”Incredible India” vintage car rally to cross Udaipur next month

To promote India as a global heritage motoring tourism destination, a nearly 4,000-km expedition of iconic vintage cars will kick off from the national capital on February 17, traversing through 17 historic cities across the country and making several pit stops at royal palaces

The 23-day ”Incredible India Rally” organized by a heritage trust will culminate in the City of Lakes, Udaipur, on March 10 where the participants, comprising nearly 15 global vintage car aficionados and some Indian heritage automobile enthusiasts, will experience the festival of Holi in all its glory.

The ”Incredible India Rally” is being organised by the trust in association with the Ministry of Tourism, he said.

About 150 cars, including 15 from abroad, will be showcased during the Concours d”Elegance at India Gate on February 15 which will then be driven by their proud owners to Karma Lake Lands, Gurgaon.

“Indian culture and heritage motoring are the two strong pillars of our Concours. Both aspects highlight that the 21 Gun Salute vintage cars show is of special importance and attract both participants and visitors. For the past eight years, the event has grown in all aspects to become a magnificent show that attracts tourists and motoring buffs from around the world.

The ”Incredible India Rally” seeks to promote India as a global heritage motoring tourism destination. It will start from Delhi and traverse through Agra, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Gajner, Jaiselmer, Khimsar, Jodhpur, Mt Abu, Rann of Kutch, Mandvi, Rajkot, Gir, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Dungarpur and Udaipur among other historic cities.

“On the way, participants will have 17 pit stops and stay in different cities at palaces and iconic heritage buildings. It will also be a celebration of India”s cultural heritage,” Mohan added.

Experience the grandeur of Jaipur- it’s World Tourism Day

“Which city manages to attract, sustain and grow visitors’ year after year?”

“Which city has a good number of heritage sites in the country?”

“Which city has a rich saga of folklore and tales to tell ?”

“Which city has exquisite culture and heritage that has attracted generations after generations from across the world?”

“Which city has the hospitality tradition ingrained amongst its’ domiciles so deep ?”

Answer to all this is our beloved city- Jaipur

The majestic land of Maharajas, Jaipur in Rajasthan is one of the most vibrant states in India. Well-known for its rich heritage, royal forts and palaces, Rajasthan’s rich food, culture, beautiful locales, and heritage sites, Jaipur is every travel enthusiast’s dream.

The incredible transformation of this city from a royal abode into a sprawling tourism hotspot is not a one-day effort. Jaipur and tourism go hand in hand for its rich heritage and culture that attract tourists from all over the world. As we are celebrating World Tourism Day on 27th September, let’s embrace the tourist mindset to learn and explore the places and people of Jaipur. Because tourism is not just travelling, it is a fresh sense of appreciation for the things that you encounter every day, right where you live. Uncover with us the variety of tourism sectors growing around us-

 

Heritage Tourism

Replete with history, the city of royals symbolizes the pinnacle of Rajasthani cultural excellence and magnificent art in architecture of the streets, lanes, forts, palaces, and monuments.

Heritage places like City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Jal Mahal, Jantar Mantar never cease to amaze us with its bewitching architecture and not to forget the walled city painted in pink. And, that is the reason UNESCO inscribed Pink City as the World Heritage Site. It does not just stop here; Jaipur is world’s most Instagrammed destination amongst the new UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Having some of the best forts, palaces and monuments which are till date maintained in absolutely good conditions are very precious for the Jaipurites.

Wildlife & Adventure Tourism

Jaipur city has some ultimate wildlife and adventure kind of stuff for adrenaline junkies. One can get up close with leopards and venture deep into the dense Jhalana Forest to encounter elusive Leopard or Nahargarh Biological Park for Lion Safari. The zone of the lion safari lies in the Aravali foothills with hillocks that offer panoramic landscape. One of the most popular tourist attractions to enjoy in Jaipur is an elephant safari. For jeep safari, there is the famous Ranthambore National Park, which is a 3-hour drive from Jaipur. It is home to tigers and Sariska National Park, which is just a 2-hour drive. Those looking for adventure can cycle and trek to the Nahargarh hills, or play golf at the golf or Polo club.

Night Tourism

Jaipur city reveals its true colours at night when it’s drenched with bright colours making it a treat for eyes. The light and sound show at Amber Fort is truly a magical experience, which one should not miss while visiting Jaipur.

Amber Fort, the 16th-century monument turns even more enchanting during the night. The different hues of light give a new perspective to the elegance of the fort.

When the 953 jharokhas of Hawa Mahal aka Palace of Winds are lit up in varied hues at night, the drive around the walled city becomes an illuminated memory forever.

Albert Hall, one of the oldest museums of Rajasthan looks even more enthralling as you pass by it at night.

These illuminated monuments, gates and gardens just add to a visitors list and urge to behold their beauty amidst the darkest hour of the night.

Wedding Tourism

Pink City- Jaipur has been listed as one of the most Romantic cities in the World! So, this place sets a dreamy ethereal mood for weddings. Jaipur has the most awe-inspiring, romantic getaways that instigate romantic aspirations among the couples in and visiting the city.

Whimsical palaces and forts with the grandeur of Rajasthan’s royalty render a fascinating ambiance to this wedding destination.

The city is dotted with heritage hotels that host the most magnificent destination wedding amidst the regal ambience. Jaipur is the ideal place to consummate a grand memorable wedding.

Cultural Tourism – The colourful city becomes even livelier and lovely with the festivals celebrated here in a flamboyant way. The city observes different fairs and festival at a different time of the year like Gangaur festival, Teej festival, Kite festival.

Jaipur is also the home to some of the most talented folk artists of our nation. Enjoy the lovely music and dance performances and we bet that the folk music and dance performance skills will completely blow your mind!

The best way to enjoy Jaipur’s culture is through its food. Jaipur is well known for its royal hospitality, and its mouth-watering delicacies are chats and kachoris which have been every local’s favourite. Not to miss the royal thali of Rajasthan, which is hot, spicy and tempting all at the same time. The national and international tourists always make sure to try the authentic Rajasthani flavours – Dal, Bati, Churma and an authentic non-veg speciality – ‘Lal Maas’ – the best dish to savour amongst the other Rajasthani cuisines. and how can we miss Jaipur’s Special sweet delicacy Ghewar.

Jaipur’s markets Johri Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar are world-renowned for their authentic gold and silver jewellery as well as for textile, leather craft and other traditional handicrafts. People from the world over love to shop here.

Medical & Wellness Tourism

Jaipur, a city that is celebrated all across the world for its culture and heritage, has also registered its name in the world for its medical and wellness tourism. From Yoga,to Ayurveda to high-end wellness and spa centres, it is also a world leader in low-cost foot prosthesis known as Jaipur Foot definitely deserves a big mention whenever one speaks about the pink city.

Spiritual Tourism

The landscape of Jaipur is dotted with various temples and pilgrims. The temples here have a royal touch and splendour and are highly praised for their architectural beauty and faith by the tourists. Whether it is the visit to the Govind Devji or Moti Doongri Ganesh Ji, or Galta Ji or Khole Ke Hanuman Ji, Jaipur is the land of spiritual incarnation. Each year, several thousand of pilgrims descend to the royal land to offer their prayers and seek blessings. It is said that a prayer offered at these holy temples does not go unanswered!

MICE Tourism

Culturally rich city, Jaipur, has a stylish high-class environment that caters to the business needs too. Thus, it is the most preferred destination for the MICE market that offers everything a business traveller wants.

The connectivity and the developed infrastructure make this the most preferred place to host big events and exhibitions. Jaipur Literature Festival, Vastra, Stone Mart, GITB- Great India Travel Bazaar, JJS, and JAS Jewellery Shows are to name a few.

One of the most important ways to celebrate World Tourism Day is to pick a destination that you want to visit and visit it.

So are you packing your bags to embrace tourism?

Tourists denied free entry to Chitrashala: Bundi’s spellbinding miniature paintings

The eighteenth-century Chitashala of Bundi is nothing lesser than a mesmerizing result of art and creative imagination at one place all together. Numerous tourists from across the world come to come to Bundi to see the miniature paintings of the world-famous school of Bundi paintings.

The mesmerizing miniature paintings of Chitrashala are the most striking reminiscent of the rare art. The walls, ceiling of Chitrashala are completely covered with paintings of the Bundi school which are still in very good condition. These splendid paintings in the Chitrashala are par excellence and can be compared with probably the best anywhere in the world.

Chitrashala is situated within Taragarh Palace, for which the management of the palace is charging an entry fee of Rs. 500/- Chitrashala, however, falls in the list of monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and as per the norms, visiting such monuments cannot be charged or restricted between sunrise and sunset.

On our tour of Rajasthan, when we were traveling different places and exploring hidden gems of Rajasthan for the second edition of our coffee table book, Soul of Rajasthan, it was the paintings of Chitrashala that caught our fancy the most. Awestruck by its intricacy we decided to make Chitrashala’s photograph as Soul of Rajasthan’s cover picture.

Depriving the tourists of cherishing these beautiful miniature paintings by charging a fee would not justify the purpose of opening the art palace and injustice towards the connoisseurs of the rare art.

Here’s a glimpse of Chitrashala from the time when we visited Bundi.

Early Mornings For An Elephant Ride At Amber Fort

Located 11kms away from the hubbub city of Jaipur on the Aravalli hilltop lies the UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of Hill Forts of Rajasthan – Amber Fort. As regal as can be, Jaipur’s magnificent Amber Fort rightly personifies the state’s rich culture.

But there is something enchanting and delighting when you are in Jaipur and to be more precise – at Amber Fort. Elephants – beautifully painted and richly ornamented are the most adored creatures in Rajasthan. These elephants are used in providing rides to the tourists to make there journey pleasant and amusing. These rides tend to transform you into a regal era of Maharajas when they used to commute with pride on these adorned elephant backs.

With the increased influx of tourists in Jaipur, the timings of elephant ride at Amer Fort will now be open a little early, between 7.00 am to 11.30 am in the mornings.

So now you can take an elephant ride up the cobbled path on the fort and truly feel like you deserve all the royal treatment that is being bestowed upon you.

Udaipur: Among the Top 15 Cities of World

Venice of the East and the City of Lakes- Udaipur is a lakeside paradise of shimmering marbles and oozing romance. A peaceful city on the banks of Lake Pichola wins hearts of millions. Udaipur is said to be one of the best cities in India. Well, turns out that it is not just best of India, but stands among the best cities around the world. It has been ranked third best out of the listed 15 best cities of the world by Travel + Leisure magazine based on sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value. Udaipur excelled leaving behind Mumbai and Delhi and is the only Indian city in the list.

Image via Google

Known for its breathtaking scenery, class apart museums and luxurious hotels, Udaipur holds pride in its history. With the explosions of colors in the markets, Udaipur is a city full of cultural and traditional marvels. With its numerous lakes and unusually calm and peaceful aura in India, Udaipur has become World’s Third Best City making India proud.

Jodhpur’s Sardar Government Museum Got a Facelift

The beautiful blue hues, the grand palaces and lavish hotels, Jodhpur is in itself a paradise. Imagine waking up to the rays to sun falling on you at a place from where the sun seems to rise. Known as the Sun City, Jodhpur is the gateway to the Thar Desert. Not just the palaces and hotels, Jodhpur is also quite famous for numerous museums it holds.

Well, the blue city is calling out the museum fans! Culture, history, animals or books, the Sardar Government Museum in Jodhpur is the way to go. Standing tall amidst the Umaid Bagh, built by Maharaja Umaid Singh and named after his father Maharaja Sardar Singh, the place is simply just lit!

With thousands and thousands of finest of objects at display, Sardar Government Museum is a treasure beyond comparison. The museums takes you on a journey to introduce you to the rich culture, the undying history and tales valour of the people of Jodhpur by the means of artefacts, coins and paintings miniatures, terracotta and so on.  Sardar Government Museum also houses a grand collection of arms among many other objects.

The museum is one of the rare ones to have a library and a zoo. Sadly because of negligence, the museum lost its charm. But with great efforts done lately, it went through a phase of restoration and conservation and is now open again for the public after the inauguration ceremony held earlier this month. We are glad that the museum is now back at being the diamond that it was meant to be.

If you are a keen historian or someone whom the cultural history of places interests, or simply a traveller, we highly recommend you to visit the gem on the lands of the blue city for an experience like never before.

 

Images via Google.

The War Museum, Jaisalmer Becomes First Of It’s Kind To Have Light & Sound Show

To commemorate the heroic battle fought and recount the chilling moments of valour and bravery of the gallant soldiers of the Indian armed forces, the Indian Army set up India’s first historical war museum in Jaisalmer in the year 2015.

Recently, this war museum became country’s first to have light and sound show. The show brought alive the history of wars fought by the Indian Army since Independence. The legendary Battle of Longewala is the highlight of the show. It is showcased in detail with audio-visual effects of laser animations of actual bunkers, tanks, guns, aircraft and soldiers.

This unique War Museum is a tribute to all gallant soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice to defend the motherland, is surely a ‘must visit destination’ for all Indian and foreign tourists coming to Jaisalmer.

Amer Fort ranks 9th in Asia’s top landmarks 2018 by TripAdvisor

We are proud to share that tourists’ favourite and Rajasthan’s’ pride – Amer Fort ranks 9th among Asia’s top landmarks in Traveller’s Choice Awards 2018 by the popular travel portal TripAdvisor 😀

It is undoubtedly the most beautiful fort and the pride of Jaipur!!  Amer Fort, also known as Amer Palace boasts of an artistic grandeur and structural expertise. It is reminiscent of the bravery and courage of the mighty Rajputs, who had played a remarkable role in the history of medieval India.

Crowning the crest of a hill, Amer Fort offers a panoramic view of Maota Lake and the historic old town at the base of the hill, which was the early seat of the Amer kings before they made the fort their capital.

This rambling Palace depicts the true lifestyle of the gutsy Rajputs who are better known for their radical, audacious, volatile and decadent behaviour. One among the best hilltop palaces, Amer Palace presents a curious blend of Mughal and Rajput architectural design. An aide memoir of the yester years, this palace is a redolent of creativeness of the artisans of ancient time.

 

Though the magical epitome of grandeur Amer Fort under the sunlight of the day is a mesmeric place for tourists in Jaipur, but now it also caters to the night tourists. The fort turns even more fascinating and enticing with the launch of night tourism. Besides, elephant rides to fort, sound & light shows and cultural evenings have always been a favourite among the visitors.

Certainly, Amer  Fort, is one of the few places in India where the entry fee is worth it with never ending, consisting of a maze of rooms, tiny and grand!!  Spectacularly set within surrounding rugged hills and dotted with majestic architecture, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Amer Fort is one of the best places to visit on your trip to Jaipur. Now TripAdvisor also agrees 😉

 

A Trip To The Museums Of Rajasthan On International Museum Day

For a state that is rich in its culture, traditions, history and heritage, museums have been the only source to safeguard and preserve the artefacts of the bygone era and further, thus leading to become an important part of our society.

International Museum Day which is celebrated every year on May 18 is the occasion to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society. Keeping in mind how these museums have been an important part of cultural exchange, cooperations and mutual understanding among people and the countries for a positive development, the theme of International Museum Day this year is “Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics”.

On International Museum Day let’s take a trip to the famous museums of Rajasthan that form an intrinsic part of the tourist attractions.

1. Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

Established in the year 1876 to welcome Prince of Wales, this is the oldest museum in the state of Rajasthan. It is full of rare and tastefully decorated collection of various displayed objects, arms and carpets. The main attractions include the Persian carpets, coins, jewellery and costumes from different period of history and an Egyptian mummy.

2. City Palace Museum, Jaipur

Also known as Sawai Man Singh Museum, it houses the largest and finest collection of arms in India. The sword of Maharaja Man Singh which weighs about 5 kgs is one of the attractive exhibits.

3. City Palace Museum, Udaipur

The main part of the City Palace complex is open to the tourists as the City Palace Museum. It rooms historical paintings of which several are of the battle of Haldighati. Except this, the museum also rooms a remarkable collection of miniatures. It has a unique depiction of the architectural and artistic evolution of Mewar through centuries.

Image via Google

4. Mehrangarh Museum Trust

The Mehrangarh Museum showcases the heritage of the Marwar. The museum houses an exquisite collection of palanquins, howdahs, royal cradles, armaments and costumes.

5. Chitrashala, Bundi

Bundi is famous for its wall paintings and tourists from all around the world visit to see this intricate piece of art. The Garh Palace is host to ‘Chitrashala’ where the walls and ceilings are embellished with miniature paintings and are still in its original form.

These are some of the main museums which caught our attention. Though every city in the royal state of Rajasthan has its own addition to history, culture and tradition and has preserved it in their respective cities.

 

Embark on a Journey With Rajasthan’s Heritage Train – Palace on Wheels

When you come to the royal state of Rajasthan, you know how royal things can come in your way. When you come to the city of royals, there has to be something unique to let you experience the luxuries of the bygone era of the Maharajas. One such royalty that a tourist cannot afford to miss is the heritage train – The Palace on Wheels. The train is well known nationally as well as internationally and has won many laurels to the country.

The tagline of this luxurious train is self-explanatory – A Week in Wonderland.  From the royal Rajput forts to the bustling streets, everything has something unique and royal touch to itself. Similarly, how about a journey boarding a train can get – it beholds its own beauty.

And we got lucky enough to capture a glimpse of this luxurious train during the Great Indian Travel Bazaar.

The Royal Rooms

The rooms are crafted after a great thought. There are 14 coaches and each coach has its own speciality. Right from the artworks, paintings, bed linen, and even the wall art is based on the theme of the city on which the name of the coach is based.

Bar

Unwind and relax after a full day of sightseeing with your fellow friends at the luxurious bar. Choose from a large array of choices available and de-stress your day’s worries.

Dining And Cuisines

Two restaurants are on board with you, when you travel on the Palace on Wheels. Maharaja Restaurant and Maharani Restaurant offers you an exclusive affair on wheels like never before. Soups, salad, continental, Indian and desserts, have whatever you want and make this culinary affair an amazing one.

Royal Spa

We told you it has everything. To rejuvenate and reinvigorate your soul on the wheels, Palace on Wheels brings to you a royal treatment where you can get a therapeutic treatment far from the hubbub of the city in a relaxing environment and the only noise you hear is of the track wheels. It will be one of a kind leisure trip for you.

We hope you enjoyed your journey onboard with us in the Palace on Wheels. You can book your room in this train for a solo journey ahead. Happy Journey!