Alwar Town

Alwar is a nice mix of the old and the new, the green and the dry. Lying on the fringes of the Aravalli Range in eastern Rajasthan, the place looks as if it has been carved out of jagged, craggy rocks. The princely state of Alwar came up only in the late 18th century when the once mighty Mughal Empire was breathing its last. On the other hand, Alwar is ancient too. The region boasts of one of the oldest sites in the country – Viratnagar – associated with the Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata fame. and that was somewhere around 1500 BC!

¤ Main Attractions in Alwar

Alwar, the capital of this ancient state, is a bustling industrial centre today. It is also one of Delhi's satellite towns. (37km). Though not a bigshot like Jaipur or Udaipur, Alwar does boast of many beautiful monuments like the City Palace, Bala Quila and Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri. The Tomb of Fateh Jung (1647AD) is a local landmark, with a huge dome and internal ornamental plasterwork in low relief. There's another one – the Tomb of Tarang Sultan (mid-17th century) – which is also known as the Tripolia. The Nehru Park is a beautiful patch of green, lined on one side by blue mountains. In fact, you'd be enchanted by Alwar's Railway Station itself to begin with (if you're coming by train). It’s an old one, made of pink sandstone, and said to be one of the neatest in the country.

Travelling a little away from the hub of the town, you could visit the Vijay Mandir and the beautiful Jaisamand Lake. In fact, many of Alwar's beauties lie outside town, like Siliserh, Neemrana, Rajgarh, Bhangarh and Neelkanth. The Aravalli Range provides the region with many deep verdant valleys as well as bare and lifeless patches, which not only make Alwar picturesque, but also the favourite hangout for four-footed residents and feathered visitors.

Vinay Vilas Mahal (the palace complex)
Vinay vilas is the palace complex which is situate below the fort and some of its parts have been converted into a Government office. The Palace dates back to 18 the centuary and is a perfect combo of Rajput and Mughal architecture.

Government Museum
You can locate an array of Mughal and Rajput painting here. You have the rare art objects and miniature writings. The museum remain closed to the public on Fridays and on public holidays.

Sariska Tiger Reserve
This is the nearest Tiger Reserve and spans over 800 kms of forests. The wildlife parks comes under Project Tiger Reserve. The tiger reserve is a home to some of the best known wildlife sanctuaries.

Tomb of Fateh Jung
This spectacular tomb has a massive dome which is a fine blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. Fateh Jung was a minister of Mughal emperor shah and related to Khanzada rulers of Alwar.

Bala Quila (The Fort)
Bara Quila, the fort, is known for its history which tends to come from Mughal rulers.

Alwar- School of Arts
Alwar was a buzzing centre of literary activities in the past, inspiring a great number of poets and writers. A school of miniature painting also thrived here, ample proof of which lies in the Government Museum. As for handicrafts, you could try the pretty glass-bangles or colourful saris (the long piece of cloth cleverly worn by Indian women) that are dished out by local artisans. A handful of them practice the unique craft of double-sided dying; they dye one side of a sari in one colour and the other side in another colour, without the slightest mix of colours. In fact, these dyers are among the best in the country. The artisans also make brilliantly dyed pagris (turbans). Another important craft of Alwar which needs to be mentioned is kagazi. These are unique paper-thin pots crafted from roots of plants with beautiful patterns carved into their delicate double walls.

¤ Excursions from Alwar

Jaisamand Sanctuary
This sanctuary is located 50 kms south of Udaipur and is a scenic destination. The succulent valleys and hills lies on the bank of Jaisamand lake, which is one of the second largest artificial lake in Asia.

Silserh lake
Situated 13 kms from Alwar city, Silserh was constructed in 1845 AD by Maharaja Vinay Singh. It was constructed in 1845 AD by Maharaja Vinay Singh. Spanning over an area of seven sq kms, this beautiful lake is adorned with domed cenotaphs.

Vijai Mandir Palace
This palace is located 10 kms away from the city and is one of the splendid palace which was constructed by the Maharaja Jai Singh in 1918 A.D. This is a splendid palace overlooking a fascinating sight.

¤ Alwar Getting there

Fly Away :
The nearest airport is Delhi International Airport which is located 163 kms from the city. From Delhi, you can come to Alwar by a bus or a train.

On Track :
The city is well connected with some of the major cities of India. Trains like Shatabdi express, Superfast Express, Intercity express, Marudhar Express and Mandore express connects Alwar with cities like Delhi, Varanasi, Ajmer, Sarai Rohilla and Jodhpur.

On Wheels :
It connects some of the major cities of Rajasthan by road. The city is well connected by Jaipur (143 kms) and Delhi ( 164 kms).

¤ Main Shopping Hubs

There are quite a few market areas in Alwar, full of the heat and dust of Rajasthan. Some of them are Hope Circus, Bajaja Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, Mala Khera Bazaar and Kedalganj Bazaar. Jewellery and other handicraft items are the best things you could take back home. Hope Circus, which is quite a busy place, gets its name from a monument of the same name. The latter is a circular structure with flights of steps leading to the top from all four sides. It was named after Miss Hope, daughter of Lord Linlithgow, the then Viceroy of India, on the occasion of her visit to Alwar in 1939-40. and while we're still at shopping and bazaars, you should try the wonderful mawa (a kind of sweet made of milk) in Alwar. You simply shouldn't miss that!