The Magnificent Chand Baoli

I've always had a bit of a love affair with historical architecture- monuments, palaces, forts, old havelies, temples, churches- basically everything encased by the hash tag 'heritage architecture'. But more than any of these, I'm really obsessive when it comes to stepwells. I'm not sure if I've already mentioned this, but one of the things on my bucket list is visiting every major step well in India- sounds silly I know, but I'm completely fascinated by these structures. I recently visited Kesroli for a weekend getaway. The thing that tipped the scales in its favor was its proximity to a beautiful step well. We were in Kesroli for 2 days and on one of those days, we drove down to see the magnificent Chand Baoli.

Chand Baoli is located in Abhaneri village in the Dausa district of Rajasthan. It's about an hour and a half drive from Kesroli on some pretty good roads, except for a small stretch midway. (I was really impressed with the Rajasthan State Highway roads... they put many roads in Gurgaon to shame) 

When you first see the baoli from the outside, you feel pretty disappointed... sort of like, 'I drove 1.5 hrs for this?' But when you enter you're really surprised by its size and scale. The geometry of the steps that descend to the water is magnificent- hypnotizing almost. I wish I had a wide angle lens to really do the place justice :)

As step wells go, this one is quite well kept, unlike so many others in India which have, sadly, been forgotten. It's also not overcrowded and touristy, which is so refreshing. There were only about a handful of tourists while we were there, so one can really get a feel for the place and enjoy it in relative solitude.  

There were some beautiful relics- intricately carved stone pillars and statues of deities lining the passages. I think restoration work on them is underway. 

Here are some interesting facts about Chand Baoli...

1. It was built in 800 AD by Raja Chand of the Nikumbha dynasty

2. It is considered to be one of India's largest and deepest step wells and extends 30m underground 

3. It consists of 13 storeys that are made up of 3500 steps

4. A sequence from the film The Dark Knight Rises and The Fall were shot here

5. Locals believe the well was built in one night by ghosts. Legend has it that the step well contains so many steps so that anyone who throws a coin in the well cannot retrieve it easily.

If you ever happen to be in the vicinity of Abhaneri, you must visit this beautiful step well. It's an experience you'll remember for a long time!

[All Images- Shalini Pereira]

All images are clicked by me. Please do not use images without prior written permission

Aqueducts of Alwar

It's Monday morning-not the greatest start to the week. India lost in the T20 World cup final and I'm not too happy about it :( But the show must go on...I guess. Another post from my trip to Alwar... 

On the way from Alwar to Siliserh lake, on Rajasthan SH13 you will come across the remains of an arched aqueduct sitting proudly in a semi marshy area. Aqueducts were means by which water was supplied to ancient cites from sources hundreds of kilometers away. I remember seeing these structures during my travels in Europe. Imagine my surprise when I came across one on my way to Siliserh lake, Rajasthan! At first I was a little confused... I always imagined aqueducts to be associated to the Romans. But after a quick check on Google, I found that they were first constructed by the Egyptians, Greeks and in the sun-continent. In fact evidence of these sort of structures have been discovered in Hampi.

These arches are part of an aqueduct that was constructed by Rajputs to supply water from Siliserh lake to the city of Alwar. It's worth stopping your car to take in this amazing site and marvel at the ingenuity of its builders. As soon as I set eyes on it, I ordered the hubby to stop the car. No sooner did he do this, did I jump out with camera in hand and started happily clicking away. I was so taken by this relic of medieval times that still stood tall today, its sturdy stone arches reflected in the marshy water at its base.

If you're ever making your way to Siliserh lake, keep a lookout for this aqueduct!

[All images- Shalini Pereira]

Please do not use without prior written permission

A Weekend at Hill Fort Kesroli

Stark, romantic and imposing... those are the words  that came to mind when I first set eyes upon Hill Fort, Kesroli. This 14th century fort, just over two hours drive from Gurgaon, is now converted into a heritage hotel and is part of the Neemrana group of hotels. 

I have been wanting to visit for the longest time. Sitting atop a rocky hillock, it looks out over the flat plains below and offers some spectacular views of the rural countryside from atop its ramparts. 

I love places like this, places steeped in history- places that have an atmosphere. Don't expect to be pampered though, the way you would be in a five star hotel. Hill Fort Kesroli is more along the lines of a boutique hotel. It's not grand and the rooms don't ooze luxury. The charm of this heritage hotel lies in the fact that it allows you to relax and enjoy yourself in a historical setting. 

This small fort has been lovingly restored and is a wonderful place to escape and disconnect from city life. We used it as a base to explore some of the sites around Alwar. We also drove down to the Chand Baoli step well in Abhaneri, which is about an hour and a half away.

We stayed in the Bhaaj Mahal, a tiny quaint little room which was cozy and pleasant in spite of its size. The staff were incredibly helpful and pleasant and the food was really good. One of the things I enjoyed most was afternoon tea, which was served on the lawns. Along with the tea they served these tiny little banana and almond cakelets which were absolutely delicious and something I'm going to try and replicate at home. 

I was so taken with Kesroli Fort that I went a little crazy with the camera. I simply couldn't stop clicking pictures:) Much to the amusement of the hubby, who joked that he had created a monster by getting me the new camera :) But I really couldn't help myself, there were just so many pretty things to capture. The charming gardens, the rambling bougainvillea growing on the walls with its riot of red and pink flowers that looked so pretty against the mustard walls. On our last day there, I woke up early and carried my cup of coffee and my camera up onto a turret close to our room. From there I gazed out over the plains below. The mist was still creeping along the plains and it was magical and a little eerie. I closed my eyes and could almost imagine hearing the whispers of the fort's past occupants, or feeling the presence of the stoic guards that would have stood guard in that very spot centuries ago.

I'm getting a little melodramatic now so I'll stop before you start rolling your eyes :) 

[Images- Shalini Pereira]

All images have been clicked by me. Please do not use images without prior written permission

As We Walked in Fields of Gold

We've just got back from a lovely weekend break. The hubby & I drove down to Kesroli, Rajasthan for a few days. It was a mini road trip of sorts. We stayed at the amazing Kesroli Hill Fort Resort and used it as a base from where we took in some of the sights nearby. 

It was a magical weekend and a much needed break for both of us, and one that I've been looking forward to for ages. We were to do this trip in February, but ended up cancelling because I was stuck in bed with a bad back. So I held my breath and crossed my fingers until were on our way.

The drive to Kesroli was lovely, except for a tiny traffic jam on the dreaded NH8, just after Hero Honda Chowk. But once we got on to the Rajasthan state highway, the drive was a dream. After the toll at Bhiwadi, it was blue skies, smooth roads and golden wheat fields that brought to mind Sting's Fields of Gold.

"Many years have passed since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold"

The words of this song has been buzzing in my head since the moment I first laid eyes on the golden wheat fields that went on for as far as the eye could see.

I'm going to share all the lovely sights we saw on this trip soon, as well as all the images I clicked of the lovely Kesroli Fort, a beautiful heritage hotel that's part of the Neemrana group. But before all that I wanted to post some images of rural life that captivated me on this trip. 

I fell in love with the wheat fields that were tinged golden under the rays of the sun. And I went a little crazy clicking pictures in a desperate attempt to capture that feeling of contentment that I felt as I gazed on them. It's funny that so often when we travel, we get caught up in the itinerary, ticking of the places on our list we planned  to see. But sometimes it's the journey itself, the random sights that we come across while on our way to our 'destination' that end up making the trip unforgettable.  

[All images- Shalini Pereira]

All images have been clicked by me. Please do not use without prior written permission