Sightseeing Tour Bharatpur
North of Bharatpur is
this beautiful garden town, the gardens have been laid with great care and
precision, the sparkling fountains and meticulous palaces add to he beauty
of this idyllic retreat of the princes of Bharatpur. The tourist enjoy the
charming settings of this agricultural town,along with the well preserved
palace pavilions and gardens.
Some very interesting buildings can be observed like:
GOPAL BHAVAN
Completed in 1760, an imaginatively designed building complex
with beautifully laid gardens at its entrance and the rear overlooks the
Gopal Sagar which is flanked with smaller pavilions Sawan and Bhadon.
The formal gardens face a raised terrace with an arch
of lustrous marble installed on a pedestal in the form of swing. This exquisite
swing is a war trophy brought in by the famous Jat king Raja Suraj Mal from
the Mughal court in Delhi.
The spacious and well proportioned Banquet Hall has
a double row of graceful pillars. The rear of the chamber is further divided
by a charming sunken pool with fountains. The Banquet hall houses a rich collection
of curios, souvenirs and Victorian furniture. Staircases wind upstairs to the
upper floors. One room contains a solid black marble bed from Delhi.
BENGAL CHAMBER
It houses the dining room, and has sloping arches, with comfortable
cushions along the outer edges forming the seating area. The walls of
the royal Chess Room has trellis design and are painted in soft red.
SURAJ BHAVAN
To the east of the main building, this palace has balconies overhanging
the water. The entire palace in marble is like an airy pavilion with fine
ornamentation within the apartments.
NAND BHAVAN
It is a larage audience hall. KRISHNA BHAVAN, and the ingeniously
designed water works of KESHAV BHAVAN, with open twelve pillared pavilion
are of great interest.
PURANA MAHAL
It is the oldest palace, planned as a spacious rectangle encircled
by compartments and chamber, it has a collection of some very fine Rajput
and Mughal schools.
DEEG FORT
The fort stands majestically over a slightly elevated point,
built by Raga Suraj Mal. The fort is surrounded by impressive moats, armpits
and gateways, the interiors are mostly in ruins now, but the watch tower
still stands in the ruins keeping an eye over the City and Palace; over
it is placed a gun captured from Agra fort. Another defunct cannon which
was captured from Ahmad Shah Abdali(1761), who seized the fort for six
months, guards a vantage.
KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK
A paradise for the avian world, and the pilgrimage for the bird
lovers, it was known as the best duck shooting resort in the British empire.
But was declared a reserve for birds in 1956 and later upgraded to National
Park. UNESCO has listed it as a world heritage site.
LOHAGARH FORT OR THE 'IRON FORT'
The Lohagarh Fort, true to its name stood solidly in front of
many British attacks, and frustrated them to ends. It faced the
British onslaught four times and after a long siege they had to withdraw,
but Lord Lake, however was successful in capturing it in 1804.
Some interesting monuments in the fort are Kishori Mahal, Mahal Khas
and Kothi Khas. Moti Mahal and towers like Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj
were erected to commemorate the victory over the Mughals and the
British army . The Gateway has paintings of huge elephants.
GOVERNMENT MUSEUM
The
building Kamra Khas within the fort has been converted into a museum, displaying
a rich collection of antiquaries, exquisite sculptures and some ancient inscriptions.
The sculptures speak volumes about the art of a by gone era and culture typical
of this area. The inscriptions are of immense historical vault and helps in
tracing back the royal lineage as well as the local life.
THE PALACE
It is a fine blend of Mughal
and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas. The
magnificent apartments are richly decorated with patterned floor tiles with
exquisite intricate designs. The museum occupies the main central wing depicting
collections dating back to 2nd century, which reflect the art and skill of the
region.
|