DEEG
Pleasures and Palaces
One of the lovely things about being royalty is that you can spin out all kinds of fantasies- and then turn them into living realities- and the rest be damned!
The lovely monsoon palace pavilions of Deeg were the perfect playing fields for monsoon madness.
Pack a hefty picnic basket, and head out for this pretty little stopover en route to Bharatpur which is just 34km away. Entering the portals of the Deeg palace- you'll straight away be confronted by the pavilions and the water body that reflects the poetic beauty of their architecture. Deeg is a delightful combination of palace pavilions, pleasure gardens and fountains. The overhang of the jali-embellished balconies, above the waters, flings up visions of the gentle ladies killing time - waiting for their lord and master to return from his wanderings.
This mid-18th century palace was the vision of Raja Suraj Mal. His fortress, though it lies in ruin, is witness to the bravery of the Raja, who withstood the might of the Mughal and Maratha forces to hold on to this principality, which lay at a strategic point between Mathura and Agra. He was audacious enough to return to lay siege on Delhi's Red Fort, eight years down the line, and even manage to return with his booty. The marble swing that he decamped with is still here. There's a black marble throne also, which was a war trophy brought by Maharaja Jawahar Singh, who won it in 1764 in his victory over Delhi.
HOW TO REACH
By air:
Only if you own a helicopter!
By rail:
A daily train from Alwar can get you to Deeg in two hours
By road:
Deeg is around 50km east of Alwar, 30km northwest of Bharatpur, and only 95km from Agra.
A bus leaves for Deeg from Alwar every 15 minutes and will get you here in 11/2 hours.
By sea:
Are you crazee!
GETTING AROUND
Walk!
WHERE TO SHACK UP
The Dak Bungalow (up to Rs100) is the only accommodation available. Permission to stay here must be obtained in advance from the Overseer in the Public Works Department office, Kama Darwaja.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
The only place to eat is the Tamolia Restaurant, just past Lakshman Mandir.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR
The palace is open from 8 am to 5pm and you can go in free. Looking around you, it's easy to understand its lure for Suraj Mal, when he shifted to Bharatpur. The elegant pavilions are clustered around a pretty stretch of garden, which is embellished with hundreds of tinkling fountains in front and a cool-looking water expanse at the back. The palaces and garden complex are considered to be an engineering marvel.
Gopal Bhawan, the main building on the west, is the king' s own residential quarters. This is flanked by smaller structures called Sawan and Bhadon Bhawans.
It is said that the elegance of design and perfection of craftsmanship of these palaces rivals that of many others in the country. Though the palaces are single storied at the back there's an addition of two more floors. The lower level is partially or wholly submerged in water all year round.
Suraj Bhawan, in an all-marble affair, but Kishan Bhawan, which is in sandstone, is amazing. Perched on its roof was a large water reservoir, which fed all the fountains dotting the garden. How it's managed not to collapse under the weight of all that water is still a wonder.
In the east of the complex, overlooking Rup Sagar, Kesav Bhawan is an open-sided square pavilion, designed to recreate the freshness of the monsoon. In Surajmal's time, fountains played within it, producing a shimmering rainbow in the sunshine, while cooling water showered from the roof to the accompaniment of artificial rolls of thunder. The reservoir for the fountains took a week to fill and only a matter of hours to empty, and nowadays they are only switched on during local festivals.
You can have your picnic lunch under overhang of the many trees here- but look out for the monkeys. The staff is pretty adept at shooing them off -but watch your step.
WHERE TO SHOP
Shop for what?!
GENERAL INFORMATION
STD code
5641
A daily train from Alwar can get you to Deeg in two hours
By road:
Deeg is around 50km east of Alwar, 30km northwest of Bharatpur, and only 95km from Agra.
A bus leaves for Deeg from Alwar every 15 minutes and will get you here in 11/2 hours.
By sea:
Are you crazee!
GETTING AROUND
Walk!
WHERE TO SHACK UP
The Dak Bungalow (up to Rs100) is the only accommodation available. Permission to stay here must be obtained in advance from the Overseer in the Public Works Department office, Kama Darwaja.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
The only place to eat is the Tamolia Restaurant, just past Lakshman Mandir.
THINGS TO LOOK FOR
The palace is open from 8 am to 5pm and you can go in free. Looking around you, it's easy to understand its lure for Suraj Mal, when he shifted to Bharatpur. The elegant pavilions are clustered around a pretty stretch of garden, which is embellished with hundreds of tinkling fountains in front and a cool-looking water expanse at the back. The palaces and garden complex are considered to be an engineering marvel.
Gopal Bhawan, the main building on the west, is the king' s own residential quarters. This is flanked by smaller structures called Sawan and Bhadon Bhawans.
It is said that the elegance of design and perfection of craftsmanship of these palaces rivals that of many others in the country. Though the palaces are single storied at the back there's an addition of two more floors. The lower level is partially or wholly submerged in water all year round.
Suraj Bhawan, in an all-marble affair, but Kishan Bhawan, which is in sandstone, is amazing. Perched on its roof was a large water reservoir, which fed all the fountains dotting the garden. How it's managed not to collapse under the weight of all that water is still a wonder.
In the east of the complex, overlooking Rup Sagar, Kesav Bhawan is an open-sided square pavilion, designed to recreate the freshness of the monsoon. In Surajmal's time, fountains played within it, producing a shimmering rainbow in the sunshine, while cooling water showered from the roof to the accompaniment of artificial rolls of thunder. The reservoir for the fountains took a week to fill and only a matter of hours to empty, and nowadays they are only switched on during local festivals.
You can have your picnic lunch under overhang of the many trees here- but look out for the monkeys. The staff is pretty adept at shooing them off -but watch your step
WHERE TO SHOP
Shop for what?
GENERAL INFORMATION
STD code
5641
