MONUMENTS
MONUMENTS
Hawa Mahal is the most strikingly designed monument in Jaipur. Built by the Poet-King Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, it is located in the Tripolia Bazaar to the west of GPO. Built to let the ladies of royal harem watch the royal possessions, Hawa Mahal is not a palace as the name suggests. Hawa Mahal is the part of the east wall of the City Palace complex. Most well known of Jaipur's buildings, you can have the best views of this great building from the street outside.
The beautiful mansions built by Jaisalmer's wealthy merchants are known as 'havelis' and several of these fine sandstone buildings are still in beautiful condition. Patwon ki Haveli is the most elaborate and magnificent of all theJaisalmer havelis. It stands in a narrow lane and one of its apartments is painted with beautiful murals - unfortunately, at present, the building is closed up and not lived in.
The beautiful mansions built by Jaisalmer's wealthy merchants are known as 'havelis' and several of these fine sandstone buildings are still in beautiful condition. Salim Singh ki Haveli was built about 300 years ago and is still partially lived in. This haveli was the residence of the powerful Mohta clan - the hereditary ministers of the Jaisalmer rulers. The blue cupola roof is distinctive and an exquisite projecting balcony adorns the top storey. Salim Singh was the prime minister when Jaisalmer was the capital of a princely state and his mansion has a beautifully arched roof with superb carved brackets in the form of peacocks. The mansion is just below the hill.
The beautiful mansions built by Jaisalmer's wealthy merchants are known as 'havelis' and several of these fine sandstone buildings are still in beautiful condition. The late 19th century Nathmal ki Haveli in Jaisalmer, was also a prime minister's house. One very interesting fact about this haveli is that its two sides were carved by two brothers. Although the motif used by one is not similar to the other, they are in harmony. One has to look very closely to spot dissimilarities. The excellent craftsmanship of the stone carver is illustrated in the gossamer quality of the screened windows. Yellow sandstone elephants guard the building and the front door alone is a work of art.
Synonymous with the
tradition of valour and chivalry, Chittorgarh or Chittaur, the capital of Mewar,
was under the Rajput rule from the 7th to the mid 16th century. Fiercely
independent, it was ravaged thrice, and each time like Phoenix - it rose again.
Allauddin Khilji was the first to plunder Chittaur in 1303 AD. Legend and
history corroborate that this was because of his passionate desire to abduct
queen Padmini. Yet, she, preferring death to dishonour, committed 'Jauhar' (self
immolation) along with the other ladies of her court.
The most imposing structure within the Chittorgarh Fort is the ‘Vijay Stambh’ or the Tower of Victory. Rana Kumbha, one of the most powerful Mewar kings, erected the Vijay Stambh (tower of Victory) to commemorate his victory over Mahmud Khilji of Malwa in 1440, and the rulers of Gujarat. This exemplary piece of architecture stands on a pedestal of 47 square feet and 10 feet high, while the pillar alone stands at a height of 122 feet and is 30 feet wide at the base. There are 157 steps and the stairs are circular. It is believed that the tower took 10 years to be completed. The entire structure is covered with sculptures of Hindu deities and episodes from the two epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata with names given below each piece of sculpture. The same artistry but to lesser extent is seen in the inside where the staircase connects the various storeys.
Translated into 'Instruments
of Measuring the Harmony of the Heavens', Jantar Mantar was built by Sawai Jai
Singh between 1728 and 1734. At the entrance to the City Palace in Jaipur, is
Jantar Mantar, the 'Yantralaya' of Sawai Jai Singh II, the last great classical
astronomer in India. The modernistic structures known as 'Yantras' are the
unique creations of this astronomer-king designed by him and built by experts to
observe the movements of sun, moon, planets and the stars.
Its massive masonry instruments are of an extraordinary precision & can still be
used to measure local time, the sun's declination, azimuth & altitude, the
declination of fixed stars & planets & also to determine the time of an eclipse
of the sun.
Major Yantras or instruments that you can watch moving clockwise are:
· 'Dhruva' · 'Narivalya' · The Observer's Seat · Small 'Kranti' · 'Raj' · 'Unnathamsa' · 'Disha' · 'Dakshina'
· Large 'Samrat' · 'Rashivalayas' · 'Jai Prakash' · Small 'Ram' · Large 'Ram Yantra' · 'Diganta' · Large 'Kranti'
The Kirti Stambh (Tower of Fame), located in Chittorgarh, was built in the 12th century. Built by Jain merchants, it is dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain Tirthankara. Hundreds of naked figures of Jain Tirthankaras adorn the face of the monument. It is a seven storeyed structure with a cramped stairway of 54 steps. It is 30 feet at the base and narrows down to 15 feet at the top.
This white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II is a short distance from the fort, just off the fort road. The cenotaph, built in 1899, in Jodhpur, was followed by the royal crematorium and three other cenotaphs which stand nearby. There is some beautiful marble jali work and fine views from the terrace in front of the cenotaph. Some rare portraits of the rulers of Jodhpur are also displayed here.
Adhai – Din – Ka – Jhonpra
A remarkable structure, this is a masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture located on the outskirts, of the city of Ajmer, just beyond the Dargah. As the legend goes, its construction took two and a half days (Adhai-Din) to complete. It was originally a Sanskrit college, built within a temple. In 1193 A.D. Mohhamed Ghauri conquered Ajmer and converted the building into a mosque by adding a seven arched wall in front of the pillared hall in just two-and-half days(adhai-din) and hence the name. The distinct pillars and arched "Screen" with its ruined minarets make it a splendid architectural masterpiece. The archways are finely engraved with Kufi and Jughra inscriptions from the Holy Koran.
On the top of Moti Magri or Pearl Hill, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur, is the bronze statue of Maharana Pratap on his horse Chetak. Known as Pratap Smarak (memorial), the statue is kept in a well laid out garden. Legend has it that Chetak jumped an abyss of extraordinary width in the battle of Haldighati to save his master’s life.
In the old city of Jodhpur, the clock tower is a prominent land mark. The main attraction though, is the Sadar market. The market has kept alive the old haat bazaar culture.
