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| Moti Magri: Udaipur |
Rajputana is like the Mecca of Medieval History Lovers. I am no exception. My last trip to Rajasthan was to Amer (Jaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur) as well as Bikaner and Jaisalmer, the sand dunes and budding cities of the modern-day Rajputana. This one was closer to my heart. Why?
I have been addicted to History forever and hence addicted to historical shows as well. As many of my readers know and are as well, a fan of Bharat Ka Veer Putra Maharana Pratap hence this trip was a dream come true as I could explore the land he loved and lived for. Maharana Pratap's Mewar. I call it Mesmerizing Mewar.
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| Chittorgarh View From Guard House at Ram Pol |
Well, for a start, you enter Bundi and Mewar and you will feel you have travelled back in time. The villages, the cities, the streets, the food, the people... Everything is strangely similar to the way it was 600 years back if not more. The name of the streets are still like Kuthariyon ki Gali, Rani ki bagh etc, the name of the villages are exactly what we read about in 600 years old history, and the people still call the Maharani's Baisa. The village scenes take you back to the era of Mewar Valor and Sacrifice. The forests are still dense with leopards, bears and small wild cats at large and the jheels and talabs are still the centre of activities and worship.
In my series I choose to title Mesmerizing Mewar I will take you all on a journey through my trip, using my pics and what I experienced at each place. These will be the parts...
Bundi: The Invincible Fort
Bijolia: The Nature and the History of a Small Town
Chittorgarh: The Dream Destination with subcategories like:
Chittorgarh - The Story of Sacrifices (Kumbha Palace and Sringaar Chauri, Rana Kumbha, Rani Karnavati, Panna Dai, Kunwar Pratap)
Chittorgarh- The Towers of Faith and Victory (Vijay Stambh and Kirti Stambh)
Chittorgarh - The Devoted Fort (Meera Bai, the Talabs and Temples)
Chittorgarh - The First Jauhar (Padmini Palace and Jauhar Sthal, legends of queen Padmini)
Chittorgarh - The Final Seige (Mohor Magri and Battleground)
Udaipur: The Modern Heritage
Eklingji, Nagda, Nathdwara, Ranakpur, Delwara: The Religious History
Kumbhalgarh and Gogonda: The Witness of Turmoils
Haldighati: The First War of Independence
Chavand: The Maharana's Capital
Mewar: Food, Culture and dreams
It will be taking a lot of my time and your patience in this journey but I hope to give you a clear view of the places the way I saw them. I first reached Bundi, the city adjacent to the princely state of what once was Mewar, now Udaipur and Bhilwara district. From Bundi, I took a cab to Chittorgarh, which is a three-hour drive, Menal and Bijolia fall on the way to the Fort, as well as the Bhimlat Mahadev and waterfalls. From Chittorgarh, we took a cab to Udaipur, it's a four hours drive. Keeping Udaipur as the centre we can visit Kumbhalgarh, Gogunda, Eklingji, Chavand, Kakroli, Rajsmand, Mt. Abu, Jaismand, Ranakpur, Nagda, Nathdwara and Haldighati, each an hour or two drive amidst the beauty of Mewar's nature. I will take you all through the journey where History comes alive to give you goosebumps.
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| Marked Here are the places I saw and the arrow indicates my journey direction. One thing is wrong with this Map. Bijolia is situated between Bundi and Chittorgarh 55Kms from Bundi and not near Udaipur as it is Marked here. |
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