STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES OF INDIA
RAJASTHAN
Alwar
Alwar, one
of the princely states was founded in 1776. It lies 170 kms from
Dlehi, 150 kms from Jaipur on the Aravalli hills. The town is full
of palaces. The most elegant is the city palace, Vinay Vilas built
in the 1840s. This palace is a blend of Hindu & Muslim influences.
A portion of this palace now houses a museum. The Sheesh Mahal or
the Mirror Room boasts of a Rajput miniatures on the wall.
The Salim Mosque
and Salim Mahal, where Akbar's son spent some years lie on the hill.
Near the palace is Siliserh Lake, Jaisamand Lake. The Siliserh lake
used to serve as the town's source of water. Now, the lake is teeming
with fish and water birds. Wild ducks streak across the clear water
of the lake in winter. The palace on the lake bed is a more modern
building and provides a wonderful view over the surrounding beauty.
The Saiska
National Park is a thickly wooded reserve surrounded by hills and is inhabited
by a great variety of wild life. It is now a protected area under
"Project Tiger". Other animals found here are the cheetal, sambhar,
porcupine and wild boar.
Bairath, which
lies between Jaipur & Alwar is a location which has significance from
the Mahabaratha times. This was then called Virata Nagar, which was
the capital of Abhimanyu's (Arjuna's son) father-in-law.
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