FORTS & PALACES
Hawa Mahal (the palace of winds) :
Hawa Mahal is in Jaipur is a faced built onto to a wall of the main palace compound. Royal ladies seated in its 953 niches and windows could look down at the main street below, specially the processions.
PALACE WITH A BIRD SANCTUARY
BHARATPUR PALACE :
Is surrounded by lakes and swamps now houses the famous Keolladeo Ghana Bird santuary with its site.It is the only game reserve in India where the habitat has been specially created by the owner , the Maharaja of Bharatpur. He recognised the area's potential and augmented the water suplly by diverting water from a nereby irrigation canal.He also constructed dams, dykes and shooting butts to turn the area into a fine hunting preserve.
LAKE PALACE :
It is founded in 1568 by Maharana Udai Singh, the lake city of Udaipur is offen referred to as the 'Venice of the East'.The Lake Palace run by the Taj Group of Hotels has 84 rooms and 15 suits and is one of the most romantic hotels in the world.
LALBAGH PALACE :
The gates of Lalbagh palace, Indore, belonging to the Holkars were modelled on those at Buckingham palace
OLDEST FORT :
Kalinjar Fort in M.P.situated 243.8 m (800 ft) up on the Vindhya mountains reaches far beyond recorded history to the Vedic times. It was built by Kalinjara, son of King Bharata, after whom India is said to be named.
FORT WITH 365 TEMPLES :
Kumbhalgarh, a massive fort perchad on the Aravallis in Rajasthan houses 365 temples with in ramparts. Tradition ascribes its origin to the second century though it become historically important under Rana Khumbha in the 16th centuary. He made several important additions to the fort including the Badal mahal (palace of clouds ) on the highest point.
TIGER FORT :
The forest fort of Ranthambhor in Rajasthan, a perfect example of the classical vana durg, is now a game sanctuary, popularly known as the Sawai Madhopur game reserve. The ruins of the fort, half concealed amongst thick trees and buses provide a home for all kinds of wild animals, specially the tiger.
ANGKOR WAT OF INDIA :
Deogarh and Chanderi forts, standing on either side of the Betwa river, have been described as the 'Angkor War of India' , housing the ruins of more than 30 Jain temples and ancient Hindu temples belonging to the fifth century.As in Angkor Wat huge images of gods and goddes line both the inside and the outside walls of the temple complex within the fort. These images are hewn in granite or are made of red and grey standstone.
STRONGEST FORT :
The concentric patiala Ford in punjab was built in the 1960s by the Sikhs on the plains. The people who protected it were strong enough to resist a fierce Maratha attack in 1994. Stark and simple, the Patilal fort has no pleasure gardens or palaces within.
WATER FORT :
Vellore Fort in Tamil Nadu with its crocodile-infested moat and blue granite bastions housed the family and retinue of Tipu Sultan after the British conquered srinagapatnam in 1799. It was the site of a mini sepo mutiny in which 1,500 sepoys took part the same year.
MUD FORT :
Gaur Fort in West Bengal, built at the confluence of the Ganga and Mahananda is rare surviving example of a mahi durg belonging to several dynasties including the Guptas and Palas
STRONGEST MARINE FORT :
Janjira, an island fort in the Arabian Sea and the strongest marne fort in India, was built by the Abyssinians in 1511. They came as slave traders to south India and business transactions with the qutub shahis of Bjapur . Shivaji, the maratha chieftain, first attacked Janjira during his campains in the Konkan in 1659. Despite every attempt, neighter the Marathas Nor the Mughals, nor Portuguese nor British culls ever capture Janjira by Force
NEVER INVADED :
Though Fort William was primarily built to safeguard against enemy attacks,it enjoys the distinction of never been invaded . It is built not on the high ground as forts are but in bowl-shaped low land enclosing an area of 174.42 acres. It is an irregular octagon with five sides,three of them facing the river Gang. It is surrounded by a sluice from the river. The fort can accommodate about 10,000 people..