India has a colorful history and as a tourist you will feel amazed when you will revisit these splendid tokens of past which some of the emperors created. Ask any historian about the history of India and he will tell you that besides being a historical and chronological account of the events this is a tale full of all the elements which are necessary to create a gripping fictional story. This article is an attempt to introduce you to some of the most splendid palaces which witnessed the erotic royal romance of the princely maidens and some forts that changed the equations of the power for the history.
Udaipur city Palace
An epitome of love, romance and peace, this palace was like an oasis for the rulers who remained calm even during rest of Rajasthan has became a battle field for Mughals and Rajput. The best part of the palace is the preservation of the palace. Here you can feel the pace of romance and the delicacy of all those sweet little nothings that have been shared by the royal couple. Some historians also dubbed it as the fortified palace. They were right in saying so, because this palace is among the very few palaces of the world where you will feel the security means of a fort and comforts of a palace throughout. They have created many museums in each part of the palace to keep the historical elements intact and alive. You will feel as if you are transported to that era. They have left enough food for your imagination to run wild and imagine certain royal scenes that might have took place during the prime time.There are certain pictures and art galleries, which served as an ideal resource for the costume designers and art directors when they try to create that era all over on celluloid again.
The panoramic view of the lake palace is something that will mesmerize you and this location advantage makes this palace special among all the palaces especially the palaces which are situated in the Rajasthan.If you are someone who has a keen interest in Indian designs and you have a desire to understand Indian exotic luxury then this place is a must in your itinerary.
On top of everything you can also enjoy a light and sound show there as well. This show will give you a fair idea of the history of the palace and it can give you a memorable evening on the exotic terrace of the palace as well.So Udaipur the city of the lakes, if it is your destination then this palace is a must in your itinerary spare at least two days to visit it only then you will be able to understand this place better.
Mehrangarh fort
If you are someone who loves old antiques, who loves to have souvenirs of the past and if you are someone who wants to own the history then probably this is the right place that you are looking for. Situated outside the city of the Jodhpur, this fort was invincible for all the attackers most of the times. This fort is an enigma for an intruder because of its many entrances and exits. They were there for certain warfare purposes and you will love to solve that riddle or jigsaw puzzle if we can pronounce it more precisely. You can see the iconic panoramic view of the Jodhpur city from this fort. Now imagine they first made this fort and then inhabited a city around this so that even the common man of the kingdom may feel secure during the times of attack. You will feel amazed to see the logistics involved in the formation of this fort. This fort is like an advantage point for the protectors and it is a classical example of the well developed architecture of those times. You can feel the chivalry of the Rajput’s when you will visit the antique artillery museum of the city. Presently this fort is a house of many music festivals and that is the right time to visit it. These music festivals can add new romance of medieval India in to your life and you can also enjoy a lovely moonlight dinner on the terrace of the palace which is there in the center of the fort.This fort has one of its kind museum shops where you can buy many old weapons, coinage and other souvenirs as well. It is a must watch thing for you if you are someone who loves to collect certain historical items.
Amber fort
Jaipur they say is a must in every itinerary if anybody is planning to visit India and wants to see medieval Hindu architecture in its full glory. Amber fort is a kind of epitome of Indian medieval architecture. Here you will fall in love with the romantic love story that took place inside red sandstone walls of this fort. Just like any other Rajput forts they have created this fort at an advantage point near the city. Never forget to see medieval India’s largest cannon in this palace. These particular cannon are big enough to destroy an object which is 35 kilometers away from the fort.You will be amazed to see the water storage capacity of the fort. It has the capacity to store water for more than six months.If you really want to feel the pulse of the Jaipur city in night then this palace is the right spot for that. You can also make your evenings special here with an exotic light and sound show which has a gripping narrative and which have this feel of that era enraptured in it.You can also go or a moonlight dinner here and enjoy some Rajasthani delicacies as well.For those who love beauty and romance they will love the “Sheesh Mahal” the palace of mirrors which is present here.This palace of mirror has a very romantic story attached to it where the beauty of one of the Rajput princes enamored the king. You can feel the breeze of that royal romance inside this sheesh Mahal. Even some of them also call this sheesh Mahal as the Taj Mahal made by mirrors. Poets wrote down love poetries and confessed that sheesh Mahal inspired them to do so. You can also enjoy the ride of an elephant here as well and start your journey in to the palace with a royal style. But for this you need to be an early bird because this ride is not available post lunch.
Jaisalmer fort
You might have seen many forts which are either deserted or where paintings and museums does the talking. Jaisalmer fort is probably the only living fort in the world. Here you will be able to see the people inhibiting even now that too after some 300 years.
It is like feeling the pulse of the same era more closely. Although government of India is restricting this movement inside the fort in phases but still there are a lot of things that you can see firsthand.Like every other palace this palace too had that chivalry elements attached to it. Unlike the forts of the Udaipur or Jaipur, Jaisalmer fort was always on the war and stood their invincible for most of the attackers. You will find many temples and haveli’s inside the fort which is an indication that how these forts was the locus point of activity to save a kingdom which was fighting a brutal battle against the neighboring kingdoms. You can also become a part of the royalty by simply staying inside hotels which allows tourist to stay there. Here they have created all the international standard amenities and maintained a royal touch to it as well.These hotels are vanishing fast but still few of them are functional so you can try your luck with the help of an advance booking.
Jaipur city Palace
Jaipur city palace is located in the heart of old Jaipur city. If you are someone who loves to peep in to the private lives of the royal people then a trip here will be worth for you. This palace was made by king Amer of the Jaipur. It was meant for his family only. Later on his successors made some changes in the structure of the palace and it’s interiors from time to time. These changes in the interiors are a kind of the benchmark of the art and culture that was prevailing during those times. There is a certain part of this palace which is known as Chandra palace. Here for having a guided tour you need to shell out good bucks. But the journey inside the Chandra Mahal is worth it because here you will be able to see and understand some auspicious symbols of Indian tradition and it will help you in understanding them better.The best part of the visit of this palace is the fact that here you will be able to understand the concept of medieval and you will be able to understand the benchmarks of the rich and famous people of that particular time.
Maharaja’s palace in Mysore
Mysore palace is relatively new if we compare it with many palaces across the India, but this palace certainly is an advancement of all those architectural wonders. The key elements of Hindu, Mughal and British architecture are present here because primarily it was being design by a British architect. This palace has kind of become a pride of the city, here they have not only kept the royal culture alive but now at the same time they are taking it to the new levels as well. This palace holds a very special status in every residence of Mysore because it has became a kind of gathering point for them to spend their evenings. They lit up the entire palace with the help of more than 10000 bulbs and this creates a kind of heavenly sight for the people standing around it and looking at it. If you are someone who loves the night life and who loves various activities during the evenings then this is the right kind of place that youare looking for. Like every other palace this palace too has its share of doll and armory museums and the collection of the king will amaze you and take you back in to the times, in to an era which you have never visited before. This palace also holds a nostalgic thread attached to it. The king who made this palace in the first decade of 19th century actually told the architect to create certain elements which were present their in his previous palace. This makes this palace a must visit for the people who are pursuing architecture as a profession. This palace is a kind of transition between two periods of Indian history and this thing also makes this palace a little more special and people across the Mysore loves to follow certain aspects of it when they construct their own houses. So you can also term it as the ultimate style leader of present day palaces that are present in India right now.
Nahargarh fort
You might have heard all about those romantic moments associated with sun set. How couples get romantic with the post card images of the nature and the city coming together. If you are in Jaipur and want to have an evening like this followed by some shots of beer then in this case Nahargarh fort is the place that you are looking forward for. Youngsters love this place because it allows them to be themselves. This is one place where you can enjoy like an open air pub, but off course you need to plug in your ear phones because it is not a pub after all. The same culture has probably inspired the makers of the super hit film Rang De Basanti. They shot some amazing sequences here which were full of youthful vigor. This place certainly deserves your visit if you are someone who wants to capture the essence of current generation in the pretext of their glorious legacy. Nahargarh fort is among the list of the invincible forts of India. It is believed that nobody can ever conquer this fort because the walls are too good to depress the intentions of any of the attacker. Now this fort enjoys the same sentiment of being invincible and being peaceful because no one has ever dared to attack this fort. You can enjoy the wonderful magic hour of the sunset where the sun sets down and the houses of Jaipur city lights up gradually. This is an enchanting view that you will always like to capture in your cameras and in your memory lanes as well. This is one amazing sight that attracts many local people as well. You can enjoy your dinner in the Durg café which is their inside the fort. It is a government run shop and you can also have some alcoholic beverages here as well.
Red fort, Delhi
Those who want to understand the Mughals and their function well then this is the place that they are looking for.
This fort has this historical significance attached to it. Delhi they say is the heart of India and if you want to rule the entire landscape then first capture its heart. Unlike the forts in Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, this fort is designed to conduct administrative activities here. There are some really nice places from where a king can address his court; there are places for different cadres of the society. There are separate parts of haram’s as well that will give you a fair idea that how the certain marriages saved and helped the Mughal empire. These separations will give you a fair idea of contemporary power positions and political equations and as well. They have created religious structures here as well so that they function as an ideal catalyst for the masses and denomination of power as well. These structure are still there and this will give you the idea that how Mughal’s strengthen their position in the region. You can visit this fort made by red sand stone and see the imprints of the culture that it propagated, around it even now.You can also go for shopping as well, but these shops are not inside the fort, you need to walk a few hundred meters in to the streets and then you can have all the souvenirs of all those artifices and one more thing never forget to taste some Indian food if you are non-vegetarian, here you can enjoy some exotic tastes and make your trip memorable for your taste buds at the same time. For a better understanding of the times and history you can also attend the light and the sound show that they conduct during the evenings. You can also see some glimpses of Delhi’s night life if you visit this fort during the period of Navratri or Dussehra festivals.
Gwalior fort
The pride of Madhya Pradesh forts, this is one place that you would love to visit if you are keen to visit fort cities. This fort is definitely one of the largest forts in India. Here they have accommodated local culture and religion and this is why still it is place where you may visitors from the city. They come here to offer prayers and this is a ritual out there. When it comes to architecture then this fort is definitely very beautiful. It took some thousand years to this fort to get that glorious status that it acquires now. There are certain things which are even functional even now, one such thing is a toy train which the rulers use during the royal dinners. This train serves the dinner on the huge dining table. You can watch it functioning even now. Unlike many other forts in India this is one fort where you might need your own transport to move inside the palace because it is spread in an area of 3 kilometers. This palace has an amphitheatre of its own where they conduct a light and sound show. You can enjoy this show and step back in to the history very cozily.
Chittorgarh fort
This is one fort that has witnessed one of the most horrible incidences of medieval India when this place became cremation ground for thousands of Rajput women who self-cremated themselves to save their honor from a Muslim king.This fort is the beholder of a very unfortunate love story that they remember even today. The architectural wonders and achievements of the structured functioned here as the ultimate tool of tragedy.If we need to mention a few then we can mention that particular mirror where the brutal king saw the beauty of Rani Padmini. She was standing five floors beneath and unaware that somebody is ogling at her from a distance and he is not visible to her.You can witness the same view and feel the history here. The mirror and the place where Rani Padmini was standing are still intact and functional.Every corner of this fort has some intrigue or a particular story of utmost bravery hidden in it, where some brave Rajput women gave this supreme sacrifice and set these new standards of bravery for Indian women under the onslaught of Muslim rulers.Chittorgarh fort is one fort that will open a strange chapter of history for you where you will be able to understand the real meaning of bravery and honor in Indian terms.You can enjoy the light and sound show in the fort and it has a very interesting hotel right next to a river where you can enjoy the view of the fort as well.You should also watch the Vijay Stambh situated inside the fort and feel the gallantry of the winners of the wars as well. If you are someone who wants to see stories and not just architectures, if you wish to witness the impact of the history on the architecture then this place is a must visit for you.
Team DainikDisha