Alwar II- Chand Baori & Mangalsar Dam

Though Alwar is not very renowned, but there are some amazing places to visit in and around Alwar.

To know more details on how to travel to Alwar, where to stay etc, please check our previous post – Alwar

This post is about the places which are around an hour away from Alwar and quite picturesque ones.

Chand Baori

Chand Baori is in Abhaneri which is about 1.5 hrs away from Alwar en route to Jaipur. This place is very near to the main highway connecting Alwar and Jaipur. Just a single turn from the main highway and about 1 km from that highway would lead you to this place (GPS would be your best friend- look for directions to Abhaneri – from there sign boards will guide you Chand Baori )

Baori in Hindi means step well. So as the name suggest this is a step well which was constructed in 800-900 AD. Rajasthan is extremely hot and arid region in India and thereby to conserve rain water, many step wells were constructed in Rajasthan. Chand Baori happens to be one of the oldest and massive structure of its kind.

How to Plan your trip to Chand Baori?

Half day is more than sufficient to visit this place (plus the traveling). If you are into photography, then probably you could spend a whole day here. Also, if you love architecture then this place is must visit.

Guides are also available for both Indian and foreign tourist. If you need a guide other than from Hindi & English, please check with tour operators from Jaipur.

Where to stay in/near Chand Baori ?

As Chand Baori is in a village and on way of Jaipur- Alwar highway, its best to stay either in Alwar or Jaipur.

Some tips for Chand Baori travel.

Best season to visit this place is definitely the winter months say from November to February.

This place is about old architecture, so please don’t expect any kind of luxury facility for that matter even food. Please carry your own food and water as there is only a small teastall near this place.

Note: Going down the step well is restricted and is allowed only through a permit which can be taken from Jaipur only.

Our Experience 

It was more like a picnic for us, we were leaving for Jaipur airport and we decided to take a short detour to this place. We left early from Alwar as we had planned to visit this place, initially we got confused as from where we should take the left but google maps and people on the way were quite helpful.  We sat in the garden outside the Baori and had our lunch, it was such a good experience and we felt nostalgic about the picnics we used to have in our childhood time. This place just makes you feel that even back then people could build such magnificent structures. Also, to our surprise we saw many parrots in Chand Boari, its just that we hadn’t seen parrots in a while so it was kind of cherry on the cake.We just spent an hour or two exploring this place though we wished we could have spend more time but we had a flight to catch so we made most out of what we had.

Interesting fact:  Many movies like – Dark Knight Rises (Batman), Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bhul bhulaiya etc have some scenes shot in Chand Baori.

Mangalsar Dam

This place is about 65 kms away from Alwar and again a very nice place to visit during and after monsoon season in India.

Mangalsar is man made Dam in middle of nowhere. This is also very famous for people who are interested in bird watching as lot many exotic species visit this place during winter months.

How to travel to Mangalsar Dam ?

Driving to this place is the best way to reach. Apart from a small patch, the road leading to this place is in good condition. We used google maps to reach to this place (Just a pointer –  don’t take the road which passes through Sariska as it is not in good condition)

How to plan a trip to Mangalsar Dam ?

This place is perfect for a short day picnic. Very close to Bhangarh fort (famous for being Haunted), this place is a must visit for those who love water bodies in middle of no where. For people traveling from Delhi can combine Bhangarh and Mangalsar dam.

We would suggest a minimum of 2 hours but you spend a whole day doing nothing here.  Also do carry your own food and water.

Where to stay near Mangalsar Dam ?

If you want to have luxury stay near this place then I would recommend Vanaashrya camping resort.  If saw few more hotel sign boards near to this place. You can also stay in Alwar (Dhadhigarh fort) and travel to this place.

Our Experience

In March 2014, we went for this short impromptu trip. After reading about this place in local newspaper we decided to take a short trip there. As in March many exotic birds flock this place, we thought it would be a different experience.

The road to this place was quite good and we stopped in between to see couple of farms  and to have tea and snacks at small stalls. It is always interesting to make these small pit stops.

It was a bright sunny day  but we had got a nice place to sit near the lake under the shade of a tree. We carried our own food & water and had this small family picnic. Also, as the place was very calm and serene and weather being very pleasant, we enjoyed our short stay at this place. Though we didn’t see any exotic birds but still the place was worth the visit.

Alwar

Alwar – unexplored and mystic place near Delhi

What is there in Alwar?

Alwar from the top

Sambhar on the way to Bala Quila – a site not observed regularly

Jaipol – en route to the main fort – it is said that when army was in danger the soldier use to shout inside this and its echo is heard everywhere around the fort

Alwar is a small town situated 150 km away from Delhi which is about a about 3 hrs drive. It is peaceful place and gives you tinge of Rajasthani culture. It has everything to offer ranging from mountains, beautiful lake,  forts and wildlife. Alwar is a must place if one is looking for partying also. It offers great choices.

Stairway leading to the boundary of the fort from Jaipol

The hidden door at Jaipol leading to the staircase

How to reach to Alwar?

En route to Alwar you might find lot of animals – see Sambhar 🙂

Beautiful scenery of mountains when going to Alwar

You can take a train from Delhi/Jaipur or you can drive. If you are travelling from Delhi you have to take NH8, then turn to Bhiwadi from Daruweda and go straight to Alwar. The drive from Bhiwadi to Alwar is very awesome, it is well maintained and you will cross the mustard fields and the beautiful mountains. The drive is awesome.

The bliss of mustard farm – a delight to eyes when going to Alwar

Nearest Airports are Jaipur(160km) and Delhi(140km)

When to visit Alwar?

View from Bala Quila

Alwar is in Rajasthan, thus it is very hot during summers. Best time to visit Alwar is after one or two rainfall in July-Aug or during winters from October- February.

Where can we stay in Alwar?

The beautiful and majestic quila of Alwar

There are plenty of hotels available in Alwar – Ritumbhara resort, Clarks inn, Aravali hotel, Jhankar hotel(this one belongs to my uncle), Hive hotel, etc. If you want to have a unique experience you can stay at one of the forts – Dadhikar fort or Neemrana fort (about an hour away from Alwar). It is quite expensive (though no where as expensive as Delhi) but then it is a different experience all together.

How to roam around in Alwar?

You might need to hire a taxi(if you are planning to take a train). The local transport system is not that developed and if you want to move around in Alwar then taxi is the best option. There are many taxi stands near railway station and you can very well negotiate the prices.

What places to go in Alwar ?

Aniesh’s best hangout place in Alwar – en route to Bala Quila

There are variety of places that one can visit.

1. Sariska: It is National Park of India famous for Tigers. It is most visited and one of the best places in Alwar to visit

   

   From the top – Alwar city

2. Siliserh Lake: Starting with the most popular location of Alwar is this lake. It is a man made lake but it is one of the spectacular sight to watch. It is about 30 mins drive from the main city

   

   Siliserh – the awesome lake in Alwar- everybody in Alwar knows about it yet it is not crowded

   

   Lake and the mountains – Kavya’s mood refreshing sight

   

   You can have tea/coffee while sitting around the lake

3. Bala Quila : Another spectacular of Alwar. It is a fort on top of a mountain and one can a bird view of Alwar from this place. The entry is restricted and permissions are needed to enter the fort. But the best part are the walks along the main boundary of the fort which is open to general public. The best views of Alwar comes after reaching places along such boundaries. One can also see wildlife such as Sambhar, porcupine en route to this place. Also there are amazing places where musketeers used to hide, they are worth exploring.

   

   The amazing story of Bala Quila

   

   

   Restricted entry inside the Quila but if you are resident for 23 years you have contacts and way around 🙂

   

   

   Swimming pool of the queen

   

   Inside the fort – all barren and eroding as my grandfather used to say – ” loneliness kills the liveliness “

   

   The main entry to the main fort

   

   Side view of the main fort

4. Dadhikarh fort: This is the newest addition to the places to visit around Alwar. This fort is in the outskirts of Alwar. It is small fort but the view of village and expanse land is very awesome. It is one of the best place to visit during sunrise and sunset. It also restaurant and hotel. But please book the place before going as they don’t allow visitors without prior
5. Vijay Mandir: The mandir is on the banks of a small lake, it provides majestic view of the open lake and mountains.
6. Neemrana fort: Situated bit far from Alwar this is also a great fort to visit. This is a fort turned into hotel. There is entry fee for this fort cum resort.
7. Jaisamand: It used to be filled with water but water has dried now. Still this place holds good if you want to enjoy evening there. The constant cool wind that flows there is just wonderful. It is place where you can sit and relax. There are large number of dome like structure which are quite good. Its not that well maintained but then you can spend 2-3 hours there.

   

   The way from Quila to the first check post – the path is hidden

8. Kesroli fort: This is also a fort turned hotel that is really great to visit. It is on outskirts of *Alwar and lights up beautifully during night. It is magnificent and holds great history.

   

   View from the first check post

9. Moosi Maharani ki chattri: This is amongst the oldest places in Alwar city. This one has a museum and a grand pond nearby. The pond is always filled with water though it has stagnant water but still it worth going as it is not usually crowded

   

   Top view of Musi Maharani Chatri and the main palace turned museum

10. Bharthari Temple: This is one of the holy places around Alwar. It has a very interesting story to itself. The road to this temple from Alwar is also very interesting and filled with lot of small pit stops.

    

    Adult Sambhar , other animals that you can see around this area is – panther, peacock and porcupine

Amazing views – just can’t get enough of it

 

Is it worth going to Alwar?

Alwar is calm and beautiful place with a touch of rajasthani culture. It is in between Delhi and Jaipur. It is best place to have a good weekend filled with culture/history/hiking- everything that one is looking for.

Our Experience at Alwar

Kavya’s favorite place (till now) in Alwar

It is Aniesh’s hometown, so we have visited this place lot of times and every time we have found a different place to visit. The tourism industry here is not very developed, so you will not find many people at the tourist place and you can enjoy the views and nature. We never get bored of Alwar and keep finding new places and new tracks here and there. Alwar unlike other cities of Rajasthan Jodhpur/ Jaisalmer is not at all crowded and is serene.

P.S: We will be adding more pics and places of Alwar

Agra

Agra is just not famous for Taj look at Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur

What is special about Agra?

Ahh..The famous Taj Mahal-I thought it is just myth that this is famous but actually it is quite a sight to watch – it is beautiful

Taj Mahal along with whole Agra population there- only part I didn’t like was that it was filled by people

Entry gate for theTaj- no population there – felt like we were in some other era- before we entered and saw the whole population

First and foremost, Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world is in Agra. To add to this it has many Mughal – era structures- tombs, mosques, forts. All the structures are beautiful and have a historical story behind its creation. So if you are looking to see historic places and you don’t mind crowded places then this is a paradise for you.

When to visit Agra?

The sunny bright entry during the winter was fun in itself

The great way to the Taj Mahal – this is also beautiful – isn’t it

Agra is very hot during summers and cold during winters. The best time to visit Agra is from October to February.

Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri are open from sunrise and sunset. Best time to visit would be early in the morning as it is not that crowded. Taj Mahal is open to visitors for night viewing for 5 days i.e on full moon light night, two days before and two days after that. It costs about 500 Rs pp and is open from 8:30pm to 12:30pm. Only limited entries are possible. Though taking night pics is very difficult even with DSLR, but if you have always wondered to see how Taj Mahal looks at night then do visit it during those particular days.

The Surahs from Quran selected by Amaanat Khan

The magnificent height of the main entry gate

On the banks of the river Yamuna – this view from the back side of the Taj

Renovation going on the eastern gate of Taj

Minaret – standing tall to the one of the wonder of the world

Taj Mahal – side view

The view from the Taj Mahal of the entry gate – awesome experience

Inside the Taj

How to reach Agra?

En route to Fathehpur Sikri – the main gate between the two cities

Evening walk to the Fatehpur dargah

Entering through the King’s gate to Buland Darwaza

So many cremation inside this

Delhi is the city nearby from where you can get taxi, bus, train to travel to Agra. It takes around 2 hrs (if you are going by train or by road).

What places to visit in Agra?

The door from which Anarkali was sent to Pakistan

The front view of Buland Darwaza – the story of this is interesting

The grand hall – (with no population – (sob sob))

 

As mentioned there are many places to visit in Agra. If you are interested in Mughal history and would like to know more about these places then keep at least 2-3 days for Agra. We have been to Agra twice, but till now we were not able to visit all the monuments. Traveling consumes a lot time in Agra, as in all the private cars, buses are stopped 1km before the monument and from there you need to take rickshaws, or you can walk. Agra Authority have their electric rickshaws (cost around 10 Rs) at these monuments so don’t spend too much money on hiring autos and other things. Below are some places which are must visits:

1. Taj Mahal: Entry fee is 20 Rs for Indian and 750 Rs for foreigners. No food is allowed in TajMahal. Washroom facilities are available within the complex.
2. Fatehpur Sikri: Fatehpur Sikri  is about 43km from Taj Mahal and takes around an hour to reach. No entry fee for the tomb of Samil Chisti but 20 Rs fee for the Sikri. Taking a guide would make some sense if you haven’t googled enough about the place.
3. Agra fort

There are many more places but these are the most interesting and beautiful places. For night stay in Agra, you have many options, do check booking.com for the bookings.

View of the city from Buland Darwaza

I think Darwaza needs some cleaning – 😛

The iron horse shoe are put in the Darwaza showing the horses that were killed in the battle

What was our Experience at Agra?

We always drive to Agra through Yamuna express highway which has almost no traffic. But we end up spending a lot of time commuting between the monuments. What we realized is that Taj Mahal is always crowded and should be visited early morning or at night. Also only two monuments can be covered in a day, hence a night stay is important.

We spent an hour looking for the original shop which is famous for ‘Petha’. We didn’t like the petha but then if you are there then you should definitely try it. ‘Petha’ (Indian sweetdish) which is famous of a shop named ‘Panchi Petha’. There are about 1000 or more shops with the same name. It is said that Sadar bazaar Panchi Petha is the original one ( you can try and check it out yourself).

Overall we liked Agra, though very crowded but still it should be visited at least once.

Lansdowne

Lansdowne

What is there in Lansdowne?

Lansdowne – the sun in the forest

It is one of the hill station in Uttrakhand, Lansdowne has mountains, lake, trees, good weather, fresh air. But the important question is what is not there in Lansdowne –  no crowd, no car honking, no traffic, no pollution. There are hardly 3-4 good hotels to stay. Lansdowne is also a cantonment area, hence it is very clean.

When to visit Lansdowne?

Lansdowne is relatively not at high altitude hence there is no issue in travelling to Lansdowne during peak winters (no snow). The roads are good so one can visit during the monsoon season also.

How to reach Lansdowne?

Enroute to Lansdowne – passing the unknown village

The place where sky meets the earth

If you are planning to travel from Delhi then you can drive or rent a car, as Lansdowne is 260km away from Delhi, 5-6hrs drive (GPS will guide you). Kotdwara ( 1 hr drive) is the closest railway station to Lansdowne. From Kotdwara taxis are available for Lansdowne.

Where to stay in Lansdowne?

The nesting place at highest point in Lansdowne

Overlooking the valley at Sunrise

Kasang Regency and Blue Pine Resort are few good hotels in Lansdowne. Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) has beautiful villas and tree houses at “Tip and Top ” ( the top most point in Lansdowne). If you are travelling in winters then try to get a hotel booked in advance as people around Delhi tend to go to Lansdowne for weekend.

What places to visit in Lansdowne?

The sunset at Bhullar lake

When you reach the place from where you just look down – remember the place is always called The Zero Point

A walk into the forest will rejuvenate you

A small walk to the river

Just a few but overall the whole place is beautiful.

• There is a very peaceful lake Bhullar Lake, there is small restaurant and souvenir shop near it. Its not something out of the world, its just a place to relax.
• Tip and Top point. Its the highest point in Lansdowne from which Himalayan ranges are visible.
• Military training area.
• You can do trekking anywhere in Lansdowne.

Where to eat in Lansdowne?

There are many dhabas in main Lansdowne, nothing fancy though. You can find places to fill your tummy.

What was our experience?

When you look back – you will realize what you will miss

We had visited Lansdowne in December. We walked in forests near by our hotel. But we spent most of our time at random places in Lansdowne. Wherever we found a good view, we would sit there and spend hours. The most memorable thing was looking at the sunset ( not from any particular place).

Why to be careful on the way to Lansdowne?

Car down at Lansdowne: hit by 280kg Nilgai- Please be cautious

Near Kotdwara there is a major problem of Nilgai, they come running on the road( national highway) from the jungle. They weigh around 280 kg and if somehow they bang in your car then they can damage the car (happened with us) and the accident can be fatal too.

There is warning board on the road but you are likely to miss it if you are driving very fast. Its a common occurrence there, so it would be sensible to drive slowly as you will never know when the Nilgai will come.

Bye Bye Lansdowne