Most Famous Historical Places in Rajasthan

Rajasthan possesses some of the world’s most beautiful pieces of architecture that are the cynosure of tourists from India and abroad. Considerable influences of the Rajputana Style of Architecture along with Mughal architecture and British aristocracy design sensibilities if found to be present in the sophistication of the designs. Some of the most famous architectural marvels of Rajasthan with a rich historical legacy are described below.

City Palace in Jaipur

City Palace is an eclectic mixture of traditional Rajasthani style architecture and ornate Mughal artistry. The complex of City Palace has many beautiful looming structures. It was Maharaja Jai Singh who built the outer wall of City Palace and since then there have been several additions. The City Palace spreads over 1/7 of the space of the walled city of Jaipur and the Palace still has a royal legacy. There are many beautiful structures inside the city Palace like Chandra Mahal, Shiva Govinda Temple, Badal Mahal, and the Royal Museum of City Palace.

Havelis of Jaisalmer

Wealthy merchants of Jaisalmer all build sprawling sandstone mansions for themselves and they are known as Havelis. These Havelis have now been reformed into hotels, and boutique resorts while only a handful of them are originally occupied by the Rajasthani elite class. Patwon ki Haveli is one of the most gorgeous and a couple of Havelis that are there in Jaisalmer. One of the apartments in this Haveli contains hand-painted murals created by Salim Singh the master painter and Royal prime minister of Jaisalmer. This Haveli was built 300 years ago and is now used as a residential place. The roof of the Haveli is arched and fitted with carved brackets which are constructed in the form of peacocks.

Nathmal ki Haveli is another famous one in Jaisalmer and it was built in 19^th Century. This Haveli was designed as a prime minister’s house and there are intricately carved right and left wings which look charmingly identical. The highlights of this Haveli are gigantic sandstone elephants which loom majestically at the gate and the gorgeously carved door.

Lake Palace in Udaipur

Udaipur is one of the most romantic and beautiful holiday spots in the world and it is the original summer residence of Udaipur Royalty. This is an extremely beautiful island palace situated on the water in the Pichola Lake. The palace is made up of gleaming while marble. The Lake Palace has been made into a beautiful heritage hotel with gorgeous pavilions, fragrant landscaped gardens and numerous stories of romance and velour are attached to Udaipur.

Umaid Bhawan in Jodhpur

The Umaid Bhavan was building in the 20^th century with a certain kind of sandstone that doesn’t show any lasting effect of weathering. Earlier it was an important historical monument but now it has been converted into a grand hotel and a big museum showcasing weapons and remnants of royal life of Jodhpur.

City Palace in Udaipur

The City Palace in Udaipur was originally constructed by Udai Singh. Many additions to this building have been made over the ages and each has been achieved so meticulously that it is difficult to comprehend that the palace was now conceptualized as a whole the palace stands on the banks of the beautiful lake Pichola and the palace can be reached through gate called Hathi Pole or the Elephant Gate, Bara Pole (the big gate) and Tri Pole (the triple gate). Elaborately designed pavilions, beautiful terraces, hanging gardens, corridors and intricately designed murals makes this one of the most beautiful palaces in India. The highlights of this palace are Amar Vilas, Sheesh Mahal, Chini Chitra Shala and Krishna Vilas.

Hawa Mahal in Jaipur

Hawa Mahal is a beautiful palace with multiple layers and a bee hive structure that was originally built by Sawai Pratap Singh (who was the grandson of Sawai Jai Singh and Sawai Madhoo) in 1799. The designing was done by the famous Lal Chand who was the master architect. It is said that it is possible to hear the music sing hundreds of different tunes from each window of the palace. Red and pink colored sandstones which were inscribed with fine white borders and lovely motifs are a part of one of the most gorgeous monuments of Rajasthan; Hawa Mahal.

Manak Chowk Jaisalmer

Manak Chowk is right outside the fort of Jaisalmer and it is the center of local activity. This is also a landmark via which it is possible to reach the carved palaces of Jaisalmer which are full of royal charm. In the 18^th and 19^th century examples Patwon ki Haveli is the best piece with a gorgeous lattice and façade. The Haveli of Salim Singh has a roof with a gorgeous arch and they are held up by well constructed brackets which look like peacocks. Nathmalji ki Haveli has a pair of wings which look identical and face opposite each other and each is flanked by yellow sandstone elephants.

Deeg Bharatpur

Just 34 km from Bharatpur is the old city of Deeg which is full of famous palaces, luxuriant gardens and a melody of fountains and ruins of old regal fortresses. These are all a part of the royal bygone era of Jat culture. Deeg was the newly established capital of Jat state since the time when Badan Singh ascended the throne back in 1722. The Jat rulers of Bharatpur and Deeg were very impressed by the royal splendor of the courts of Agra and Delhi and brought in all kinds of items like means, gates, slabs and stones which were all sourced and preserved from Mughal era.

Jantar Mantar in Jaipur

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is the Yantralaya of Sawai Jai Singh 2 which is built on his designs. It is one of the 5 principal astronomical observatories that were established by him in 1716. The other 4 are in Varanasi, Mathura, Delhi and Ujjain. Huge instruments of masonry with incredible precision are displayed there. Even after 1000 of years these machines can be used with amazing ease.

Padmini Palace in Chittorgarh

The Padmini palace is situated inside the Chittorgarh fort and was built according to the 13^th century norms of architecture. The palace was built as a tribute to Padmini Queen whose famous beauty supped a war between two rival princes. It was said that Allauddin Khilji and Rana Ratan Singh fought valiantly over the queen. According to the legend the famous queen Padmini set fire to herself (immolated) herself along with hundreds of other palace women to keep her honour intact and safe from the hands of the enemy. This custom of immolation before defeat in war was a glorified custom in traditional Rajput culture.

Ranakpur Temples in Udaipur

For the Jain community the majestic temples of Ranakpur are amongst the top temples in the world and one of the 5 sacred places they look up to. The temple of Ranakpur was built in the 15^th Century during the reign of Kumbha Rana. The four faced central structure in Ranakpur temple is called Chaumukha and is dedicated to Adinath. This place of worship has 29 halls and as many as 1445 pillars all equally and beautifully carved which enhance the beauty of the place. The temple group of Ranakpur has many four faced structures and all have intricate carvings.

The Ranakpur temples draw inspiration from the Dilwara temples in Mount Abu. Here Parshvanath and Nemichand are the 2 principal temples which have gorgeous architecture and wonderful carvings similar to the ones found in Khajuraho. The Sun temple dedicated to the Sun God is also present in this group. The temple complex is a polygonal structure with rich engravings on the walls and intricate carvings which depict the warriors, sun, moon and other stars and horses. Pilgrims and tourists love these temples for the spirit of tranquility which they evoke.

Kumbhalgarh Fort in Udaipur

The Kumbhalgarh Fort in Udaipur is a major attraction in Udaipur and tops the number of monuments worth seeing in Udaipur. This fort is about 64 km away from the main city and ranks next in importance to Chittorgarh Fort. The gorgeous Kumbhalgarh stands proud at the base of Aravalli hills and it was built in 15^th century by Rana Kumbha. The topography is very wild and hostile and the fort has remain unchallenged as a refuge of the Mewar Raja during turbulent times, the king of Mewar Uday who was just a bay back then took shelter in that fort. The walls of the fort stretch across 36 km. the fort was renovated in the 19^th century. The fort itself contains a host of beautiful buildings inside like the Badal Mahal etc.

Jagat Mandir in Udaipur

This is alternatively known as the Lake Garden Palace as it is built right on Lake Pichola. The Maharanas of Mewar have been credited with constructing this lovely palace. Maharaja Amar Singh started building it in 1551 and the work was carried on by Maharaja Jagat Singh and Maharaja Karan Singh. This is why the palace is called Jagat Mandir.