Today’s day
was planned for sightseeing around the city. I had pre-booked a bike for my
entire trip of 6 days. I picked up the bike and headed to Saheliyon ki Bari.
This place is a garden where ladies from the royal family used to go for
recreation. Today it is one of the famous tourist spots. The garden has several
sections. The central courtyard, which houses a pond, dancing fountains, and
decorated domes, was quite impressive. The Lotus Lake was also stunning. Flowers
always attract me for macro photography. I spent some time in the garden clicking
flowers of diverse colors and moved on to my next destination – Moti Magari.
was planned for sightseeing around the city. I had pre-booked a bike for my
entire trip of 6 days. I picked up the bike and headed to Saheliyon ki Bari.
This place is a garden where ladies from the royal family used to go for
recreation. Today it is one of the famous tourist spots. The garden has several
sections. The central courtyard, which houses a pond, dancing fountains, and
decorated domes, was quite impressive. The Lotus Lake was also stunning. Flowers
always attract me for macro photography. I spent some time in the garden clicking
flowers of diverse colors and moved on to my next destination – Moti Magari.
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| Domes and fountains at Saheliyon ki Bari |
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| The Lotus lake |
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| Colorful flowers in the garden |
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| Maharana Pratap statue |
Magari means a hill in the local tongue. This is a small
hill besides the Fateh Sagar lake. On top of the hill, there is a statue of
Maharana Pratap, a museum, and a small garden. I parked my bike at the entrance
and trekked up. It was a small hike. The weather was pleasant. Birds were
chirping in the woods. Within a few minutes I reached the hilltop. From here, I
could see a mesmerizing landscape of the lake and the city. I spent some time
there clicking pictures. At the central place of the hill, the statue of
Maharana Pratap was standing tall. Just looking at the great figure brought
goosebumps on my body. Besides the statue, there is a museum. The museum has replicas
of the famous forts of the region: Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh. It also houses
informative panels on the history of the Mewar kingdom. Strolling through the
galleries of the museum was a good learning experience.
hill besides the Fateh Sagar lake. On top of the hill, there is a statue of
Maharana Pratap, a museum, and a small garden. I parked my bike at the entrance
and trekked up. It was a small hike. The weather was pleasant. Birds were
chirping in the woods. Within a few minutes I reached the hilltop. From here, I
could see a mesmerizing landscape of the lake and the city. I spent some time
there clicking pictures. At the central place of the hill, the statue of
Maharana Pratap was standing tall. Just looking at the great figure brought
goosebumps on my body. Besides the statue, there is a museum. The museum has replicas
of the famous forts of the region: Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh. It also houses
informative panels on the history of the Mewar kingdom. Strolling through the
galleries of the museum was a good learning experience.
 |
| View from Moti Magari |
After spending around an hour on the hill, I came down and
grabbed some food. Fateh Sagar lake is bigger than Pichola lake and has a
couple of island in it. One of these islands houses a beautiful park known as
Nehru Garden. I took a boat ride to this garden. The garden was quite ordinary
and didn’t offer anything much
interesting. I came back to the shore and headed to Sajjangarh monsoon palace.
grabbed some food. Fateh Sagar lake is bigger than Pichola lake and has a
couple of island in it. One of these islands houses a beautiful park known as
Nehru Garden. I took a boat ride to this garden. The garden was quite ordinary
and didn’t offer anything much
interesting. I came back to the shore and headed to Sajjangarh monsoon palace.
 |
| Nehru Garden |
Sajjangarh is an isolated hill around 5 km away from the
city. The palace was built as a monsoon retreat. Situated at around 900 m above
sea level, this palace offers magnificent view of the city and its lakes.
Riding the steep, curvy road, I reached the palace. The afternoon sun was
mellowed down at this height. The city looked stunning and the lakes were just
adorable. The palace itself was quite a small structure and didn’t have anything impressive from architectural
perspective. Probably the natural beauty of the place was so overwhelming that
the creators of the palace just decided to keep it low key. Whatever! From
here, I drove to Badi lake. This lake a bit far from the city, but it is the
most beautiful. Just a driving along the lake was a joyful experience. I
stopped at a promenade to click some pictures. The promenade was beautifully
decorated with domes and arches. And there were hardly any people. I spent some
time there enjoying the tranquility of the moment.
city. The palace was built as a monsoon retreat. Situated at around 900 m above
sea level, this palace offers magnificent view of the city and its lakes.
Riding the steep, curvy road, I reached the palace. The afternoon sun was
mellowed down at this height. The city looked stunning and the lakes were just
adorable. The palace itself was quite a small structure and didn’t have anything impressive from architectural
perspective. Probably the natural beauty of the place was so overwhelming that
the creators of the palace just decided to keep it low key. Whatever! From
here, I drove to Badi lake. This lake a bit far from the city, but it is the
most beautiful. Just a driving along the lake was a joyful experience. I
stopped at a promenade to click some pictures. The promenade was beautifully
decorated with domes and arches. And there were hardly any people. I spent some
time there enjoying the tranquility of the moment.
 |
| View of the town from Sajjangarh |
 |
| The Sajjangarh palace |
A spot near Badi lake that has recently become popular is
Bahubali hills. God knows why it is called Bahubali hills. I heard some
illogical tales relating the spot to a place in a random scene in the movie
Bahubali. Whatever it is; the place looked quite appealing on Instagram. I was
quite excited to go there. I parked my bike at a parking place in a nearby
village. From there, I trekked for around fifteen minutes on a dusty, uphill
road to reach this panoramic place. The spot on the top of the hill was indeed
beautiful. The calm waters of Badi lake surrounded craggy hills that were
spread until the horizon. Interestingly, the hill right in the front appeared
like the map of peninsular India. The late-afternoon sunlight made the scenery
even more dramatic. This place was comparatively crowded. A couple was having
their pre-wedding shoot and the whole crew had almost sabotaged the point from
where one could have the best view. People were annoyed but still tolerating
their shenanigans. I spent some time there clicking pictures and returned to
the city. I went to another roof-top restaurant, grabbed a beer, and called it
a day.
Bahubali hills. God knows why it is called Bahubali hills. I heard some
illogical tales relating the spot to a place in a random scene in the movie
Bahubali. Whatever it is; the place looked quite appealing on Instagram. I was
quite excited to go there. I parked my bike at a parking place in a nearby
village. From there, I trekked for around fifteen minutes on a dusty, uphill
road to reach this panoramic place. The spot on the top of the hill was indeed
beautiful. The calm waters of Badi lake surrounded craggy hills that were
spread until the horizon. Interestingly, the hill right in the front appeared
like the map of peninsular India. The late-afternoon sunlight made the scenery
even more dramatic. This place was comparatively crowded. A couple was having
their pre-wedding shoot and the whole crew had almost sabotaged the point from
where one could have the best view. People were annoyed but still tolerating
their shenanigans. I spent some time there clicking pictures and returned to
the city. I went to another roof-top restaurant, grabbed a beer, and called it
a day.
 |
| The drive along the lake was joyful |
 |
| Arches and domes at Badi lake promenade |
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| The promenade was quite and serene |
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| Bahubali hills and Badi lake |
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| The India-shaped hill |
To be continued…
Thank you, Srini. 🙂
Rajasthan has lot to offer for any traveller. Well written blog with nice pictures. Keep inspiring. Ihang.
Nice write up, beautiful photographs.