Indian Excursionist: Rajasthan

Showing posts with label Rajasthan. Show all posts

It is that time of the year when Udaipur, the City of Lakes, blossoms with her stunning scenery. With greenery all around, lakes extravasate waters of the newly born rain and travelers ready to enjoy them.

If extravagant palace, lavish resorts, historical museums, man-made lakes, or heritage city life allures you, then Udaipur is open for you anytime of the year. But if you like to explore the raw natural beauty of Udaipur and are a traveler who like offbeat destinations that are peaceful, beautiful and less explored, then you must plan to travel in the monsoon season.

Most of the rural areas worth visiting are within a range of 20-30 km from downtown Udaipur. If you love road trips, then you should jump on your bikes and have an amazing ride to enjoy the lush green hills and scenic beauty. We decided to take one such road trip to Alsigarh which is around 25 km from the city.

Alsigarh is located in the southern west part of Udaipur district. It is surrounded by mountains, natural lakes, dam and small green hills, enough to mesmerize you with its peaceful aura.

In my view, to know a destination from a perspective which no travel blogs or magazines provide, you should:

1) Take a road trip to nearby rural areas.

2) Travel with a mindset like that of a local.

3) Monsoon is the best season for most of the places.

The black clouds roaring and mild drizzling gives you a pleasant experience. We were lucky to experience such drizzling on our trip. As soon as we left the city, drizzling started and everything turned green. Not literally but the greenery from the flora blossomed and as if they were expressing happiness and paying their respect to the clouds.

The ride was not so smooth, as there are areas where you will find no roads. But then where is the fun in riding on smooth roads. After about an hour, we reached Alsigarh. We asked the locals and they said to travel further inside about 3-4 km. And this time we had to drag our bikes on the mountains. We rode the bike on the mountains, but to our disappointment, we landed at the wrong hill. Now we asked the locals and found out that the dam was accessible from another mountain which was about 2 km from there. So we again rode to the right mountain. But our disappointment had long gone, when we saw the stunning lake and the dam from up the hill. It was so peaceful, that if you kept complete silence, you could only hear the cool breeze blowing past you giving chills.

We trekked the mountain from top to bottom, to enjoy a bath in the lake which was created because of the over flow of the dam. We had already brought out snacks, so we had our breakfast at the lake. The trek down the mountain was not so difficult, but it was steep so a bit risky. We enjoyed a good swim in the lake for about 2 hours, then trekked back to our bikes, which were parked on the hill. The climb was tiresome, but the best feeling is when you relax after the climb and enjoy the scenic beauty.

After resting we rode back to city, had our lunch and that day we had the best afternoon nap.

Tips :

1) If you find the route confusing, don't hesitate to ask the locals. They are all happy to help.

2) Take your stock of snacks, drinking water, first aid as there are hardly any stores nearby.

3) If you don't know swimming, bath near the shore.

4) Always carry plastic bags with you during rains.

5) Have a cheerful mind when you travel anywhere, this doubles your happiness.

So, next time if you plan to explore something new nearby Udaipur. Just keep your options open for Alsigarh and keep this photograph in mind. Now I have shifted to Ahmedabad and working on my Digital Marketing Company based in Ahmedabad.

An old man singing Rajasthani Folk Songs

Rajasthan is a treat for the senses, an alluring kaleidoscope of rich culture, history and colorful people. With its beautiful artisans and their works, Rajasthan is also an amazing destination for the one who loves handicrafts. From the traditional Bandhani to the age-old mind-boggling stone carvings of the Jain temples. Since time immemorial, reams have been written about the desert land, its flamboyant royalty and mighty wars – but it is not until you actually experience Rajasthan for yourself that you understand it all. So we decided to utilize our precious weekend and travel and there we were in the Golden City of India, Jaisalmer.

View of the city from a window at the Fort of Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is one of the most visited tourist destinations in India. With its vast desert and age-old history, it mesmerizes every traveler. A city in between the ocean of the desert has a picturesque view.

A city with lots of architecture which will take you to the 16th century. A sane mind of the 21st century would go insane after experiencing such rich artwork in buildings of ancient Jain temples, grand forts, and houses. If you are visiting Jaisalmer, my personal advice would be to visit every temple in the city and Patwa Haveli to have a feel of the intelligent yet artistic architecture of Jaisalmer or Rajasthan for that matter.

Artistic architecture at the Jain Temple inside the Jaisalmer Fort

After visiting these architectural epics, we now headed to the most visited spot in Jaisalmer, Sam Sand dunes. Sunsets and sunrises are like ATM to the photographers and travelers. It is said that if you want to experience the true nature of a destination, you have to encounter the sunset and sunrise of that place. You will lose track of time when you will encounter the surrealistic colors and transition of the colors during sunset.

Sam Sand dunes

A camel driver at the Sam Sand dunes, Jaisalmer

#IncredibleIndia

Next day we visited the Gadisar Lake. The Gadisar Lake in the city of Jaisalmer is one of the prime tourist attractions. Originally conceived as a water conservation tank to fulfill the water requirements of this arid city, by the then Maharaja of Jaisalmer, Maharwal Gadsi Singh, around the year 1400 AD. Being of such paramount importance, it is perhaps natural to find many shrines and temples dotting the precincts of the lake that has with time become spots of pilgrimage.

Shrines at the Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer

Finally we visited the fort and the museum. Although if you are fond of old artifacts like guns, shields, arrows, the royal bed where the Maharaja used to sleep etc. then you should visit the museum, else you could just enjoy the local ambiance of the fort, with age old houses and talking to the local masses. As we already have seen a lot of museums in the past we were not eager to spend our valuable time there, instead, we explored the city on foot and found some of the best spots to spend some quality time and find peace after a long day.

A view from a window at the Grand Fort of Jaisalmer

#IncredibleIndia

We ended our journey by visiting the windmills as I never saw a windmill in my entire life for real and as there were hundreds of them in Jaisalmar I couldn't resist myself. And I must say that it was a right decision to see those grand modern machines which are beautiful and useful at the same time.

Jaisalmer may be the quintessential desert town, but it there’s more to it than just that. Resplendent with lakes, some perennial, others sporadic, Jaisalmer has its share of parks, museums, shops,eateries and places catering to different interests.

As children we have heard a lot many scary ghost stories. These haunted stories still scare us in our dreams. We tend to drowse our-self in a pure hair raising experience on most haunted places in world.

It is amazing to see how people, although scared of paranormal events, but crave to feel those unexplained jolts or 'Kick' as it is said now-a-days inspired from Bollywood.

You may have heard about lot of beaches, hotels, houses, palaces and even a complete town being haunted of mysterious powers. Some claim these are true while the others say those are mere mind games which are created by 'chemical locha' and make us think them to be real. One such place is situated about 17 kms from the golden city of Jaisalmar known as Kuldhara Village.

Kuldhara is a deserted place with a despondent environment brings sadness to the heart when one thinks of those unfortunate people who were forced to leave the land of their forefathers. However, the place doesn't seem to be spooky for any reason other than the legends themselves, and for our own perception based on those stories

After a visit to the golden city we had our lunch and headed towards Sam sand dunes. We knew about a haunted village situated nearby, but it was not on our wishlist. We were already mesmerized by the adventures that awaited us at sand dunes, it never occurred to us that Kuldhara Village was on our route. So when driver said that this road leads to Kuldhara Village, The Haunted Village, do you wish to visit ? We responded forthwith. Hell YES !!!!

It was a well planned township, but was demolished by the then king Salim Singh. The story behind this godforsaken town was just like every romantic Bollywood flick we saw. A king liked a girl, who was the daughter of the head of town (The Paliwals). The village did not approve of this. Even the girl rejected the proposal. King got furious, ordered his men to collect extra taxes and create havoc to the life of villagers. Ultimately every villager abandoned the town and since then no one has ever returned.

This place was not at all spooky. But it was a unique experience of exploring a demolished town. The tourism department has renovated a house, which they claim to be the home of the Paliwal Brahmins.The hut was not even close to a place which will give you the chills. Infact its beautiful architecture was ruined by the tourists, who ruined the place with the 21st century garbage. People are so pathetic that they even carved their love stories on the walls. I mean it was somebody's house.

Nevertheless, the carvings and some house paintings gave us a feel about the past.

The town had a temple which was pretty much new in construction. But as per the locals it was ancient. A couple couldn't resist the picturesque landscape and grabbed the photo opp at the roof of the temple. It is an unique experience to see people capturing the memories of their journeys with their loved ones. I believe these are mere modern tactics to preserve your experiences. These travels should mark a memory in your heart as well. Then and only then you can say, yes we enjoyed our getaway.

The disrupted walls of once a home to the working class of the 18th century Jaisalmar. It seems unrealistic, as how can a person do such ferocious deeds and ruin life of innocent lives just to satisfy his selfish interests.

My friend taking a stroll in this secluded town.

We saw a bunker like structure in the house. People say that these were built for hiding from the atrocities of the King. This was somewhat spooky considering it was all dark in there and there was not any kind of stairs to climb down and explore what's in there.

So after experiencing this not so haunted place we were about to exit this village, when suddenly my eyes discovered something funny and unique which was not expected. Jurassic Cactus Park.

Scientists say that in earlier ages the sea at Jaisalmer was deepest nearby at Kuldhara village due to which fossils of many types of sea animals were found there. The stones at Jaisalmer basin are of different time period with which it is easy to find out after a study. The scientists also found evidence of a river flowing after the Jurassic period. As per geology, after the Kremedian period (150 million years ago) the sea started moving backward and rivers started flowing. Fossils of flying dinosaurs were also found in nearby villages of Jaisalmar including Kuldhara.

So we were not too happy with this visit except for the fact that some dinosaur fossils were found in these areas. It may also be true that during the English rule, people wanted to protect these fossils from the hands of the greedy, so they devised this whole horror story.

If you want cheap horror, you can sure visit Kuldhara Village. But if you want the real deal, I would not refrain myself from saying that you will be disappointed here. I would not at all recommend anyone to visit Kuldhara Village, because the only horror at this place is of not finding anything worth visiting and wasting your time.

It was the start of the weekend and I woke up early smelling the cold breeze. I watched out of the window and there was greenery all around and the beautiful smell of the early morning gave jitters to me to go out and enjoy this gift of nature.

So I called up my buddies and woke all of them up, after hearing lots of shouting from them for waking them up early (They thanked me later though). We took our motor bikes and so began the journey to Ubeshwar and Keleshwar Waterfalls.

Ubeshwar is a Shiv Temple situated 25 km from Udaipur. As it is said that the path traveled to reach a destination is more beautiful than the destination itself, same thing happened with us. We never saw Udaipur being so beautiful as we saw that day, it was mixture of everything wonderful combined together. From early morning breeze, to green mountains sound of the wind gushing by and a sweet cold atmosphere.

It was green all around and we enjoyed the drizzling at some places and also fought the scorching sun. It was mixture of weather which made the Aravali mountain ranges even more alluring. It was like sun was playing 'peek a boo' with us.

We reached the temple and after paying our homage to the Lord Shiva we continued our journey to Keleshwar Waterfalls which was around 10 kms from Ubeshwar. We were all set to jump in the waterfalls and enjoy the fresh water bath.

We could see the waterfall from far away which made us even more excited to reach there fast. Finally we started to climb up the mountain to our ultimate destination the waterfall. We saw trails of water gushing by our sides and its speed gave us the chills of how fast the waterfall is flowing.

We reached the top and were so tired that we wanted to jump in the waterfall and begone with the pain of the trek.There were some amazing wild things we found during our trek to the top, out of which this flower stand completely different from all the green.

After the bath in the cold water we were so hungry that we did not wait until we reached back to the city, but we asked a local villager to cook some ' Dal Bati' for us and by god the taste of the food was 'finger licking good'. And then we headed back to our house and after that we slept like never before completely carefree when we reached home.

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EXPLORE THE LESS KNOWN UDAIPUR : ALSIGARH

Weekend Getaway to Jaisalmer

The Curious Case of Kuldhara Village

When Dusk Falls on City of Lakes

A Dulcet Evening in Udaipur

Thumri :

Memories from Ubeshwar and Keleshwar

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