Alwar, originally known as "Ulwar", is often referred as the gateway to Rajasthan. Alwar finds its place in the popular Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is reported in the history that Pandavas spent their last year of exile here. Alwar has great history. Alwar was ruled by Muslim rulers for a long time after Sultan Bulban suppressed the local leaders. It was only in 1771 when Maharaja Pratap Singh won back Alwar. Alwar is now very popular as a tourist destination. Spread over 8350 Sq Km, Alwar has a population around 3 million people. While overall literacy rate is around 62.48%, the same in the urban areas is as high as 82.27%. Alwar is very well located for visitors as it is 170 Kms away from Delhi and about 150 Kms from Jaipur.
Do not forget to take a ride on Fairy Queen when you are considering a visit to Alwar.
Visitors can enjoy the marvelous architecture of forts and palaces as well as the lakes and bird sanctuaries.
Rajasthan is typically considered hot. But, the temperature in Alwar fluctuates between a minimum of 24 deg to a high of 37 deg Centigrade in summer. However, the minimum temperature drops down to 11 deg cent in winter. But the maximum temperature may result in ‘warm winters’ with 31 deg centigrade. Rainy Season is between July to Mid Sept, and is very humid with humidity up to 90%.
Rainfall in Alwar is around 62 CMs.
Best time to visit Alwar is between September and March.
You need to carry Indian Rupees for your expenses at Alwar. Some place like your hotel and shops dealing with handicrafts etc may accept credit cards. However, cash is hand is recommended.
There are no special permits required to visit Alwar. Foreign nationals anyway are recommended to carry their passports, though they are not required.
By Air One may use Airports at Delhi and Jaipur to reach Alwar. Take a taxi from the airport to Alwar.
international Flight:
Alwar does not have an Airport of its own. However, Alwar is just 170 kms away from Delhi, and 150kms from Jaipur and better connections can be availed here.
By Road The roads are well laid and one can travel to Alwar by buses from many places like Bharatpur, Deeg, Delhi, Jaipur, Sariska etc. One can also drive down, if interested.
By Train Indian Railways are well designed to connect all parts of India. Shatabdi express (New delhi-Alwar-Ajmer), Superfast Express (Newdelhi-Alwar-Ajmer), Intercity Express(Jodhpur-Jaipur-Alwar-Delhi) Marudhar Express(Jodhpur-Alwer-Varanasi), Mandore Express(Jodhpur-Alwar-Delhi) are very convenient
There are many places worth a visit in Alwar. First and foremost is The Fort, spread over a large area. It covers 5 Km. form north to south and 1.6 Km from east to west. This fort has many gates like Andheri gate,Chand pol, Jai Pol, Krishna Pol, Laxman Pol, Suraj Pol etc. The Fort also has some temples. Special permission is required to visit the fort as there is a Radio Transmission station there. The Alwar fort or Bala Quila is a must visit tourist attraction.
Below the Fort, you will reach City Palace Complex, which today houses many government offices. In the top floor there is a government museum that has exhibits like royal vestments, stuffed animals, Kashmiri lacquer work; and stone sculptures. A great collection of paintings can be seen in a separate exhibition hall.
Company Garden, a picturesque garden is visual treat, though it is not clear, how it got the name, This is the creation of Maharaja Shiv Dan Singh in 1868 A.D. There is a beautiful artificial lake behind the City Palace. This was built by Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1815 AD. There are some temples along the bank of this lake. Chhatris seem to be the favorite of many Rajasthani kings. You can see a marvelous chhatri with Bengali roof and arches. This is known as the Moosi Maharani ki chhatri.
Haldia Bhawan, a Haveli which is about 250 years old is an Interesting place to visit. Other places worth visiting are Pandupol Hanuman Temple, Tomb of Fateh Jang, Nehru garden, Hope Circus, Moti Doongri Park, Bharthari, Naldeshwar, Neel Kanth, Narayani Mata, Karni Mata, Ada Pada, Taalvriksh,
Ajabgharh, Bhangharh, Mansa Devi ka mandir etc
Where To Eat:
When you are in Rajasthan do make it a point to try out the authentic Rajasthani cuisine. One can get North Indian and Mughlai cuisine as well at many hotels in Alwar. You can get even fast food at numerous food joints. Alwar ka Mawa which is made of milk is the delicacy of Alwar. Do not forget to taste the same.
Where To Stay:
Being a place of interest for tourists, many good hotels have come up in Alwar. One can find a hotel that suits each one’s tastes and purse.
Neemrana Fort Palace is a fine place to stay for those with a rich taste and a good budget. As the name suggests it is a Palace built in 1464 AD and was converted into a heritage hotel in 1986. This hotel is near a small village named Neemrana.
The Hill Fort is another heritage hotel worth staying in. A 14th century fort is now converted into a hotel.
Once you are done with visiting places in Alwar, you may venture to visit few places around Alwar.
Just 6 Kms away from Alwar is Jai Samand Lake, an artificial lake constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1910. After this visit the Vijay Mandir Palace, about 10 kms from Alwar, which was built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1918. There is also a Sita Ram temple in the palace. Prior permission is needed from the concerned authorities to visit this palace.
Sariska, a tiger sanctuary is 37 km Alwar and this popular 765.80 sq. km thickly wooded reserve is noted for tiger, nilgai, sambhar, cheetal, four horned antelope and wild boar.
Other places are Siliserh Lake and palace( 13km), Sariska Palace(21km), Sariska(42km) , Viratnagar (66km), Pandu paul (70 Km) and AjabGarh Bhang Garh (80 Km)
