A Short Road Trip Discovering Heritage of Jaipur, Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan

We all love to travel, however, most of us do not get enough time to go on long road trips. For those biking lovers, a short road trip is a like a medicine to relax their souls. We are going to share with you such kind of a travelogue, in which we experienced the heritage of Jaipur (Pinkcity), Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan.



Recently, Keys Hotel group organized a 3 day motorcycle road trip from Delhi to Ajmer, covering Jaipur and Pushkar. We also joined the ride along with the “Chase My Wheels”- a group of Royal Enfield Riders.

Day 1 Jaipur:



Also known as the Pink City, Jaipur is the capital of the largest state in India- Rajasthan, which was also called Rajputana (the country of the Rajputs). The historical state attracts tourists and vacationers because of its rich culture, colours, traditions, heritage, and monuments. Jaipur is full of heritage places and we got a chance to visit some magnificent monuments including Amber Fort, Jal Mahal and others. However, you need at least 2-4 days to visit all the highlights of the city, which are mentioned below-

Amber Fort: One of the most popular forts of Rajasthan, Amber Fort was built in 1592 AD by Raja Man Singh I and fully expanded later by his descendant, Raja Jai Singh I. It is situated in the Amer Town, which is approx 11 kilometers from the main Jaipur city and comes in the way from Delhi-Jaipur Highway to the city. The Fort has been built in red sandstone and marble on the 'Cheel Ka Teela' (Hill of Eagles) of the Aravali range. There is a lake at the bottom of the fort, which is called 'Maota Lake' with a garden known as "Kesar Kyari Bagh" in between. Some of the popular things you must watch in the fort are 'Suraj Pol', Ganesh Pol', 'Jaleb Chowk', 'Diwan-i-Aam', 'Sheesh Mahal', 'Sukh Mahal', 'Shila Devi' Temple and 'Magic Flower', a fresco carved out of marble. You can also enjoy royal elephant ride here.

Jaigarh Fort: Located immediately above the same 'Cheel ka Teela', Jaigarh Fort along with Amber Fort are considered as one complex and connected by a subterranean passage. It was built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1726 AD and its premises has a length of 3 kilometres along the north-south direction and a width of 1 kilometer. The main attraction of the fort is 'Jaivana' cannon, which is the world's largest cannon on wheels. Other attractions in the huge palace complex includes the Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Aram Mandir and the Vilas Mandir along with an armoury, a museum and a well-tended garden.

 

After rambling Pink City, we reached our final destination of the day, which was Hotel Keys Marigold, located in Sitapura, Jaipur. We had a dinner there and spend out night in their well maintained luxury rooms.



Day 2 Pushkar:

After having a good breakfast at Hotel Keys Marigold, Jaipur early in the morning, we checked out for Pushkar, which is around 143 kms from it. We took the Jaipur Ajmer Highway (NH8), which was in quite good shape. Therefore, it took mere 2-2.5 hrs to complete the journey to the Pratap Palace A Keys Resort located at 12 km from the popular Brahma Temple. The Resort is built in Rajput architecture, giving it a heritage feel. So, we are also including it in the highlights of Pushkar visit along with the Brahma Temple, Holy Pushkar Lake, camel safari and local market area.

Architecture of the hotel is based on an interesting blend of Rajasthani and Moghul design. It features intricate arches and domes in traditional "jaali" work, rich green gardens and courtyards along with luxury rooms to stay.



We has a very special dinner at the Pratap Palace in evening along with a live traditional music performance near its beautiful swimming pool, highlighted with colourful lights and fountains.

Day 3 Ajmer:

Target of the last day was to explore the Ajmer and ride back to Delhi, so we checked out from the Pratap Palace early morning after completing our breakfast. Our first destination- Dargah Sharif is hardly 14 kms from the Hotel and other sites are also near by Dargah.

Anasagar Lake, Baradari and Daulat Bagh: The historic artificial lake was built by Maharaja Anaji Chauhan, the grandfather of Prithvi Raj Chauhan, in 1135 -1150 AD. Later, 5 pavilions were built by Shahjahan near the lake in 1637, called 'Baradari' and Jahangir added Daulat Bagh Gardens.

After Covering all the important sites of Ajmer, we left for Delhi in afternoon to cover around 392 km, which took around 6-7 hrs. So, bikers check your gears, pack your bags and prepare for the week ends to discover the heritage of Rajasthan in a short road trip.