Dholpur

Dholpur is an interesting town to visit, especially because it is far from the usual tourist track and thus, quite 'undiscovered'. But Dholpur is well known in another way – for its excellent sandstone.This red stone was used for building not just the local structures but also those of Delhi like the Red Fort. In fact, the architect of modern Delhi, Edward Lutyens, had a special liking for it.

¤ Main Attractions of Dholpur

Laswari
Laswari is a historical site of Dholpur where Daulat Rao Scindia was defeated by Lord Lake. You could see the ruins of the oldest Mughal garden, the
Damoh Waterfall and the Kanpur Mahal. They all form a beautiful piece of attractions at Laswari.
Shergarh Fort
Situated south of Dholpur, is the Shergarh Fort which was constructed by Sher Shah Suri on the ruines of Hindu Fortress.

The Khanpur Mahal
This was a pleasure house for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The exquisite structure of the Khanpur Mahal tends to lure number of travellers.

The Shiva Temple
This is a historical monuments which boast great architectural beauty of all times. The shiva temple is located near the Gwalior Agra Road.

¤ Excursions

Machchhkund (8Km.)
Machchhkund is a must visit. Named after Raja Machh Kund, it is an ancient sacred place. The kind Machh Kund was the twenty forth king of the Suryavanshi Dynasty ( the solar race).According to legend, Raja Machh Kund was sleeping here when demon Kaal Yaman while pursuing Lord Krishna accidentally woke him up. It is a sacted place for pilgrims and had many enclosures arround it which was constructed by the Mughal emperor, Akbar.

Ramsagar Sanctuary (34Km.)

Ramsagar sanctuary is one of the well known sanctuary and is a part of Ramsagar lake. The scenic lake supports rich aquatic life which includes fresh water crocodiles and number of species of fishes and snakes.Water Birds like Cormorants. Darter, Ibis, White breasted Water Hen are some to name off. In winters, you would be able to some migratory ducks and gease. They visit Ramsagar lake in good numbers.


Talab-E-Shahi (40Km.)

Just 40 kms from Dholpur is yet another scenic and historic lake known as Talab-e-shahi. Both the lake and the palace was constructed in 1617 AD. They were considered as the shooting lodge for Price Shahjahan. As a memorial, Talab- E- Shahi was made by the rulers of Dholpur. Number of migratory lakes used to visit this lake. Migratory fowls like Pintals, shoveller, redcrested pochard, common pochard, tufted duck, common teal, garganery teal.

Van Vihar Wild Life Sanctuary
Just 18 kms of the city lies the Van Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, This is one of the oldest wildlife reserve of the Dholpur rulers. Spanning over an area of 59. 86 sq km, Van Vihar is located over Vidhyan Plateau.

¤ The Foundation of Dholpur

Dholpur was created as the capital of a Jat state in as recent as 1805 AD of Rajestan. But the original town is much older than this. It is said to have been built in the early 11th century by one Raja Dhawal Deo. Dhawal’s city was a little to the south of the present city, and was originally known as Dhawalpuri. People started calling it Dholpur only much later. The state was a small one, but with a very turbulent history. Its strategic location on the main route from Kabul and Delhi to Deccan and its proximity to cities like Gwalior and Agra attracted the attention of almost all the powerful rulers. As such the place has had to witness many bloody wars. and though the rulers of Dholpur resisted with valour, it was, time and again, plundered and devastated several times.

¤ History of Dholpur

What appears as an insignificant group of villages now, has a fascinating story to tell. Sikandar Lodi (of the Delhi Sultanate fame; see History of Dehli for details) plundered it in 1501, totally destroying all its lovely gardens. The proximity to the Mughal capitals also left its stamp in every nook and corner of Dholpur. Babur took it under his wing in 1526, and Dholpur grew under Mughal care for sometime. During Humayun’s rule the city was moved northwards to avoid erosion by the river Chambal. Talking about battles again, the most (in)famous one in Dholpur's history is perhaps the battle of Samugarh, hosted by the Ran-ka-Chabutra in Rajasthan. (4.8km). Aurangzeb (son of Shah Jahan) fought his elder brother Dara Shikoh in 1658 to grab the throne of the Mughal Empire, where the former's small army defeated the latter's Imperial army.

There's a story behind this unfortunate reversal which changed the whole course of the history of Rajasthan, India. During the battle, Dara happened to climb down from his elephant just to settle a trivial matter. Without seeing him in his position, his army thought him to have been killed, and panicked. The word spread around quickly and this brought the battle to an abrupt ends and Aurangzeb was declared winner. Dholpur must have been a favourite battlefield with Aurangzeb, for he was here again next year. This time he faced Chatar Sal, a Hara Chauhan of Bundi, who was fighting on Shah Jahan’s behalf (see History of Bundi for details). War happened in 1707 again, in the village of Bareta, where Aurangzeb's sons fought amongst themselves for the throne.