Mandore
Towards the north of Jodhpur is the ancient capital
of Marwar, Mandore. It is just 8 Kms from the city.
Main attractions of the place are hall of Heroes where
sixteen huge figures which have been carved out of a
single rock, the shrine of 330 million Gods and the
royal cenotaphs. This area is of immense historical
importance but what makes it worthy of a visit is the
Hall of Heroes. Sixteen gigantic figures carved out
of a single rock depicting popular Hindu and folk deities
stand there in bright colours and are well maintained.
But one can not miss the caves in crags and the sprawling
gardens, which are now shelter place for monkeys and
peacocks. Greenery of the place makes Mandore, in true
sense, an oasis.
Ossian
65 Kms from Jodhpur, lies ruins of an ancient city called
Ossian. This city is famous for Brahmanical and Jain
temples, which belong to 8th and 11th century. Surya
or Sun temple and the Sachiya temples are famous for
their beauty. The shikhar of Sachiya temple is clustered
by two rows of turrets, an ambulatory and a large assembly
hall with an elaborate ceiling. This town which was
once a great trading centre is an oasis and houses an
abundance of peacocks. The largest of the 16 Jain and
Brahmanical temples is dedicated to Mahavira, the last
of the Jain tirthankars. In the same area the Surya
temple has fascinating images of Durga, Surya and Ganesh.
The sculptural intricacy of the Osian temples rival
that of any of the famous temples of the country, be
it the Sun Temple of Konark, or the Hoysala temples
of Karnataka.
Balsammand Lake & Palace
Many a times you must have dreamt of staying in a huge,
royal palace on the sea-shore or on the banks of river
or if not both at least a palace facing the water reservoir.
There is such a place at Mandore in Rajasthan .The 19th
Century sandstone palace built on a hillock facing Balsammand
lake is one of such places that's definitely going to
win your heart.
The palace was created by Maharajah Sur Singhji, as
a summer pavilion. It is very finely carved with latticed
windows that allow the soft, cool breeze to blow into
the interiors of the palace. The embankments of the
lake, in front of the palace, have domed structure that
offers fabulous views of the lake encircled by hills.
An artificial cascading waterfall, brings water down
from the reservoir to the gardens. Mandore, is a part
of Jodhpur but it enjoys the calmness by being far from
the city crowd.
The rooms and suites, the entire ambience here makes
one feel as if you are staying in a royal palace. One
can even enjoy a walk through the trees, the rose beds,
pools covered with lilies and the groves of mango, plum,
banana, pomegranate and so on. One will also get to
see the peacocks, blue bulls, jackals and hundreds of
flying foxes (fruit bats) in the trees.
Kaylana Lake
Located 8 kms. West of Jodhpur, Kaylana lake was constructed
in 1872 by Pratap Singh. It is spread over 84 square
kilometers' area. Earlier this area had palaces and
gardens made by two rulers of Jodhpur-Bhim Singh and
Takhat Singh. These were destroyed to make Kaylana lake.
Near the lake is a Dak Bungalow of PHED. Boating facilities
have also been made available for tourists here.
Guda Bishnoi
This village is inhabit ated by the Bishnoi community.
They are staunch believers in the sanctity of plant
and animal life. Villages are marked by Khejri trees
and deers which thrive.
Jaswant Sagar Dam
In 1892, Maharaja Jaswant Singh constructed Jaswant
Sagar in Pichiyak village between Bilara and Bhavi of
Jodhpur district.The Water from this dam is used for
irrigating the greenest part of Jodhpur receives water
from this dam. Boating facilities have also been made
available for tourists here..
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