kota Dam complex and palace in interestingly juxtaposed with the Kota Banage.Kota boasts of Asia’s largest fertilizer plant, a precision instrument unit and an atomic power station. About 40 Km. away Bundi is like a page out of history.
WHAT TO SEE:
CHAMBAL GARDEN:
The lush green garden at Amar Niwas makes a lovely picnic spot.
MAHARANA MADHO SINGH MUSEUM:
Housed in an old place of the maharanas, the museum houses a rich collection of Rajput miniature paintings of the Kota school, exquisite sculptures, frescoes, arms and other valuable antiques.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM:
The museum has a treasure of rare old coins, manuscripts and a representative selection of Hadoti sculptures.
JAG MANDIR:
An aesthetic monument in the middle of Kishore Sagar Lake.
CHATTAR MAHAL OR PALACE OF TOWERS:
A steep, paved carriage-way leads up to this monument. The Hazari Pol pf Gate of the thousand, the Nanbat Khana, the Hathi Pol with curious old water clock, Diwan –i-Am, are some places of interest here.
CHITRA MAHAL:
Some of the finest Bundi mural paintings which have attained world fame can be seen here. This palace was built by Rao raja Shatroo Salaji.
PHOOL SAGAR:
A palace built in the 20th century with architecture typical of the time, is the pleasant home of the former ruler.
SHIKAR BURJ:
The Royal hunting lodge. Nestling in the woods south of Phool Sagar.
KOHAKSAR BAGH:
Near the Shikar Burj is an old well-maintained garden where cenotaphs of the kings and queens of bundi have been built. The most of awesome cenotaph is chatter Singh.
OTHER SIGHTS:
The Palace, Ratan Daulat, Ranjit ki Baori, Taragarh, Sukh Mahal etc.
EXCURSIONS:
WANKANER:
The Royal Palace of Wankaner, 50 km.away from Rajkot, has been converted into a luxury hotel spending a night could be like a warm trip. The palace has a swimming pool.
PORBANDER:
On the south coast about midway between verowal and Dwarka modern day Porbander is chiefly noted as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi.
JAMNAGAR:
Founded in 1540, Jamnagar, the capital of the Rajput Jadeja rulers of Nawanagar is known for his pearly fisheries and now as an air-force station. Ayurvedic College famous.
DWARKA:
The scared town of Dwarka, the place where lord Krishna is said to have ruled, sits on the western most top of Gujrat.Dwarka is one of the four most scared Hindu Pilgrimages.
JUNAGADH:
About a 100 km.from Rajkot is Junagadh, the capital of the erstwhile princely state of the name. The Upar Kot Fort, near town, is girdled by a high wall and was known for its inaccessibility.
Mount Abu
Mount Abu is both a summer and winter resort with its shaded woods, sheltered temple and shrines. Situated at a height of nearly 1200 meters in the Aravalli Hills, in its recesses are the Dilwara Jain Temples exquisitely carved in marble. To avoid destruction by the invader, the temples were cleverly hidden behind innocuous looking entrances.
WHAT TO SEE:
NAKKI LAKE AND SIGHTS IN TOWN:
Mount Abu’s centre is the Nakki Lake. Take a boat and explore the lake or
ride a pony around it. The landmark of Nakki Lake is toad rock, so called because it resembles a toad about to leap in to the water. It’s a pleasant walk to the Raghunath Temple. Or you could walk to the Raj Bhawan to see the Art Museum and Gallery. In the small Collection there are some textile and some carving from the 9th to 12th centuries.
DILWARA TEMPLE:
Five km. from town are two Jain temple of Dilwara and the reason for Mount Abu’s popularity since it double up as a hill station and a pilgrimage. These temples are beautiful and some of the most deftly carved in all of India.
The other two temples was built in 1031 by Virmal, a minister in the court of an early Gujarati ruler, Bhim Deva. One of the earlier Jain temples in India, it is made of pure white deities and dancing figures and fantastic lacelike designs. In a hall outside the temple, images of Virmal and his family riding marble elephants in a procession to a handsomely carved domed portico. Inside the temple, with in his little shrine, the smooth bronze statue of Adinath sits cross-legged, adorned with jewels and gazing out at passing pilgrims. The elaborately carved dome is supported by richly carved pillars. More carved pillars-48 in all lead to the temple country and enclosed by a wall with 52 little cells, each housing a seated image of a Jain saint.
The second temple was built about 200 years later by two brothers, Tejpal and Vastopal, minister of Raja Viradhawaler, a ruler of Gujarat, while this temple follows the same general plan as the first, it is even more richly ornamented, resembling a marble tapestry. Here, however, marble carving reaches its zenith in the partly opened lotus dropping like a pendant from the dome.
ACHALGARH FORT & ACHALESHWAR TEMPLE:
Instead of lingam at this Shiva temple, there is a pit which supposed to go to the nether world. It is believed that Shiva jumped in and made the pit, leaving his right toe behind, which is now worshipped here. Shiva’s mount, Nandi the bull, is handsomely set in bronze.
A path with souvenir stalls in the Fort leads up to another notable group of Jain temples which are elegant. The plateau on top offers a fine view of the valley. Down in the parking area is an empty tank, which was once believed to have been full of ghee till greedy demons disguised as buffaloes drank it up. But a King put an end to the thieving in the statue of a king taking aim with a bow and arrow at statue buffalos around the tank.
STANDARD SIGHTSEEING TOURS:
Located 4,000 ft. above sea level, Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s solitary hill station that is also a pilgrimage centre for Jains. Half day visit to Dilwara temples consisting of decoration in stone. Later visit Nakki Lake, Toad Rock, and Achalagarh Fort etc.
Lucknow
Lucknow derives its name from Lakshmana (the brother of Rama, the hero of the epic, the Ramayana), who lived here towards the end of his life.Lucknow entered contemporary history in the 18th century when, as the Kingdom of Oudh (Avadh), it broke away from the Mughal Empire.Lucknow played a great part in the 1st War of Independence in 1857.
Lucknow brings to mind a way of life of poetry and perfumes, good food, gracious manners and aesthetic living, all of which were and are, even today, part of Lucknowi culture.
WHAT TO SEE:
BARA IMAMBARA:
The great memorial was built in 1784 AD by Asaf-ud-Daula to provide work for his subjects during a famine. The Imambara is an oblong building blending European and Islamic styles. The central hall, site of Asaf-ud- Daula’s tomb, is 162 feet long, 53feet wide and 50 feet height without any supporting pillar and is said to be one of the world’s largest vaulted chambers. Under this gallery are a series of passages which have been closed off.
CHHOTA IMAMBARA:
The small memorial hussainabad is tropped with a main golden dome set amidst other smaller domes. The mixtures of buildings were constructed in 1837 by Muhammad Ali Shah as his mausoleum. The ornate main structure faces a pool which is flanked by two small Taj Mahal replicas-the tombs of his daughter and her husband. The tombs of Ali Shah and his mother are inside where there are mirrored walls and crystal chandeliers. The nawab’s silver throne can also be seen here.
The watch over across the chhota Imambara is called the “seven story tower” but construction on it had to stop after Ali Shah’s death in 1840. Only the fourth storey is complete.
SHAH NAJAF IMAMBARA:
This is the tomb of Ghazi-ud-din Haider Khan, who died in 1827, and his wives. Furious here during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 has destroyed some structures.
OTHER PLACES OF INTREST:
The zoo has a large snake collection, Archeological Museum, Kaiser Bagh, National botanical Research Institute etc.
LA MARTINIERE:
A curious site on the outskirts of town is La Martini ere. Built at the end of the 18th century as Constantia, the private home of French soldier of fortune, Claude Martin, it is now a fine private school. Supposedly designed by Martin himself, the building is a motlan mix of with its gargoules, classic columns, open archways, porticos and turrets.
STANDARD SIGHTSEEING TOURS:
Lucknow - city of Gardens was the 18th century capital of Nawab Wazirs and the centre of culture and tradition. Visit for 2-3 hours the great Imambara, Jama Masjid, Picture Gallery, The Clock Tower, Roomi darwaza, Residency and Dilkusha palace.
Kullu & Manali
The Kullu Valley with its pastoral ambience, fruit orchards, temples and mountain scenery, is one of the beautiful valleys in the Himalayas. Manali, 40Km. beyond Kullu, is reached by a dramatic ascent at the end of which one can view the central Himalayan ranges. It is a green hill resort surrounded by mountain ranges and gushing streams. During the Dussehra festival the whole valley comes alive with music and dances, fairs and festivals.
WHAT TO SEE:
TEMPLES:
The principal temple in Kullu, Raghunathji temple, was built in the 17th century. The Devi Jayannathi temple is situated on a steep hill & is a quiet walk away.
HADIMBA DEVI TEMPLE:
A Km walk- walk from Manali through pine woods is the Hadimba Devi temple, dedicated to a demo ness who married bhim, one of the five Pandav’s who wan the Mahabharata.
MANIKARAN:
A 45 Km. trek from Kullu closer to Manali is the hot springs supposedly the hottest in the world-town of Manikaran.The springs are supposed to provide relief from aches and pains.
VASHISHTA HOTSPRINGS:
This is closer to town, just 3 Km.from the Manali Bus stand. Like Manikaran, the water is said to be curative here also. Near the spring temple is dedicated to sage Vashisht, after whom the springs are named.
NAGGAR:
27km.from Manali & 72 km.from Kullu. It is the capital of the Kullu Rajas till 1660 AD.
SOLANG VALLEY:
Reached by road, the valley has a ski slope enroute to Kothi at Solang Nala. A winter carnival is held every year. Treks to glaciers can be rewarding.
ROHTANG PASS:
The highest point of the road, it is the first of the famous passes of the higher himalyas.This is the start of the snow only in the height of summer. Close by is the dassau Lake. Beas Kund, the source of river Beas is at Rohtang Pass.
STANDARD SIGHTSEEING TOURS:
KULLU:
One of the loveliest spot in the Himalaya the Kullu Valley is known as the “Valley of Gods”. Evidence of this is the numerous temples. It offers a variety of scenic charms, from wooded glades to barren rocks with snow above the tree line, Kullu is famous for its apple orchards, wooden temples, folk music and dances and their handsome hill folk.
MANALI:
This place is situated I the midst of pinewoods with high mountains towering above and the river Beas flowing below.Manali at the head of the Kullu valley(38kms from Kullu) is also the centre for hikes and treks. The hot springs in Parvati valley are the hottest in the world and posses curative qualities. Take a walk through the terraced paddy fields which take you above the tree line into a world of snow.
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