Maharaja Surajmal

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Places of Attractions

Bharatpur Fort ( Kila)

Bharatpur, in Rajasthan, seems like a small town at first sight. But with its fortress, palaces, religious places and the world-famous bird sanctuary it is a beautiful place and attracts tourists, largely foreigners, in hordes. Replete with acts of chivalry and valor, the history of this township is at once interesting and awe-inspiring. About 175 km from Delhi on the Delhi-Mumbai highway, Bharatpur had been ruled by Jat rulers, the first being Badan Singh. A revolt against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb by some petty Jat chieftains led to open warfare and frequent skirmishes.
With the death of Aurangzeb in the early eighteenth century, Badan Singh, a Jat chieftain, carved out a kingdom of Bharatpur in 1722 and became its ruler.
Suraj Mal, his son by a favorite concubine, succeeded him and fortified it with walls of packed mud and a moat full of water surrounding it. Known as Loha Garh or Iron Fort, the inaccessible fort could withstand repeated attacks of British forces led by Lord Lake in 1805 when they laid siege for over six weeks. Having lost over 3000 soldiers, the British forces had to retreat and strike a compromise with the Bharatpur ruler. Of the two gates in the fort, one in the north is known as Ashtdhaatu (eight metalled) gate while the one facing the south is called Chowburja (four-pillared) gate.

Within the precincts of the fort are three palaces — one of which, Kothi Khas, now serves as a museum while the other two, Kishori Mahal and Mahal Khas, are sadly in a dilapidated state. Archaeological finds — intricately carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions dating back to the second century — are on display in the museum, the entrance to which is free on Mondays. Brightly designed baths or hamams with walls and domes are some of the attractions in the palace museum.

Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj, two of the eight magnificent towers within the precincts of the fort, call for special mention. While the former was built by Maharaja Suraj Mal to commemorate his victory over the Mughals, the latter was built by him to signify his victory over the British. The Jawahar Burj has a special significance for Jat rulers as the coronation ceremony was always held at this spot.

The bharatpur fort is very different from the other forts in Rajasthan state, there is no flamboyance associated to fort but it generates an aura of strength and magnificence. The fort is surrounded with moat which was previously filled with water to ward off the enemy attacks. The sandy ramparts were strengthened by sandy battlements, thus the enemy guns proved of no avail.
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 government Museum is housed in the former durbar hall, the maharaja's meeting hall, in the fort. The most interesting thing to see here is the hamam(bathhouse), which retains some fine carvings and frescoes.

A rich collection of artefacts. exquisitely carved sculptures and ancient inscriptions can be admired in the Government Museum located in the Palace. All these items speak volumes about the rich heritage, art and crafts of the region. It exhibits sculptures found during the excavation of old villages e.g. Noh, Mallah, Bareh, Bayana etc. ranging from the Kushan period (Ist century A.D.) to 19th century A.D. Weapons used in battles in the medieval period the Jat rulers, paintings, manuscripts, zoological specimens, local art and craft that was once Bharatpur.

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 Art Gallery of the museum has specimens of miniature paintings on leaves of the Peepal tree, mica and old litho papers along with the paintings of the Maharajas of Bharatpur. On the upper story one section consists of various types of guns & miniature canons used during 18th century A.D. Called ‘Chandra’. These miniature canons - two sets of eleven each, were used by Maharaja Sawai Jawahar Singh in the battle while passing through the Jaipur territory on his return from a pilgrimage to Pushkar.

Only the exterior of the buildings may be photographed.
Tourist Information
Time 10:00 A.M.- 4:30 P.M.(Saturday - Thursday)
Entry Fee : RS. 3/- (Closed on Friday)

Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj

A few of the eight imposing towers still stand erect within the glorious ramparts of the fort. Especially two of them - Jawahar Burj and Fateh Burj are of special interest These were built by Maharaja Suraj Malto commemorate his victories over the Mughals and British respectively. The coronation ceremony of the Jat rulers of Bharatpur was also held at the Jawahar Burj.

The Palace

Within the precincts of the fort are three palaces — one of which, Kothi Khas, now serves as a museum while the other two, Kishori Mahal and Mahal Khas, are sadly in a dilapidated state. They are the fine blend of Mughal and Rajput architecture, built in various phases by different Maharajas.
These 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.

Ganga Mandir ( Temple of Deity Ganga)

A very sacred temple of Deity "Ganga Maiya". The temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga was initiated by Maharaja Balwant Singh in 1845. However, its completion was done in 1937 by Maharaja Brijendra Sawai. The temple is a two storeyd structure built of sandstone. The chequered floors are painted in black and white. The terrace is best avoided as the edges are not stable and can be highly precarious Temple is one of the ldest one in the city and local people have great respect and proud on the temple. Located at the very heart of the city,the architecture of the temple is impressive and artistic.

Laxman Mandir

The Laxman Temple and the mosque are the other places of interest in the city.

KeolaDeo Bird Sanctuarty

A visit to Bharatpur would undoubtedly be incomplete without a visit to the world famous Keoladeo National Park, also known as Ghana Bird Sanctuary.
Known as Keoldeo because of the Keoladeo temple of Lord Shiva in the vicinity, this 29 sq km area was converted into a sanctuary by Prince Bhamji of Morvi state who had been appointed as Regent of Bharatpur towards the end of nineteenth century. Originally intended for duck shooting by Maharaja Kishan Singh, an area of 11 sq km was got filled with water from the Ajan Bundh reservoir and then drained out, leaving the low land filled with water. Bushes of babool and other thorny trees were got planted to attract varieties of birds. The first shoot was organized by the rulers of Bharatpur in 1902 in honor of Lord Curzon. Lord Linlithgow, Viceroy and Governor-General of India, established a record of shooting 4273 ducks in 1938. Among the royal guests of the Bharatpur ruler were visitors from Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia and few other countries

Conducted Tours

Mini bus is operated by Forest Rest House, Please contact :
Dy. Chief Wildlife Warden
Forest Rest House Tel 222777

Guided Services

Approved tourist guides for the National Park can be hired from
The Asstt. Director,
Tourist Reception Center
Hotel Saras (RTDC), Tel 22542
&
Deputy Chief Wildlife Warden,
Forest Rest House. Tel 22777
Guides are also available at the Bird Sanctuary gate.

Local Transport

Auto rickshaw, Cycle-rickshaw and Tongas are available at Old Bus Stand and Railway Station. Rates are negotiable

Tourist Information Bureau

RTDC Hotel Saras, Agra Road. Tel : 222542

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