Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Unseen Rajasthan Exclusive-Ranthambore

Fort Enterance

The oldest settlement in the area near Sawai Madhopur was around the Ranthambhore fort. The exact origin of the Ranthambore fort is still disputed but it is generally accepted that there was a settlement at the site of the Fort, as far back as the 8th century A.D. It is widely believed that the construction of the Ranthambhore Fort was started during the reign of the Chauhan rajput King Sapaldaksha in 944 AD. Another theory stipulates that King Jayant, also a Chauhan rajput, built the Ranthambore Fort during 1110 AD. It is most likely that the construction of the fort commenced during the mid 10th Century A.D. and continued for a few centuries after that.

Since, the Ranthambhore Fort controlled the trade routes between North India and Central India, it was highly coveted by the rulers of North India. The Ranthambore Fort had its golden moments during the reign of the king Rao Hammir, the last ruler of the Chauhan dynasty (1282 - 1301 AD). During 1300 AD, Ala-ud-din Khilji, the ruler of Delhi sent his army to capture the Fort. After three unsuccessful attempts, his army finally conquered the Ranthambhore Fort in 1301 and ended the reign of the Chauhans. In the next three centuries the Ranthambore Fort changed hands a number of times, till Akbar, the great Mughal emperor, finally took over the Fort and dissolved the State of Ranthambore in 1558. The fort stayed in the possession of the Mughal rulers till the mid 18th century.

During the mid 18th century, the Maratha rulers of Western India were gradually increasing their influence in this region. In order to check the growing influence of the Marathas, Sawai Madho Singh, the ruler of Jaipur state, unsuccessfully, requested the Mughal emperor to hand over the Ranthambhore fort to him. In 1763, Sawai Madho Singh fortified the nearby village of Sherpur and renamed it Sawai Madhopur. This town, which is now commonly known as the "Sawai Madhopur City", lies in a narrow valley between two parallel hills, at the South Western edge of the Ranthambhore National Park. Two years later, the Mughals handed over the fort to the Jaipur state.

During the end of the British Raj, Sawai Man Singh, the last ruler of Jaipur state, got a railway link constructed between Jaipur and Sawai Madhopur. A railway station was built about 4 kilometers away from the Sawai Madhopur town. Gradually, a small settlement came up around the railway station. This twin of Sawai Madhopur, known as "Man Town", has now outgrown the older "City".

The Royal Wall To Save From Enemies


The Royal Fort And Temple Gurad.

This Statue Is Located Before The Entrance Of The Fort And Is Said That It Was The Royal Guard To Protect And Fort And Temple From Enemies And Other Powers.They Are Till Date Worshiped And Before Entering The Fort People Pray It.

Mata Annapurna Temple

Mata Annapurna Is The Food Goddess Of India.Her Favorite Animal Is Cow And Said By The People That If She Is Worshiped That A Family Will Never Lack Food In His Life.She Is Not Worshiped In Cities Generally But In Villages She Is One Of The Most Famous Goddess.


The Great Gates For Enterance

During The Rulers Time These Gates Were The Main Way Of Entrance And They Were Open In The Morning And Closed In The Evening .Basically Natives Of That Place Used This To Carry On Transactions Inside The Fort Premises.


The Royal Fort Coast

This Is The Place From Where The Soldiers Used To Do The Security Of The Fort.You Can See The Holes In The Wall Which Is Nothing Else But Thru These Holes The Soldiers Used To Keep Their Guns For Shooting The Enemies.


Fort Map And Direction Tool

For Us This Is A Beautiful Stone Which Is Well Carved But This Is Not A Stone This Is A Fort Map And Direction Tool That Was Used By The Kings To Guide The Soldiers And Team.This Is A Complete Map Of Fort.This Is Amazing..Old Kings Were So Intelligent That They Kept This Under Their Feet After Every Lap .


Accommodation For The Staff

This Is The Place Where King's Staff Used To Stay.They Were Not Supposed To Leave The Fort Premises As King May Need Them Any Time.So For That Purpose It Was Built Inside The Fort Only.

The Jain Temple (Lord Buddha )

This Is The Photograph Of The Jain Temple(Lord Buddha).This IS Also Located In The Fort Premises Only.

World Famous Lord Ganesha Temple

This Is One Of The Most Famous Lord Ganesha Temple.Before Any Wedding Happens In India The First Invitation Is Sent To Him Either By Going Personally Or By Post After That Only Weddings Are Done.You Can See The Crowd They Are No One Else But The People Waiting For Their Turn To Worship Lord Ganesha And To Invite Him In The Wedding.Photography Inside Is Not Allowed.

The Royal Umbrellas For Queens

This Is The Place Where The Queens Along With Her Friends Used To Sit In The Evening And Enjoy The Beauty Of Nature As 100's Of Kms It Is Only Forest And Very Dense.


Entrance To The Royal Fort

This Is The Entrance From Where People Used To Come .This Road Is Now Open For All And All The Tourists And Local People Arrive In This Fort Thru This Road Only.


The Pond In The Forest

In The Fort Premises Only King Was Having A Pond To Feed His Animals Like Horses,Elephants,Tigers,Dogs And Many Other.This Is A Fantastic Location As All Around There Are Hills Covering.

Lord Hanuman Temple

In Rajasthan Outside Every Village You Can Find The Statue Of Lord Hanuman.It Is Said That He Is The Most Powerful God And Will Exist Always By The Time Earth There.He Saves People From Evil Powers And Protects .He Has Never Married Lady And Was The Worshipper Of Lord Rama.He Was The Only One Who Burnt Lanka.Before Any Grain Farm Is Cut Some Part Of It Is Dedicated To Him And After That He Gives Prosperity.This Devotion To God Is Amazing.


From The Top Of The Fort

This Is Me On The Top Of The Fort.You Can See The River And The Forest In The Back.


The Carvings On Fort Walls

Carvings On Pillar

Carvings On Pillar

Carvings On Cieling

82 comments:

Shaun said...

Great post and pictures. Incredibly old.

Viji said...

Great write up and very informative.

Thanks for sharing about the lesser known facts on Rathambore!

Cheers

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Bharat: That was a wonderful tour of a neat place from history. Sometimes the places in India just amaze me and this is one of them.

summer said...

hi~nice to meet you~thanks for visiting my blog~

your blog is well written too~:)

ladyviral said...

Wow, the places and pictures are beautiful! I have never been to Indian and wish I could one day after reading your blog.

Thank you for sharing! And Thank you for dropping by my blog :).

Dot O said...

Your photos are a lot more impressive than my shot of my husband trimming hedges! Your part of our world is beautiful! I hope to look at more of your photographs later today.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Anonymous said...

Hey, Bharat - I've seen the main site - but found the blog just now. It is a great work you are doing here. You should be proud! All this views are like taken from a movie set:) Like from a fairy tale from the land far away. I learned a lot. I liked the map idea. Everything is so colorful and the artwork is amazing. I'll keep an eye on your site! May be after the recession will visit one of the tours :)

Unknown said...

Great info. The place is immense and full of history.

nobu said...

Wonderful post!

Urmi said...

Thank you very much for your lovely comment. I am delighted to hear that my writing has some relation with your life. You are welcome in my other blogs too.
Wonderful post with marvellous pictures. I love Rajasthan as I stayed at Jaipur for 2 years and I have been to all places and liked Ranthambore very much. When I was reading your beautiful description for a moment I felt like I am at Rajasthan.

Janet said...

Beautiful old structures, and what a great view you had! Thanks for visiting Selma, Ala. Daily Photo.

valeria said...

Oh my, this is so beautiful! I wish I could pack and leave right now!

James said...

Hello Bharat
This is an amazing place and you gave a wonderful tour. Also thanks for the link to your new website.

I thank you for following my Dallas blog but I have moved to Newtown Pennsylvania, so the Dallas blog will close in a while.
I would be honored if you followed my "Newtown blog" or "Something Sighted" in that one I post pictures from the places I've traveled.
Newtown and SomethingSighted

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this blog post and all of the old photos you have in it.

I did enjoy my visit to your new blog and noticed a mistake in words there.

You have spelled "Destiatons" and it should be spelled destination. It is easy to make a mistake like this but some people will not take your new site seriously because of mistakes in spelling.

Petrea Burchard said...

Amazing post, Unseen. You put a lot of work into it. I would save some and spread it out over a few days!

Anonymous said...

You are a superb travel guide! I learned so much today -- history, customs, geography, religion ...

Gaelyn said...

This was an awesome place and tour. Very informative with great photos. You have a wonder blog.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll certainly be back. Looks like you could help me plan a trip to India in the future.

Carver said...

Beautiful shots and a fascinating post. Thanks for your visit to my blog.

Prospero said...

This is a part of the world I know little about ... but I'm learning.

Regina said...

Thanks for the tour. Excellent post.

foongpc said...

Amazing fort map carved in stone! Very interesting! : )

Lisa Wilson said...

Great and interesting photos!! I think your new website looks great, too.

lissa said...

hello,

your blog and website are great and full of wonderful travel pics. I know nothing of Rajasthan and can't even pronounce the name but you do make it sound so exciting and wonderful.

one thing I would recommend for your website is a solid background behind the text. I like the background pattern but it's making the text hard to read. it's something that usually bothers me when I visit blogs & website. of cause, you do not have take this advice.

thanks for your visit to my blog and I hope great success with your business

Janie said...

Very interesting photos and history of the fort. I also checked out your web page. Much great information there. I'll bet you'd be a wonderful tour guide and source of travel info. I don't think I'll be getting to India any time soon, but I'd certainly look for your tour company if I were.

Nick S said...

Thankyou for visiting my blog. You have an great website yourself , and some wonderful surroundings !

amatamari© said...

The article is very interesting, particularly for the historical detail.
I visited your website and I feel good, full of information and opportunities for travel.
An excellent product, well done!
If I win the lottery first of all go to the temple of Ganesha ...
:-)

Maria said...

Hi! Thank you for visiting my blog! My favorite photo here is of the fort map! It is so very interesting...and unbelievably amazing. I also love how the rock above the map is heart-shaped. I love to find rocks like that when I garden...it's like unwrapping a gift~
~Maria

Anonymous said...

Wonderful pictures of very beautiful and interesting places. It would be so great to be able to visit India!! Thank you for sharing.

Peace, Stephanie

SandyCarlson said...

Gorgeous! Those Buddhas are great.

Your new website is lovely. Really enticing.

Giselle said...

A very curious story. I love your blog because it has information of his country (which I probably would never know u.u')
Beautiful photos!

Lowell said...

Very interesting history! Love the photos, too. I checked out your new travel company blog and was mighty impressed. I have bookmarked it for future reference.

Best wishes!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This was an excellent post about Ranthambore! It was so full of information and history. I am enjoying learning new things about your country.

Baruch said...

Very interesting photos and info

Indrani said...

Great pics.
I have been to Rajasthan and I feel it is one of the most beautiful state of our country.

2sweetnsaxy said...

Wow, what wonderful photos. The structures are just amazing and I enjoyed reading about all of it.

Rick (Ratty) said...

Nice pictures. I like the buildings. Great artwork.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

this was a wonderful tour. amazing details and history. i would love to visit this place. I am glad you enjoyed the bird and the statue on my site.

??? said...

Awesome pictures, the buildings are very beautiful. I learned a lot from this post :)

Eki said...

I'd love to see these places and wonderful traditions for myself ...
I've read quite a bit about it at NG, and it's in my destination list.

Anya said...

Fantastic post :)
I have dubble clicks on the shots for a better view ;)
Its very beautiful
in your country, thanks for sharing !!!!
I am waiting for the next post
LOL

Rajesh said...

Thanks for commenting in my blog. Nice one. I did not cover this place in my Rajasthan trip.

Jinksy said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. Ranthanbore National Park featured largely in a BBC TV programme here, about tigers, so it caught my attention in this post - was hoping to see another one, but no joy!

Swaram said...

For a long time, its been my wish to visit Rajasthan. Somehow, its not being materialized. Nice blog. Helpful!

Olivier said...

waouhh ton blog est impressionnant, superbe toutes ces photos de ce temple. je fais une belle découverte, j'aime beaucoup "The Pond In The Forest"
waouhh your blog is impressive, superb all these photographs of this temple. I make a nice discovery, I love "The Pond In The Forest" very much

fufu said...

wow nice!!! well i love the entrance of the fort! so gorgeous! and the lord buddha statues are nice...


btw i had visited your homepage...very nice!! it must be very useful for me to plan my itinerary when i go to india...thanks!

Lucy said...

Very interesting! You have a beautiful blog- and so informative. Thanks:)

Unknown said...

Both your website and your blog are wonderful! I read through your most recent post and I can't wait for your next! I've always wanted to go to India and although I doubt I'd be doing it in the immediate future, I feel like I'm there through your words and your pictures. One day, I'll definitely come and I'll take one of your tours!

Frank said...

Fantastic photographs. Thank you for sharing your part of India with us and for visitng me at www.TampaDailyPhoto.blogspot.com.

Come again.

Unknown said...

Lovely photos and some really interesting information !!

Thankyou for the tour ..

I'm really hoping to visit India one day...

VagaMundos said...

Olá! Thank you for your visit and comment. You have a very interesting blog. We will keep on visiting and the doors to our page are always open for you.
Regards from Portugal

Margaret said...

Great pictures and fascinating history. Thanks.

Tammie Lee said...

wonderful post. I enjoy seeing the ancient beauty in buildings like this.

Wishing you the best with your new site. I took a look at it and looks like you have a lot to offer.

Pietro Brosio said...

What an informative post with wonderful pictures!
Thanks for sharing.

Gunilla said...

Fantastic photos of places in India. Amazing history.

Thank you for your visit on my blog

Gunilla in Sweden

WNC Mountain Living said...

Lovely photos and very well written information about such a beautiful place. Great blog - will check back often. Good luck and thanks for visiting my part of the world via my blog!

Maggie May said...

Steeped in history. This is a great post and great photos.
Very well done.

Jo Potter said...

Hi,
Thank you for following my blog and for leaving your very kind comments.
Your blog is really lovely with all the great pictures of India.
I love the Buddha images. You are very lucky where you live to have such beautiful temples!:)
All best wishes. Jo.
P.S. I am now following you!:)

Wenche said...

It seems to be an amazing trip! The pictures are wonderful and it's so nice to learn a little history, too. Have visited your web site, and your web-site is very informative and amazing. You have done a fantastic job. The pictures are gorgeous, I really want to travel in your country:) I'm absolutely coming back to visit your blog and your web-site again.

Thanks for the nice comment on my blog. I really appreciated it.

VALKYRIEN said...

Hello! Thank you so much for your nice comment on my blog - and for being a follower! You have a very interesting blog - and I also checked out you website. I am impressed about the work you do, showing India! I have never been in India, but have had worked together with people from your country; nice people :)

You have now a new follower - this is interesting!

Acornmoon said...

I have enjoyed my virtual visit to your beautiful country. maybe one day I will get to see it for real.

Emery Roth said...

A wonderful and detailed tour. Thank you. Some day, perhaps, I will get to India. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Baron's Life said...

Thanks for the tour of such a lovely place...I'm following you now and also will link you to my site
Baron's photos

Inday said...

It's very interesting that you were able to digest all the historical facts, statistics and logistics of this equally interesting place. Great photos to allow us to glimpse into your world. Wide awakening to watch and learn and appreciate what's on the other side of the world! Brilliant contribution!

Australia:Quadrat in Focus

penny said...

Your photos are wonderful.

Renee said...

What a journey. Thank you for letting me fly with you today.

You have a wonderful blog.

Renee xoxo

Laurie said...

Very nice photographs.
Best wishes
Laurie

Debra Trean said...

Such history and details very informative loved the picture tour.

atto aryo said...

interesting place. this i wish to visit one day.

George said...

Thanks for a very informative and interesting post. The pictures are very good. I really enjoyed learning the history of this fascinating place.

Unseen India Tours said...

Dear All really thankful for appreciating my blog.Its my constant endeavor to make you see the most uncommon places,cultures ,traditions and colors of Rajasthan-India..Thanks for all your support...:)

Ice said...

Thank you for your comment on my blog the other day. And also thank you for the link to your website. So, you are running a touring company? Does that mean that I can book trips from you?

Unseen India Tours said...

Ai Shiang -Yes Ai Shiang My website i.e. www.unseenrajasthan.com is ready to take the orders and you can book your tours there....Thanks ....

Anonymous said...

Thank you for a fascinating tour and for visiting my blog.

Rusted Wings said...

What an amazing blog and journey yu are on! I feel transported, and want to return often. Thanks for your sweet comment on my blog and for letting me know about you!!
blessings,
abigail

Splendid Little Stars said...

fascinating. great tour and photos!

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

Just beautiful!!!

Lady Di Tn said...

Hello from TN. This was very interesting and I have bookmarked your blog to come back and tour older post. Peace

Shawna said...

P.S. The new website looks nice!

Ice said...

Thanks for letting me know. I shall keep that in mind if we do visit India. In the mean time, we are not planning to travel anywhere.

Ayie said...

Great carvings!

Ayie said...

I'm assuming that old fort was one of the grandest during the early years. Nice shots!

jali blog said...

blog walking....nice picture