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| In the Albert hall museum Even the corridors were decorated with murals in a variety of styles including the Ramayan |
Rajasthan has always been one of the most preferred tourist destinations in India, for both national and international tourists, because of the magnificent historical forts, palaces, colonial monuments strewed across the state. Though Rajasthan is mainly associated with beautiful palaces and forts, it is also home to a considerable number of colonial monuments build by the British during their rule in India. The Taragarh Fort guarding the city of Ajmer was initially the seat of the Chauhan rulers. The fort is considered to be one of the oldest hill forts in India and the world. The Taragarh Fort was originally built by King Ajaypal Chauhan on the summit of Taragarh Hill. The walls are three kms in circumference and the battlements run along the top of the hill. When the fort fell into the hands of the British Raj, Lord William Bentinck ordered to dismantle it and it was subsequently converted into a sanatorium for the British troops stationed at Nasirabad. Founded by Lord Mayo, viceroy of India in 1875, The Mayo College was established to educate the children of Indian royals. The school building’s architecture is similar to royal Rajasthani architecture. The main building of the school is in white marble and is a classic example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The annual prize giving, one of the oldest ceremonies at Mayo College, has seen chief guests including Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, Lord Chelmford, governor general of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, ex-president of India, HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur, HH Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Dr Zakir Hussain, ex-president of India, Dr Karan Singh, Indira Gandhi, ex-prime minister of India, field marshal Sam Manekshaw, H H Sayyid Faher Bin Taimur of Oman, HM Birendra Shah, king of Nepal, Khushwant Singh, HH Madhavrao Scindia, Sir Peter Ustinov, Jaswant Singh and LK Advani.
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| Mayo’s first student, Maharaja Mangal Singh of Alwar, arrived at the school gates on the back of an elephant |
Albert Hall Museum, also known as the Government Central Museum is the oldest museum in the state and functions as the state museum. The building was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob and was opened as a public museum in 1887. Located in the city of Jaipur, the museum showcases Indo-Saracenic architecture and offers a rich collection of paintings, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures, colourful crystal works, etc. Maharaja Ram Singh initially wanted the museum to be a town hall but Madho Singh II, his successor decided it should be a museum for the art of Jaipur. He even included it as a part of the new Ram Nivas Garden. “The demand for heritage tours in Rajasthan, from both Indian and international travellers, is quite good since the experience they offer is unique. Travellers visiting Rajasthan do not specifically ask for a tour of colonial heritage structures since they are mainly interested in visiting and staying at the palaces which the state is known for. However, when they do, we customise our packages accordingly,” states Sourabh Kothari, director, Ganesham Tours & Travels India.
The Sambhar Lake basin is divided by a 5.1 km long dam made of sand stone. To the east of the dam are salt evaporation ponds where salt use to be farmed for a thousand years. This eastern area is 80 square km and comprises of salt reservoirs, canals and salt pans separated by narrow widges. To the east of the dam is a railroad which was laid down by the British to provide access from Sambhar Lake City to the salt works.
The Fairy Queen, a steam locomotive plying between New Delhi and Alwar was constructed by Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson at Leeds in England in 1855. After completion, the locomotive was brought to Kolkata in the same year. Initially, the five feet six inch gauge locomotive was used to haul light mail trains in West Bengal. However, it was later consigned to line construction duty in Bihar, where it served until 1909. The Fairy Queen then spent the next 34 years on a pedestal outside Howrah station. In 1943, it was moved to the Railway Zonal Training School at Chandausi, Uttar Pradesh. The locomotive was certified by the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as being the world’s oldest one in regular operation. “The Fairy Queen is an expensive train and hence only niche travellers opt for it. However, we do get queries for it,” opines Kothari.
