Alwar

Alwar is a city in the Rajasthan state of western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Alwar District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Alwar or Ulwar in British India. The city is located around 160 km south of Delhi, and around 150 km north of Jaipur (Capital of Rajasthan).

History

"Alwar" was formerly known as "Ulwar". This placed it in last position in alphabetically ordered lists, so a king renamed it to "Alwar" to bring it to the top.Till the 11 A.D. this area was ruled by a powerful Bargujar Chief. The princely state of Alwar was founded by Pratap Singh, a Rajput of the Kachwaha lineage, in the second half of the 18th century. His adopted son, Bakhtawar Singh, aided the British against the Marathas. After the battle of Laswari (1803), Alwar became the first state of Rajputana to sign a treaty of 'Offensive and Defensive Alliance' with the British East India Company [http://alwar.nic.in/hist.htm] . A few years later, Bakhtawar Singh ventured an armed incursion into neighbouring Jaipur, the senior Kachwaha state, and the erstwhile overlord of his predecessor. Bakhtawar Singh was defeated; a fresh engagement was made with him by the HEIC, prohibiting him from political intercourse with other states without British consent. During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Raoraja Bane Singh sent a force comprised mainly of Muslims and Rajputs, to relieve the British garrison in Agra. The Muslims deserted and the rest were defeated by the rebels. Pran Sukh Yadav, who fought beside Rao Tula Ram of Rewari in 1857, settled along with the kinsmen of dead soldiers at Village Nihalpura, Behror Tehsil, of Alwar District. Kishorpura Village of Bansur Tehsil is dominated by Bhati clan of Gurjar Community.

Following the independence of India in 1947, Alwar acceded unto the dominion of India. On March 18, 1948, the state merged with three neighbouring princely states (Bharatpur, Dholpur and Karauli) to form the Matsya Union. This union in turn merged unto the Union of India. On May 15, 1949, it was united with certain other princely states and the territory of Ajmer to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan.

Jai Dayal Yadav and Prime Minister of Matsya Union Shobha Ram Kumawat played a vital role in bringing education to the rural areas of Alwar after independence.

Rulers of Alwar state

* Pratap Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1775 - 1791) Rao Raja of Alwar
* Bakhtawar Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1791- 1815) Rao Raja of Alwar
* Bane Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1815 - 1857) Maharao Raja of Alwar
* Sheodan Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1857 - 1874) Maharao Raja of Alwar
* Mangal Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1874 - 1892) Maharaja of Alwar
* Jai Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1892 - 1937) Maharaja of Alwar
* Tej Singh Prabhakar Bahadur (1937-1971) Maharaja of Alwar

Geography

Alwar is located at coord|27.57|N|76.6|E|. [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/24/Alwar.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Alwar] ] It has an average elevation of 271 metres (889 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [GR|India] Alwar had a population of 160,245. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Alwar has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the males and 41% of females literate. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Local attractions

Alwar contains many interesting and historical monuments. The city has a beautiful lake and a picturesque valley. The Sariska National Sanctuary is located in the Aravalli hills only a few kilometres away from Alwar. The sanctuary, which is a Project Tiger reserve, also boasts of many other species, including rare birds and plants. The military cantonment of Itarana lies on the outskirts of Alwar.

Fairy Queen

It is the oldest working engine in the world. The engine was built in the year 1855 and acquired by the Eastern Indian Railways from a British firm. Now the train is one great means of transportation that departs from the Delhi encampment and reaches its destination at Alwar, in Rajasthan.

The train for its services has won National Tourism Award, which gives a reasonable idea about its importance as well the services rendered by it.

The train travel also comprises travel to the famous wildlife sanctuary of Alwar Sariska National Park. ‘

The train has air-conditioned coaches with the capacity for 50 passengers. The train also has a pantry and features on board catering. The railway department also organizes cultural programs at Sariska, which form a part of the travel. Trips to the wildlife sanctuary score an additional feature

For a peaceful weekend trip between Delhi and Alwar , the Fairy Queen comes to the rescue of those bored with the same old blase ways of traveling around the place.

The Indian Railways are the best option a tourist can ever have while traveling within India to get to know the cultural diversity of the country.

Indian tourism department has tried its level best to present the tourist with a time of their life while travelling in Fairy Queen and the attractions that come with the tour package is certainly hard to resist. First stop is the picturesque town of Alwar in Rajasthan on the day when it departs from Delhi . After departing from Alwar the guests are taken to the Sariska Tiger Reserve for an over night stay. Accommodation provisions are done at the Heritage hotel Sariska Palace and for entertainment there are cultural programs and last but not the least Jeep Safari in the Tiger Sanctuary.

The Fairy Queen with the privileged ones abroad reaches the picturesque town of Alwar in Rajasthan the same day, from where the guests will be taken to Sariska Tiger Reserve for an overnight stay. Milkcake (a kind of sweet) made in Alwar is not only very famous in India but is also exported from the country.

Places to see

*The Alwar fort or Bala Quila
*Sariska Tiger Resort
*Haldia Bhawan - About 250 year old Haveli
*Silliserh Lake
*Jaisamand Lake
*Pandupol Hanuman Temple
*City Palace
*Government Museum
*Moosi MaharaniChhatri
*Purjan Vihar or company garden
*Tomb of Fateh Jang
*Nehru garden
*Hope Circus
*Moti Doongri Park
*Bharthari
*Naldeshwar
*Neel Kanth
*Narayani Mata
*Karni Mata
*Ada Pada
*Andheri
*Taalvriksh
*Saagar
*Ajabgharh
*Bhangharh
*Bala Quila
*Mansa Devi ka mandir
*ramayani hanuman ji
*company bag
*bhura shidh temple

Excursions

*Vijay Mandir Palace (10km)
*Jaisamand Lake (6Km)
*Siliserh Lake and palace ( 13km)
*Viratnagar (66km)
*Sariska(42km)
*Sariska Palace(21km)
*Hope Circus (Middle place of the old city)
*Pandu paul (70 km)
*AjabGarh Bhang Garh (80 km)

Official Site

[http://www.alwar.nic.in www.alwar.nic.in]

References

* [http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India/alwar.htm Brief history of princely Alwar]
* [http://alwar.nic.in/hist.htm History of District Alwar]
* [http://www.bharatonline.com/rajasthan/cities/alwar/index.html Alwar Information]