Ashoka Holidays

The sharp contrast and diversity of Rajasthan is, at times, unnerving. A mere 14 miles separate Bundi and Kota... yet they seem to be two different worlds. While we had been transported back to the medieval times in Bundi, we were brought back to the present by Kota.

One of Rajasthan's premier industrial centres, Kotah (as it was known earlier) has lost some of its olden-day character. Yet, the traces of its glorious past can be seen in the City Palace and Fort overlooking the mighty Chambal river, Jag Mandir (a poor man's Lake Palace of Udaipur) and Brij Vilas Palace Gardens.

A Kotah Miniature from the personal collection of Maharaj Abhimanyu Singhji.

The blossoming of the Kotah school of paintings was an important milestone in the history of medieval Indian art. A Kotah Miniature from the personal collection of Maharaj Abhimanyu Singhji is shown here. Do click to enlarge.

Excursions:

Kota is the key to a fascinating and largely undiscovered Hadoti region of Rajasthan.

You could take a scenic drive through the Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary to Jhalawar and its environs to see the ruins of Chandravati, one of India's most ancient towns; the Sun Temple of Jhalarapatan, which is reminiscent of the famous Sun Temple at Konark and the unusual Gagron Fort, situated in the midstream of a river!