Marvelous South Rajasthan

After breakfast, check out from the hotel and drive to Dungarpur, situated in the foothills of the Aravalli hills, is famed for its scenic and natural beauty. Tucked in Rajasthan’s south-most corner, it is undoubtedly an ideal place to relax and witness the historical as well as spiritual facet of Rajasthan. You will get a chance to witness age-old tribal lifestyles and customs handed down over the centuries.

On arrival, checking into your hotel and relax. Day free to explore surrounding areas or at leisure, stay overnight in Dungarpur

After breakfast at the hotel, you will leave for a full-day sightseeing trip to Dungarpur. You will explore the below mentioned landmarks of the town:

JUNA MAHAL: The massive Juna Mahal constructed from dawra stones, was initially built in the 13th century, and has seven stories. Later, additional rooms, floors and more were included by successive rulers. The structure is in ruins today, but you can still see a hint of grandeur as the palace displays marvellous frescos, murals, green stones, and mirrors. There is also a series of erotic paintings in the bedroom on the top floor of the palace.

UDAI BILAS PALACE: The 19^th century Udai Bilas Palace is named after a Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur, Maharawal Udai Singh II. It is built of local grey-green granite in a blend of Mughal and Rajput style and features minutely carved balconies, arches, and windows. Today, Udai Bilas Palace functions as a heritage hotel.

GOVERNMENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM: This museum was established with the objective of displaying sculptures collected by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Rajasthan, mainly from the Vagad region. The Dungarpur Royal family helped set up the museum by gifting land and its own personal collection of charming sculptures and historically important inscriptions. The collection housed here includes statutes of various deities, stone inscriptions, coins and paintings dating back to the 6^th century.

SURPUR TEMPLE: This ancient shrine is located on the banks of the Gangdi River about 3 kilometres from Dungarpur. The area around the temple also houses other attractions such as Bhulbhulaiya, Madhavrai Temple, Hathiyon Ki Agad and several inscriptions.

GAIB SAGAR LAKE: The beautiful lake is located in the centre of the city, and is known as a popular tourist destination. You will find migratory birds here that have made this lake their winter home. Birdwatchers can find ducks, herons, white breasted waterhens, and bee-eaters. The lake is famous for the shrine of SHRINATHJI that rests on its banks. The shrine complex contains numerous exquisitely carved temples and one core temple, the VIJAY RAJRAJESHWAR TEMPLE. This temple of Lord Shiva displays the skilled craftsmanship of the famed sculptors or ‘shilpkars’ of Dungarpur.

BADAL MAHAL: The Badal Mahal, built using Pareva stone, is another splendid palace of Dungarpur. Located on the banks of GaibSagar Lake, it is renowned for its elaborate design and a fusion of the architectural styles of the Rajputs and the Mughals.

Later after sightseeing, return back and stay overnight at your Hotel

Today after breakfast, we will check out from the hotel in Dungarpur and drive to Banswara, a city located in the southern part of Rajasthan. Banswara gets its name from the ‘bans’ or bamboo trees that once grew here in abundance. Banswara is a unique place that is blessed with an interesting history and amazing places to see.

On arrival, checking into your hotel/resort and relax. Day free to explore surrounding areas or at leisure, stay overnight in Banswara

After breakfast at the hotel, you will leave for a full-day sightseeing trip to Banswara. You will explore the below mentioned landmarks of the town (subject to time constraint):

SHRI RAJ MANDIR: Shri Raj Mandir, more fondly and popularly known as the CITY PALACE was constructed in the 16^th century and is perched on a hillock overlooking the town. It covers a huge area and it follows a typical style of Rajput architecture. Even though many royal palaces in Rajasthan are now being managed by the government due to lack of funds, the royal family to which this palace belonged originally are still the sole owners of this grand building. This palace still belongs to the royal family. Starting from the top of the hill, it gives a royal vibe.

ANAND SAGAR LAKE (BAI TALAB): This artificial lake, also known as Bai Talab was constructed by Lanchi Bai, the Rani of Maharaval Jagmal Singh. Located in the eastern part of Banswara, it is surrounded by holy trees known as ‘Kalpa Vriksha’, famous for fulfilling the wishes of visitors. The ‘chattris’ or cenotaphs of the rulers of the state are also scattered nearby.

KAGADI PIKUP WEIR: Located on Ratlam Road, 3 kilometres from the main city, is Kagadi Pikup Weir. It is worth visiting for its enchanting fountains, gardens and water bodies. It overlooks the Kagdi Lake and is a part of the Mahi Bajaj Sagar project.

ABDULLAH PIR DARGAH: Abdullah Pir is a Dargah of Sayed Abdul Rasul Saheed and is one of the most famous places of pilgrimage. It holds religious and spiritual significance for the Bohra community. On 10th Rabi’ al-awwal, every year “Urs” is held at the Dargah. The people of the Bohara community take part in it in large numbers. The festival takes place for 6 days and there are night-long musical programs featuring qawwalis. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the country travel to Banswara during this time.

TALWARA TEMPLE: This town is famous for the ancient temple of the Sun, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Jain Temple of Sambharnath, Lord Amaliya Ganesh, Maha Laxmi Temple and Dwarkadhish Temple. A number of Sompura Sculpture artists can be seen carving stones on the roadside in Talwara.

RAM KUND: It is also known as ‘Phati Khan’ because there is a deep cave under a hill. There is a Pool of very cold water found throughout the year. It is said that Lord Ram, during his exile came & stayed here. It is a beautiful place surrounded by hills. The best time to visit this place is during the monsoon seasons because the hills are lush green and the whole atmosphere is blissful.

TRIPURA SUNDARI: There is a temple of Goddess Tripura Sundari known as Tartai Mata here, which has beautiful idol of black stone having 18 hands each carrying a symbol, while the Goddess is seen riding a tiger. The exact date of construction of this temple is not known, it is said to have been built before Samrat Kanishka, who ruled here. It is one of the ‘Shakti Peeths’ of the Hindus

PARAHEADA: (26 Km) Paraheada is a well renowned Shiva temple that is situated 25 km from Banswara district headquarters. Paraheda, a famous Shiva temple, is located in Garhi Tehsil. The temple dates back to the 12th century and was constructed by King Mandalik. This temple has numerous inscriptions that reveal the existence of Pramar Emperors at this place.

ARTHUNA: (44 Km) Arthuna as well as its surrounding areas have clusters of ruined Hindu and Jain temples belonging to the 11^th, 12^th and the 15^th centuries. Among the dilapidated ruins is a beautifully carved conjugated statue of Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh. Lankiya village around Arthuna has Shaivite temples called Nilkanth Mahadev Temples.

The temple is an old stone temple having beautiful intricate carvings and sculpted figures of women embedded in the outer walls. The bull Nandi (Lord Shiva’s faithful vehicle) stands guard at the entrance in the temple porch

Later after sightseeing, return back and stay overnight at your Hotel

Today after breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to Ahmedabad/Udaipur airport/railway station for your onward journey.