Vijay Mandir Palace

¤ The Palace Attraction

There are some interesting places you could visit if you travel a little away from the main township. Perhaps that is the reason why it is often said that Alwar's best attractions are outside the town. Vijay Mandir (1918) is a magnificent palace located 10km from Alwar. This elaborate 105-roomed palace with a well laid garden and a rippling lake in the foreground was built by Maharaja Jai Singh, supposedly along the lines of a ship. The eccentric Jai Singh had some good ideas after all (see History of Alwar and Moti Doongri for more on the king's deeds).

But of course, if Jai Singh had given shape to something nice, his 'normal eccentricities’ couldn't be far behind. It so happened that the maharaja had earlier commissioned another palace, Yashwant Niwas. It was an elegant Italianate one. Fastidious as he was, Jai Singh decided at once that he didn't like it, and built the Vijay Mandir. At least he was quick to make decisions!


¤ Sita Ram Temple

Within the palace grounds is the Sita Ram Temple. Devotees throng to this temple during Ramnavami, an important festival of North India (see Religion of India for more on Ramnavami).

Note: Visitors need permission from the Maharaja of Alwar (at Alwar House, New Delhi) to enter the Vijay Mandir.

¤ Moti Doongri

Nothing remains of Moti Doongri (Pearl Hill) now except for a lingering sense of loneliness and waste. Courtesy the same Jai Singh who burnt his pony (see History of Alwar). You'd be thoroughly disappointed to see the ruins of the glorious 100-roomed palace that was so perfectly destroyed flat by the eccentric Maharaja. Why? Some say he wanted the wealth that was supposed to have been buried under the hill. Others say that he went quite mad after his favourite queen committed suicide. But who knows the truth? The saddest part of the story is the way he destroyed this place. The demolition took two whole years and cost more than what it took to build it!