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| DHOLPUR
SIGHT SEEING |
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| Laswari |
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It is here where Daulat Rao Scindia was defeated
at the hands of Lord Lake. The oldest Mughal garden,
built by Babur was dicovered at Jhor, the grandeur
of which is still reflected in by its ruins. Damoh
Waterfall and Kanpur Mahal are some of the places
not to be missed.
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| Shergarh
Fort |
 It
is an old fort of historic importance, located
towards the south of Dholpur town. This monument
at Dholpur was built by Sher Shah Suri on the
site of an earlier Hindu fortress. |
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| The
Shiva Temple |
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Another place of architectural beauty and importance
is an ancient temple of lord Shiva. This temple
is located near the Gwalior- Agra road and is
worth a visit. |
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| The
Ancient Mughal Garden |
| The
tiny village of Jhor (16km) has something to boast
of too – the oldest Mughal Garden of the
subcontinent which was laid in 1527 by Babur.
But this once-famous spread was discovered only
in 1978, by Elizabeth Moynihan, the wife of the
then United States Ambassador to India. Using
Babur's autobiography as a guide, Elizabeth meticulously
traced clues from Uzbekistan to Dholpur. But by
then much of the once elaborate garden was wiped
out. Another site worth seeing in Dholpur is the
ancient Shiv Mandir, also called the Chaupara
Mandir. It is located near the Gwalior-Agra road
and is a monument of great architectural beauty. |
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| Mach
Kund |
| An
excursion to Bari offers exciting rewards too.
The Mach Kund (8km from Dholpur) here is an ancient
sacred place. It has a tank surrounded by a series
of temples of different dates. The name comes
from one Raja Muchkund, who is supposed to have
reigned 14 generations before Rama (of the Ramayana
fame). That was thousands of years ago, and it’s
really surprising how the legend has survived.
The place bursts forth with life once a year when
it becomes a pilgrim site. There are also the
ruins of an ancient fort (1286) built by one Firoz
Shah. |
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| Wildlife
Attractions |
Bari is also known for its Van Vihar Wildlife
Sanctuary, located at about 18km from Dholpur.
Covering an area of 60 sq km, Van Vihar was recognized
as a sanctuary in 1955. The sanctuary spreads
itself on the Vindhya Plateau and supports a rather
stunted growth of Dhok and Khair (Acacia catechu)
trees. Some of the animals found here are sambhar
(large Asiatic deer), cheetal (spotted deer),
nilgai (large Indian antelope), wild boar, hyena
and leopard. Maharaja Udaibhan Singh of Dholpur
had a great liking for animals and frequented
Van Vihar. He used to hand feed not only the deer
and birds, but also the foxes and jackals. Anyway,
near this sanctuary is another one – the
Ramsagar Sanctuary. The highlight of this one
is the picturesque Ramsagar Lake. It supports
a rich aquatic life including fresh water crocodiles
and a large number of fishes and snakes. Water
birds like cormorants, ibis, jacanas, stilts,
herons and others are also common. The lake also
serves as a veritable resort for migratory ducks
and geese during the winter months. |
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| The
Kanpur Mahal |
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 The
17th century elegant pleasure palace Kanpur Mahal
(40km km from Dholpur), which is a series of interconnected
pavilions, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah
Jahan. There is also a historic lake in the surroundings,
called Talab Shahi. This beautiful place served
as Shah Jahan’s hunting grounds. The lake
attracts a large number of migratory fowl. Don't
miss the Damoh waterfall near Sarmathura. With
so many water bodies in Dholpur, one would hardly
remember that one is in the deserts of Rajasthan.
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OTHER
USEFUL LINKS |
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Hotels in Dholpur |
Tour Packages for Dholpur |
