The city of hills – Dungarpur is a casket of beauteous places that have some very interesting historical events associated with it. On the foothills of Aravali range, Dungarpur is situated at a distance of around 103 km from Udaipur. For all the Udaipurites, it can be the best getaway destination and the experience of visiting each of these places would be simply amazing. The exceptional architecture of its palaces and royal residencies built during the times of Maharawal Shiv Singh (1730-1785 AD) attracts an ample amount of tourists every year. Some of the places that you can consider visiting this weekend are listed below.
Udai Bilas Palace
Named after Maha Rawal Udai Singh II, the Palace follows some classic Rajput architectural style that can be clearly seen in its stunning balconies, arches, and windows. The palace is divided into three sections namely Raniwas, Udai Bilas and Krishna Prakash which is also called Ekthambiya Mahal. Today, Udai Bilas is functioning as a heritage hotel.
Juna Mahal
The word ‘Juna’ means old and Mahal means Palace. The apparent old palace was built in the 13th century. The seven-storeyed Mahal is built on a high platform constructed by the Pareva stone. The carefully constructed fortified walls, watchtowers, narrow doorways, and corridors will literally take you back in time. You will be left absolutely spellbound by the beautiful murals, miniature paintings, and delicate glass and mirror work.
Surpur temple
Dungarpur is pretty rich when it comes to temples and for the same reason, you’ll find umpteen number of temples where Surpur is one of them. Located on the banks of the Bangdi river, this ancient shrine contains some other attractions too such as Bhulbhulaiya, Madhavrai Temple, Hathiyon Ki Agad and several inscriptions.
Gaib Sagar Lake
Gaib Sagar Lake is famous for its shrine of Lord Shrinath Ji which rests on the banks of it. Apart from the core temple which is Vijay Rajrajeshwar Temple, there are some other exquisitely carved temples too. The ‘shilpkars’ or sculptors of Dungarpur have shown their great craftsmanship at this temple of Lord Shiva.
Government Archeological Museum
The museum was meant to house the sculptures collected mainly from the Vagad region by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Rajasthan. The royal family of Dungarpur has a great contribution in this museum. The family gifted the land for the museum along with some of its personal collection of sculptures and historically important inscriptions.
Badal Mahal
Badal Mahal is located at the banks of Gaib Sagar Lake and it is another Palace made with Pareva stone. The fusion of architectural style of the Rajputs and Mughals offers an interesting twist in the design of the palace. It has 2 stages, 3 domes, and a veranda where every dome consists of a carved half ripe lotus and the middle one has three.
Beneshwar temple
Formed at the confluence of river Som and Mahi, Beneshwar temple is the most revered Shiv Linga of the region. It is believed that the Linga at the temple is self-created. Every year a famous tribal festival is held in the month of February which holds a great significance amongst the Bhil tribe.
Shrinath Ji temple
This temple was built in the year 1623 by Maharawal Punjraj. The main attractions at the temple are the idol of Shri Radhikaji and Goverdhan Nathji. Other than that there are other shrines dedicated to Shri BankeBihariji and Shri Ramchandraji.
Weekend at Dungarpur, anybody?