Alwar

Alwar and Bharatpur are 132 kms apart. Once an ancient Rajput state, formerly known as Mewar, Alwar was nearest to the Imperial Delhi. The people of the state did not accept any external interference and daringly resisted against foreign invasions. Of the remnants of the royal past remains the marvellous Bharatpur Palace housing a rich repository of a large number of ancient exhibits that date back to the early 15th century.

It stands 304 m above the city and 595 m above the sea level. It is a forbidding structure with 15 large and 51 small towers and 446 openings for musketery, alongwith 8 huge towers encompassing it. The fort has several gates - Jai Pol, Suraj Pol, Laxman Pol, Chand Pol, Kishan Pol, and Andheri gate.

An 18th century palace blends the Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. The ground floors have been converted into government offices and the upper apartment is a museum.

It has the finest collection of Mughal and Rajput painting dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries and some rare ancient manuscripts in Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Sanskrit. Gulistan (Garden of roses) & Waqiat-I-Babri (autobiography of Mughal Emperor Akbar) are some of the notable ones amongst the collection.