Since it had been about 9 months of being holed up inside the house, my mom and I decided to head out on our favourite kind of a trip…and also the safest given the pandemic circumstances.
Since we seem to be in for a longer haul with respect to this pandemic, it is up to us to find the right balance between sanity and safety.
After celebrating a rather subdued Diwali at home with family, my mom and I headed towards Alwar. As usual, we did not have a particular plan. This time we were not even sure if it was going to be a day trip or an overnight one.
A day trip to Alwar for lunch at the Lake Palace seems to be the new fad, if my mom’s sources are to be believed.
We had prepared ourselves for an overnight trip…just in case.
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Contents
Delhi – Alwar Road Trip Map
How Was This Road Trip Different?
Although most things in India had opened up by November, the little question on safety is always there as opening up of things is not equivalent to end of the pandemic.
And falling sick during a trip is not a pleasant thought at all.
One of my main reasons for travelling by road is the highway stops, and I really did not want to compromise on that as food seems to be relatively safe as per most researches. So we took our own plates and cups and transferred the parathas to our own plates. Frankly, I don’t know if it helps, but it just made me feel mentally safe.
We also carried our own bedsheets and pillow covers in case we needed to stay over for the night.
And of course, the routine of masks – sanitizer – social distance.
Part 1: Gurgaon to Alwar
The only planning I really do on the trips is of the route. The recommended route was via NH48 till Bhiwadi and then on to the State Highway 25 till Alwar.
NH48 is a busy highway as it runs from Delhi right up till Chennai and is usually busy with a lot of trucks. For that reason, I try and avoid it whenever I can.
The alternate route was via Sohna and since we were planning to leave early in the morning, we could risk getting into Sohna. The roads till about Tauru were in a good condition, but the last stretch from Tauru till Tapukara was not. In hindsight, we should have stuck to NH 48 or probably moved to SH 25 at Bhiwadi instead of driving till Tapukara.
We got on to SH25 at Tapukara and the roads after that were in an awesome condition. The effect of the pandemic had started to hit us as we were about 2 hours into our journey and were still unable to find a place to eat. A lot of the recommended stops on our GPS were closed down.
We finally found a dhaba ‘Murthal no.1’ on SH25. The location of this dhaba was amazing with lush green fields around. However, the food was ‘not so amazing’. Our parathas were too thick with less stuffing.
We reached Alwar by 11AM and by this time we had decided to stay one night as I was not too keen on driving on the state highway after dusk.
About Alwar
The princely state of Alwar was founded by Raja Pratap Singh in the year 1775 CE. After his death in 1790 CE, his adopted son Rao Raja Bakhtawar Singh who was only 15 years old at that time was crowned the king of Alwar.
This prince, during one of his rural campaigns, happened to see a village girl with whom he was totally infatuated and took her to his palace. She became his favourite mistress and was known as ‘Moosi Rani’. Later, she gave birth to a son named Balwant Singh and a girl named Chand Bai.
Despite only being a mistress, Moosi committed Sati (self immolation) at the death of the Maharaja, and thereby posthumously earned the title of Maharani and her son earned the title of ‘Maharaja’. After Bakhtawar Singh, the territory of Alwar state was divided into two parts. Alwar city which was two-third of his territory went to his nephew Maharaja Viney Singh, and the remaining one-third of the territory with its capital at Tijara – was awarded to Maharaja Balwant Singh.
Things To Do in Alwar
Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri
This is a double-storeyed cenotaph built by Vinay Singh in the honour Bakhtawar Singh and his queen Moosi.
The lower storey is built using red sandstone while the upper storey is built using marbles. The colourful circular ceiling of the chhatri is adorned with fading gold leaf paintings of mythological characters and scenes.
In this cenotoph you can see two sets of foot prints which are believed to be of Bakhtawar Singh and Moosi rani; though the prints seem to be really small.
Next to this monument is the City Palace (also known as Vinay Vilas Mahal) which is now converted into a government office (ground floor) and a museum (first floor). Behind the city palace is an artificial pond named ‘Sagar Kund’ surrounded by a few chhatris which gives the area some nice colour and makes it quite a picturesque monument. The monument is surrounded by the Aravalli hills and from the terrace of this monument you can see the walls of the Bala Quila fort.
The chhatris seems to be quite popular with the pigeons and while it is a beautiful visual to have the pigeons flying around (especially for those instagrammable shots), the BTS pigeon shits is not a pleasant visual.
Tip: If you are visiting this monument by car, do not follow your GPS as the lanes around the monument are very narrow. It is best to ask the locals and park your car on the main road.
Siliserh Lake
Located about 20 km from Alwar city is the Siliserh lake. This is a beautiful and clean artificial lake with the mountains of the Aravalli Range at the backdrop. The lake was built in the 19th century by Maharaja Vinay Singh in order to supply water to Alwar.
Today, it is one of the famous picnic and leisure spots where tourists can enjoy boating. The road leading up to this lake is scenic and runs through fields with hills on both sides.
On the banks of the lake is the Siliserh Lake palace which used to be a royal palace and hunting lodge and is now converted to a hotel managed by Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC). The entrance ticket to this palace is priced at 100 INR per person and entitles you to a complimentary beverage of your choice (tea/coffee/soft drink) at the palace restaurant. The food at the restaurant is just about ok but the palace itself seems to be in a dismal state.
Since the palace is situated atop a cliff, the views from there are amazing and is the perfect picnic spot if the weather is good. And thankfully for us, the weather was perfect.
Bala Quila fort
The Alwar Fort, is one of the city’s most beloved structures. Located at 340 metres above the city, the fort was built in the 15th century by the Khanzada Rajput ruler, Hasan Khan Mewati. Over the years, it went through the hands of various dynasties including the Mughals, Marathas, Jats and Kachwaha Rajputs – giving the building its unique blend of architectural styles.
The entrance to the fort is about 6 km before the actual fort. You can either take your own car or park your car here and take the jeep ‘safari’ up till the fort. Since the fort region falls under Sariska forest, they call this as a jeep safari although it is actually just an uphill drive. They do take you on some off-road trails and you will spot Sambhar deer and peacocks but since we had anyways planned to do the Sariska Tiger reserve safari the next day, we were not interested in this one. You need to pay a nominal amount per person and for the vehicle at this gate. If you take the jeep safari, it would cost you about 1300 INR.
Since we were two ladies in the car, the guards and the jeep drivers tried to discourage us to take our own car citing some treacherous turns and steep climb which may not be easy for us to handle. Ahem.
Truth be told – before this comment, we were actually considering taking the safari.
The fort itself is not in the best shape and there is not much to see here. However, the panoramic views of the entire city make it a worthwhile visit. There is a path before the entrance of the fort which leads you to the walls of the fort from where you can see the entire city.
Sariska Tiger Reserve
Located about 50 km from the city of Alwar and was declared a wildlife reserve in 1955. It was given the status of a Tiger reserve making it a part of India’s project Tiger in 1978. In 2003, there were 16 tigers in this reserve, however, in 2005 the reserve officially reported the tiger count as zero. In 2008, two cubs from Ranthambore national park were relocated to Sariska followed by another female cub in February 2009. By 2020, the tiger population in this reserve had increased to 20 making this the world’s first successful relocation.
The vegetation of this forest is tropical dry deciduous and rocky surrounded by Aravallis.
There are 2 safaris here on a daily basis and you can either opt for a jeep (six seater) or a canter (20 seater). The safari typically lasts for about 3 hours – but be prepared for a rocky and bumpy ride.
There is a temple inside the reserve (about 20 km from the entrance) and if you happen to reach here on a Tuesday or Saturday, you can take your private vehicle into the reserve However, you need to stick to the temple route.
Food
We did not get to try local cuisine here but we could not return without buying a few boxes of the famous Alwar milk cake and Kalaakand.
Since we had not done a lot of research prior to the trip, we did a bit of the old fashioned asking around for the famous sweet shops and were directed to ‘Baba Thakur Das’ sweet shop near Alwar clocktower.
I do not have a sweet tooth and cannot really understand the taste of sweets. But if you go by my mom’s verdict – the sweets were pretty good.
Part 2: Stay at Alwar
Since we reached Alwar at 11 AM, we decided on seeing a few touristy spots and then heading to the lake for lunch. We started with the chhatri as that was the closest spot on entering Alwar. This visit took much more time than anticipated as we got stuck in some two-way narrow lanes and reversing a car is not my strongest point. I believe, we should not have blindly followed GPS directions and should have stuck to the traditional way of asking locals.
By the time we were done with this spot, we were famished and decided to directly head to the lake palace for lunch.
Not a good decision as we later realised that the lake was further away from the city and we should have seen the fort as it was quite close to the chhatri.
So we went to the lake and then headed back towards the city to visit the fort followed by some take away food for dinner. We stayed at a hotel in Sariska which made it easier for us to head to the safari early next morning.
We got free from the safari by 10AM and if you are anything like me, you would be famished by then. We had a good breakfast of Rajasthani Kachori and tea in one of the Sariska villages and then headed towards SH25.
Part 3: Alwar to Tijara
We initially planned to return via Neemrana but someone in Alwar suggested the tijara fort as a better alternative. I had not heard about this fort and by the photos available online, it did seem like a better choice.
About Tijara Fort
Balwant Singh started the construction of this Fort-Palace. However, due to Maharaja Balwant Singh’s premature death, the construction remained incomplete until it was taken over by Neemrana Hotels in to restore, complete and run as a palace hotel.
Since it was an unfinished fort, the rooms here seem to be quite modern and comfortable – definitely worth a visit.
For a detailed post with photos – check my photo blog – click here
Part 4: Stay at Tijara
We initially planned to stop at this fort for lunch; however on reaching here, we were quite tired having woken up really early for the safari.
We unanimously decided to stay here for a night so that we could do justice to the place. As soon as we got our rooms, we crashed on our beds. Fresh from that good afternoon sleep, we headed for high tea followed by an official tour of the fort which is conducted by the management on a daily basis.
At the time of our visit, we could see acres of green fields around the fort and as per our guide, most of these fields were that of mustard and would be bright yellow during the harvesting season (December-February).
That should be a pretty sight.
You do tend to overeat here, but given the huge property, you will burn the calories too.
Part 5: Tijara to Delhi
Next day, we headed back to Delhi via SH 25 till Bhiwadi and then got on to the NH48. A very smooth journey as the roads were in excellent condition.
We initially did not plan to stop for lunch, but the temptation of the dhabas was too much for us to resist.
We stopped at Mannat dhaba on NH48 and had some amazing parathas and tea there
Recommended Itinerary for Alwar
If you are coming in from Delhi, start from there as early as possible and try to reach Alwar by 10AM. Start with visiting Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri, then visit Alwar fort, pick up some milk cake and Kalaakand from the market area and then head to the lake Palace for a relaxed lunch. If you are interested, boating at the lake could be a good option, depending on the weather
If it is a day trip, then head back after lunch and stop at one of the dhabas for tea and probably some snacks. A recommended place is Mannat dhaba on NH48.
If you are planning on staying at Alwar for one night, then start with the chhatri followed by lunch in the city where you can pick up sweets if you wish to and then head to the fort.
After the fort, head to the lake palace for tea and snacks and then stay overnight at one of the hotels between the palace and Sariska tiger reserve. There are quite a few options for that.
Next morning, head for the safari (reach by about 630AM) – you will get free by 10AM. You should be famished by then and can stop for a quick light breakfast in Sariska.
After breakfast, either take the Neemrana fort route or take a diversion and visit Tijara fort for lunch. I would personally recommend Tijara fort. If you have another spare day, then stay at the fort for one night – it will be worth it.