We booked into Sariska Palace and hoped to see all the historic and natural beauty around us.
The first day we went to the Tiger reserve and were lucky to spend a good two hours watching ST3 relax and roll around in the grass.
The next day we left early in the morning for Bhangarh. Its not a long distance away but the roads are terrible. They are full of potholes and in places the metal tar has not been replaced after the rains. Though there was material on the sides for repair but the work hadn’t started.
The drive however was very scenic because of the beautiful women in all the glorious colours of Rajasthan and greenery around.
The fort of Ajabgarh falls on the way from Sariska to Bhangarh. This fort had been built by Ajab Singh, the son of Madho Singh. Madho Singh was the brother of Akbar’s trusted general Raja Man Singh.
The gates were very impressive:
As we drove in it was obvious that we were in a medieval village with old structures and chatris.
Some of the old havelis
This must have been built when Ajabgarh was still a thriving capital of Raja Ajab Singh by his courtiers
Old door open new dreams
New hopes and new beginnings
Alongside the mountains ran a huge lake making the location even more strategic as water is a matetr of concern in Rajasthan.
After driving through the village we could see the fort perched on a hill very clearly but could find no way up to it. This 17th c fort is built in the Indo-Persian style of architecture of stone and plaster.
It was very hot and at first look the hill seemed steep. We still had to go to Bhangarh so decided to leave the exploration for another day. A few photos and we move on.
The temple attached to the fort looked inviting but we moved on.
Round the bend from the fort was a dragah and on a hot day its bright whiteness looked very alluring. We decided to go in and recite the fatiha.
This is the dargah of hazrat Kapoor Shah Baba. The mujawir had no idea of his history but it is very well maintained. He said the saint was from Akbar’s era but a bit of research reveals that he came much later. It was built in the 19th century so safe to assume that he must have lived in that era.
This dargah commands a majestic view of the fort and mountains around.
This buffalo on the road with the branches sticking out just looked very cute to me.
Off to see some more ruins!
(Alwar to Ajabgarh is 85 km)
