• A day by day account of visit to Pushkar, Chittorgarh Fort, Nathdwara and Udaipur. It includes villages like Devmali where only mud homes exist.

Day 1 Pushkar

Holiday Special Train Number 09654 dropped us at Ajmer Railway Station at 8 am. We took a taxi for Pushkar which is 15 km from Ajmer.

City of Pushkar is called as Tirthraj or King of Holy Places.  It is home to the only Lord Brahma Temple. The management has put a mirror behind the murti of Brahma so devotees can see the fourth face of Brahma.

Brahma Mandir entrance. 

Next was Pushkar Sarovar (Lake). It is believed that this sarovar was created when a Lotus flower fell from the hands of Lord Brahma. The lake has 52 Ghats, around it. There are more than 200 temples in Pushkar.

Overview of Pushkar Sarovar.

One of the Ghat is called Gobind Ghat in memory of the visit of 10^th Sikh Guru, Govind Singh Ji.  Guru Nanak Dev Ji visited earlier.

Another temple near the Sarovar is Rangji Temple, dedicated to Lard Vishnu.  This temple was built in 1823 by Seth Puran Mal Ganeriwal of Hyderabad.

Next was Savitri Mata Temple situated on the top of Ratnakar hill. A Rope Way takes one to the top, cost two way is Rs 180/ or climb 970 steps.  An interesting observation – next to temple a large number of monkeys sat very calmly and in an orderly manner.  When I asked the local priest about this, he explained that with time the monkeys have understood that they will get their fill on time from devotees.

Sunset view from Temple.  

City of Pushkar has become a popular destination wedding place. Local entrepreneurs offer Desert Safari and Hot Air Balloon rides also.  We spent the first night in a reasonably priced hotel in Pushkar.

Kartik Purnima Puja at one of Pushkar ghats.

Do enjoy Tea-Chai from such eco-friendly sellers. 

Day 2 Devmali

Next visit was to a unique village Devmali.  It is 25 km off from National Highway near Bijay Nagar town i.e. 83 km from Pushkar. 

 Lady lovingly fed us with Saag, Bajre ki Roti and Tea. 

This village does not have a single PAKKA house since it is believed that if a Pakka House is made, something very bad will happen.  All the houses, around 400, are made of Mud, Cow Dung and Hay. Houses have all modern amenities though. Even rich farmers, owning multiple vehicles, ACs, tractors do not make Pakka Houses. 

Next was village Mandal on the outskirts of Bhilwara.  Here is a famous Chhatri named as 32 Khambo ki Chhatri, (A dome with 32 pillars and beautiful carvings).  This dome is the Samadhi of local king Jagganath Kachhwaha.

Interesting Trivia - Jolly LLB 3 film shooting was on when we visited the village.  The story of the film revolves around acquisition of farmer’s land.  Film Star Akshay Kumar was staying there in his vanity van.  Villagers told us that the Star came out at 4.30 am daily for his jogging routine. 

By 7 pm we reached the town of Chittorgarh known for fort and stayed at a local hotel. Pushkar to Chittorgarh is 212 km.

Day 3 Chittorgarh Fort  

Keep one full day to see the fort.

Entrance to fort from east side, olden times entrance.

The fort is situated on a 180-metre-high hill and spread across 700 acres.  To reach to the top, one has to pass 7 gates (Pols) from bottom of the hill to its top.  In those times, band of loyal soldiers were deputed at each gate to stop the army of enemy.  Ganesh Pol, Jhadola Pol, Bhairav Pol, Padam Pol, Lakshman Pol, Hamuman Pol and Ram Pol are the names of these gates.

Ram Pol.

We first reached Gaumukh Water Tank. It is fed by a spring emerging from a rock structure, carved as Mouth of a Cow, hence named Gaumukh.  Like others I too swam in tank for 15 minutes.

Near this reservoir, there is a temple where all the three deities, Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are carved from a single stone. I found it fascinating. 

Trimurthi-Twice a year setting sun’s rays fall one of the three Lords. 

Close by is Vijay Stambh or Victory Tower.  It was built by Maharana Kumbha between 1440 and 1448 to celebrate his victory over Muslim Rulers of Malwa and Gujarat. It is 37 metres in height, 9 storeys, has 157 steps and made from sand stone and marble. 

Vijay Stambh. 

Next we saw Kirti Stambh or Fame Tower.  It is 7 storeys, was made in the 12^th century. This tower is dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankar Adinath Ji.

Kirti Stambh with Jain Mandir.    

Fatah Prakash Palace was constructed by Maharana Fateh Singh ji for his residence. Currently, the palace is converted into a museum that has a vast collection. Museum timings are 9.45 am to 4.45 pm. We returned to the hotel.

At 4 pm we again crossed all the 7 gates (Pols) of the fort. We first visited Rana Kumbha Palace, a massive structure. Tripolia Darwaja is the main entrance to the palace and the open area in front of the Darwaja is known as Darikhana.  In the vicinity there is Janana Mahal (palace for ladies). 

Extreme left if Badi Pol. End of pic are Kumbhaswamini & Mira Mandirs. 

It is said that at Ratan Singh Palace, Allaudin Khilji was allowed to see the shadow of Rani Padmini’s face in the pond water below the palace.  Later on Khilji broke his promise that he would go back after seeing the face of Rani Padmini in the water and his army attacked the Fort.  Maharana Ratan Singh died fighting the traitors and Rani Padmini committed Jauhar with hundreds of women. (they threw themselves in the fire).

Ratan Singh Palace and Jal Mahal. 

Kalika Mata Temple is a much revered temple on the fort, visited by devotees from far off places.  The temple was built in 8^th century and renovated by Maharana Hamir in 14^th century.

Beside these structures see Meera Bai and Kumbha Shyam Temples.

Kumbhaswamini Mandir. 

At 7 pm, a Light and Sound Show takes place near Kumbha Palace. With the help of colourful lights and various sounds the show depicts history of the fort, its foundation/rulers, wars and battles fought.  Ticket cost is Rs 150/.

Interesting Trivia- Custard Apples?    These are the speciality of the Chittorgarh Fort.  Top quality fruits are exported on a daily basis.  On request of the tourists, orchard owners pluck the ripened fruits from trees and sell. We bought a few kilos and found them to be the most delicious Custard Apples we ever had.  Best time to eat is October to December. 

Day 4 Nathdwara 

We visited Shri Nath Ji Temple in Nathdwara, i.e. 100 km from Chittorgarh.

Entrance to temple. 

Lord Krishna’s childhood avatar, Shri Nath Ji, resides in the temple at Nathdwara.  The murti was initially worshipped in Vrindawan. However, in the 17^th century, due to the increasing threats from Mughal Rulers, it was decided to move it from Vrindavan. A group of devotees, led by Sri Vallabhacharya took the murti and left Vrindavan. They requested many kings for protection but all refused for fear of Mughal Rulers but finally Maharana of Mewar, promised protection and provided land for construction of the temple.

One can have darshan of Shrinathji eight times in a day. Each time the murti wears different clothes as per the occasion of that time. Mangla, Shringar, Gwal, Rajbhog, Uthapan, Bhog, Sandhya Aarti, Shyan are the eight darshans.

We reached temple when Gwal Darshan, where Shri Nath Ji is dressed as a shepherd ready to take his herd of cows to Jungle, was about to open.  After the next darshan of Rajbhog, (where Lord is fed Lunch) we left.

Next stop was Haldi Ghati (18 kms away), the famous battle ground, where the army of Maharana Pratap fought that of Akbar. We saw the samadhi of Maharana Pratap’s faithful horse, Chetak, who died in the battle.  

Returning to Nathdwara, we had our lunch in Gujarati Thali System. For a fixed amount we had an unlimited five course meal.

Post lunch we visited the Statue of Belief, the 369 feet tall statue of Lord Shiva. It was sculpted by Murtikar Naresh Kumawat. 

Lifts take devotees to level of the murti. From the galleries get a panoramic view of Nathdwara, Shrinath Ji Temple and Banas River. Entrance fee is Rs 400/ per head. To perform Jalabhishek pay an additional Rs. 1,100/.

You can also visit a museum there by paying Rs. 200/. Do not miss the Laser Show at 8 pm when Shivji murti is decorated using laser lights.

Thereafter, we departed for Udaipur.

Day 5 and 6 Udaipur – The City of Lakes

Panoramic View Pichola Lake.  

Udaipur was founded by Maharana Udai Singh Ji of Sisodia Clan in 1559 when he shifted his capital from Chittorgarh to Udaipur. The city has 7 lakes, 5 of which are in the city itself and 2 are at a distance of 8 km in two opposite directions. All 7 lakes are interconnected and additional water of lakes of higher floorboard flows to the lakes of lower floorboard.  Beside these 7 lakes in the city periphery, there are a dozen other big lakes nearby for e.g. Jai Samand on the Banswara route and Raj Samand on Bhilwara route.

Places to see

1. City Palace Museum.

2. Boat ride on Lake Pichola.

3. Jagdish Mandir.

4. Gangaur Ghat.

5. Lake Doodh Talai and Karni Mata Temple on a hill,  Machhla Magra.

6. Lake Fateh Sagar. Island in lake Solar Observatory of Vikram Sarabhai Space Research Organisation.

7. Moti Mangri hill has a statute of Maharana Pratap and museum.

8. Close by is Neemuch Mata temple.

9. Sahil yo ki bari.  It was made for the entertainment of the royal ladies & their maids of honor. 

10. Sajjan Garh Palace or Monsoon Palace is on a hill. Reach by taxi.

11. 8 kms away is Lake Bari. The well maintained Pal (Dam) of the lake is not frequented by many tourists. When the water in this lake overflows, it goes to the Fateh Sagar Lake using an ancient canal. 

12. 22 kms away is Ekling Ji.  It is said that the real king of Mewar is Ekling Ji. The Sisodia Rajput clan is only a care taker on behalf of the Ekling Ji.  The presiding deity at this temple is Lord Shiva. 

13. Enroute is a 10^th century is Sahastra Bahu Temple (One with Thousand Arms Temple). Now the name is distorted and this temple is known as Saas Bahu Temple (Temple of Mother-in Law and Daughter-in-Law).

 Temple overview.

 Torans. 

14. SHILPGRAM for folk music and dance. Must visit. See album link below. 

On day 7 we departed for Mumbai. If you have one more day then visit Ranakpur Temple and Kumbalgarh Fort that are a few hours from Udaipur.

Also read

1. Lakes of Udaipur and around

2. Album City Palace Udaipur

3. Jagdish Mandir Udaipur

4. What to see in Udaipur and Mount Abu

5. Shilpagram Udaipur

6. Sadhana NGO

7. Chittorgarh Fort

8. Devigarh Palace near Udaipur

9. Jaisamand Lake near Udaipur

10. Pushkar