Water Channel running from Siliserh to Alwar

Siliserh Palace in Alwar District of Rajsthan, built amidst the Aravali Range, presently it is one of the Hotels under Rajsthan Tourist Development Corporation. It is few kilometers away from the Alwar city.  Initially it was built by some king with the name Vinay Singh in 1845. The palace was a hunting Lodge. 

It has a sprawling lake of about 7 to 10 sq. km in area.  We booked the tickets online with an imagination of a palace but the moment we landed in our room through its zig zag stairs it was not a good feeling initially. We felt duped as we have earlier stayed at Sheesh Mahal in Orchha which was marvellously exciting experience.  The service in the hotel was very poor which is quite contradictory as Rajsthan is famous for its hospitality.

No doubt the palace speaks about its magnificent past.  Alas, it could have been maintained better.  We saw the roots of the plants peeping out from the wall of bedroom.

Anyhow we stayed there and went out to venture the nearby places after few minutes rest. 

We came to know about some Hanuman Temple in the nearby village.

 For the temple one has to climb at least hundred stairs amidst the rocks.

On way to the Hanuman Temple, the roots of tree emerging from the rocks strewn every where. Roots emerging like from anywhere, 
shows that LIFE IS STRONGER than anything else.

 Life has that extraordinary power that it can emerge from any where 

and no body can stop it from flourishing with grace.

The formation of the rocks are in the shape of Horse Shoe,

 hence the milestone shows direction as Horse Shoe Base

The Horse Shoe formation of the Valley. 
 The Rock formation is really very fascinating.

It appears as if the rock have been formed with Lego pieces. 
We seldom see such formations. 

It says NIRALA SHELTER. Must be built for the devotees going to the 

Hanuman Temple.

But there was nothing inside the  shelter. Probably that is the reason it is called Nirala, it is small room with no facilities.  

One can rest here for a while during rainy season.

 It is very necessary for people to demonstrate their name for every stone they erect specially in the name of temples.

Here in the picture down below, the formation of the stone is of an old man.  One can find such formations in the rocks. Thankfully, he is not resembling any Deity otherwise there could have been a temple. Who knows one day any of the creative minds may find something or somebody resembling this face. 

In the evening when we sat down in its sprawling balcony, the anger / frustration that we felt while entering the rooms of the hotel and rude behaviour of the staff,  vanished. The weather was excellent and there were few activities in the lake were going on. Enjoyed the setting of sun.  Sitting in the balconies at night was such an exciting experience that we didn't feel like going to the room. 

I just heard about the place Siliserh, but knew nothing about it. When I searched about Siliserh, I came to know that the erstwhile Maharaja (Dont know the name) of Alwar State, built a dam here which resulted in formation of this lake. 

Later on, while conversing with villagers in Alwar, I heard that the Maharaja Jay Singh had contributed a lot in the field of agriculture.  He built a water channel to bring the water to the Alwar from Siliserh, as told by one of the villagers.

Now the lake is being used for recreation only. We were told by the staff of the hotel that during saturdays and sundays the collection through entry fees only reaches upto lakhs. We saw the locals thronged the place on weekends for boating as well as lunch and dinner. 

This water channel stands magnificently even today. First I noticed it few years back while returning from Jaipur when our bus driver detour the route to Delhi through Sariska.  This time when I was visiting Alwar, I was looking for this channel and when I found it, I was enthralled. I had seen such water channels in pictures of Greece or Italy. But when I see such things in my country, then my happiness sees no bounds.

This water channel runs through hills, fields above the smaller water bodies and along the road. It was built around 150 years back, as told by the villagers. One can imagine the engineering and planning during that era. Though this water channel is not being maintained properly and it is still standing tall after the neglect though decades. 

I have seen during my visits to various places in our country and have found the rulers have erected such buildings or such channels which shows their planning for their present as well as future for the forthcoming generations. In this part of the Rajsthan, where water is the scarcity, this water channel depicts the thought process of the erstwhile rulers.

Sadly, no material is found on the internet about this asset. 

I wonder why no body has given importance to this structure. 

Why it can't be make functional today??

The channel crosses the villages where it is used for other purposes. 

It has become a cattle shed and also a shed for bikes of the villagers.

  Saw number of cattle tied beneath it. 

Good, at least it is serving some purpose. 

It is lost when it enters the city area. It has become just a wall. Why it cant be used as one of the tourist spots where the history of this princely state along with the marvellous work by the erstwhile rulers can be shown. 

This country has such a huge potential for tourism, which actually needs a will.  We have a rich heritage which is beyond the religious stories being narrated through generations. There were many rulers in this country who have done lot more during their regime and their contribution to the society is tremendous.  This requires to be brought to the forefront. I have seen the water management in other places also, which is simply superb. 

India - incredibly incredible

India is a multi lingual country with multi religion and faiths, multi culture with multi cuisine.  In fact it is proper to call  India a continent rather a country. We have hundreds of festivals. Every day in this country is a festival, which can also be interpreted that we Indians welcome every day with a flavour of new hope and look forward to new horizons thus we celebrate every day with a new enthusiasm. 

We have festivals related to crops, seasons and many other reasons. 

Most of these festival are celebrated by the Hindus. One such festival is Navratas - A nine days festival which comes twice in a year in the month of March / April and October / November.

 The March / April Navratras ends at Ram Navmi and October / November Navratras end with Vijay Dashmi or Dussehra. 

Both festivals are connected with Lord Rama. 

 One ends with his Birth and other with the end of war with Ravna.  But in place of Lord Rama it is Durga who is being worshipped during this festival. 

Now in the month of March is a Chaitra Navratri. These nine days festival will end at Ram Navami the birth of Lord Rama. These Nine days, the followers and believers observe fast where only few items are to be consumed and on eighth and ninth day minor girls who have not yet attained puberty are treated with the Prasad and gifts which ends the fasting. 

 Incidentally I am in Silchar, Assam the North Eastern part of our country, in this month of February, 2018.  During  my visit to one of our office sites in Amraghat near Silchar, I found Artists making Durga Idols along with the idols of Ganesha, Kartikeya and others. I couldn't stop my self and intruded into their small workshop cum residence. Did not interact much with them as they were busy in their work and yes there was a language problem. 

Religiously these labourers or so called artists  making these idols year after year for every class be it lower, middle or rich to bring new hopes and fortune in their lives. But these remain poor through generations and these Idols can't bring good fortune in their lives.   

Every person in the house is given different duties, it seems. 

One person was busy in segregating Bamboo for the support of idols. 

Here this boy is busy making a base for a large size idol or a group of Idols.

The Idols are made of Husk. Here these men can be seen giving shape to Husk  

Interval from preparing base, so he is relaxing with rubbing choona (lime) on his Tambakhu before chewing it. I have asked many people that why they chew Tambakhu, their answer is "To kill boredom." Which later on becomes habit

Husk Idol is prepared and resting on its stand with 

vigour and grace.  Yes Durga is Vigorously Graceful, an epitome of woman hood, which actually is to be realized by every women. Women should stop behaving a weaker sex and should also stop taking disadvantage of it.

 

This older man must be the head of the clan. 

 Preparing batter of clay for giving the final shape to the Idol. 

Another Member covering those husk idols with the mud or clay batter.

Sun bathing Moulded Faces of Idols waiting for their turn to be fixed on to the body of Idols

There are lot of stories connected to these Navratras. When these are connected with the Birth of Lord Rama and end of war with Ravna the king of Lanka, why Durga is being worshipped for nine days in place of Yashodhara the mother of Rama during the month of March and April and Rama and Sita during the months of October or November???? 

Though there is Ram Lila being performed in most of the colonies in north India where the story of Lord Rama, right from his birth to the death of Ravna is being told through play, for nine days.

They say that during these days, Ma Durga visits her parents home and leaves on Dashmi the day on which all the idols are submerged in water amidst pomp and show and tears in eyes. 

Marriages are solemnised during this season without any Muhurat as these days are considered auspicious. 

Anyways, with Chaitra the new Hindu Lunar Year starts. Thanks to Social Media people are now getting aware of this Hindu Lunar Year and we are in receipt of many messages on this occasion where we are being lamented for forgetting and not celebrating our own new year with the same pomp and show with which we celebrate the Gregorian Calendar. Can anybody dare to ask these fanatics, do they remember their date of birth according to Hindu Calendar and why do they celebrate their birthdays on the dates of Gregorian Calendar? For this they need a Pandit or Brahmin, a third person who was not even aware of their existence, to tell them their actual date of birth according to Hindu Calendar rather than their parents. 

Whatever the stories are, but my firm belief is that there was a very scientific reason for these two Navratras. Both these Navratras appear when we are entering into a new season, In earlier days, unlike today's times there were full seasons of all weathers. I remember my childhood when we experienced acute cold and enjoyed its mystic and pleasant fog and then there were hot Summers which was also enjoyed and tolerated with the lesser facilities. Then we used to enjoy rains for full three to four months. So these Navratras were introduced by our ancestors who I considered more intelligent in comparison to present days' intelligentsia. When we are entering from one cold sessions of winters into warm sessions of summer in the beginning of the year and vice versa in the end of the year from warm sessions of summers to the cold sessions of winter, our body react to this change in season. So it is extremely necessary to get attuned ourselves physically as well as mentally, to the new seasons. For this, our ancestors dictated a regime of fasting of nine days and if one feels weak during the fast, he or she can consume Carbohydrates in the form of Potatoes etc. as Carbohydrates provide immediate energy. To kill the boredom of fasts they also had made the provisions of festivities in the evenings in the form of puja. As I already said that our ancestors were really far more intelligent, therefore they connected the stories of Gods and Goddesses to make people follow the regime. 

Marriages are solemnised during this season because in the past India was mainly based upon agriculture. And in these months  fresh crop is harvested so people have money. 

People were free as there was time for next crop so this time was found best for marriages. 

This age old routine has now turned into a ritual.

Today people are worshipping Goddess Durga on these nine days and millions throng the shrine of Vaishno Devi in Jammu. In the name of fast they are eating mercilessly potato wafers and other snacks meant specially for fast whole day with a plea that they on fast. Hotels are offering special Navratra Menus and Thalis for the occasion. Thalis contain three to four varieties of vegetables and three to four puri of kuttu ka atta and sweet dishes.

 The festival actually has lost its spirit, it has become only a showoff item for people. When religion is commercialised and is used for negative purposes, then it is left with blind people who have no iota of affection for the festival or even for the religion. The spirit is gone. 

Blinds can be led to any extremes.

India is a land of contradictions also. We worship Devi a Goddess and we have plenty of temples in the memory of so Many Goddesses and day night one can find people chanting Jai Mata Di. On Ashtami and Navmi the fasting ladies need eight to ten girls who are offered treat of puri, chana and halwa along with few gifts so that they can bid adieu their fast.

 But on the other side we are leading in female infanticide. Girl child is still not welcomed in our society that's why we need slogans "BETI BACHAO BETI PADHAO" in the land of Durga, Kali and many more Goddesses. Yes we are incredibly incredible 

ALWAR - ANOTHER PRISTINE GLORY OF BHARAT

Alwar, an erstwhile princely state 150 km north of Delhi the Capital of our country.  My visit to Alwar left me awestruck with massive forts built on hill tops and covered with few kilometers long wall up and down the hills.  Though I don't know the history of this princely state but one thing I found interesting about this place is that the British spelt the name of Alwar as ULWAR which goes down in the list as the alphabet U appears at the last six alphabets.  The ruler of Alwar then replace the alphabet U with A so that his state can appear at the top, alphabetically. (So such tactics are age old)

Alwar fort, now converted into a collectorate  (boosts the ego of bureaucracy).  Travelled through the corridors of this Collectorate, the shine of the walls is still intact.  It is not a shine of tiles, but the material used for plastering of the walls during the reign of the owner of this palace. These walls of corridors reminds me of a wall in Segriya in Sri Lanka which is called Mirror wall. The walls of this Alwar fort are similar mirror walls but completely unnoticed whereas the wall in Segriya fort is one of the itinerary added by our guide which was shown to us with a pinch of pride.

 

I was accompanied by a retired IAS Officer, on seeing the Board of Collector, we decided to visit the collector. On entering his office, we smelled the essence of power that a collector was showered upon.  The room must have been used by the erstwhile ruler of Alwar now replaced by present day ruler, a BUREAUCRATIC RULER.  Sitting in  his massive office with balconies of the upper floor adorned with marble grills (today such designs are called Duplex apartments), the present bureaucratic ruler  gave us the taste of diminishing values specially respect for seniors. He believed that we were there for some favours so that we can see the museum without paying any fee, if there is any.  I wanted to tell him that we were not there for any favours, rather it was actually the affection of senior cadre mate to the cadre where he served for 35 years and earned a name for himself with his dedication to work. 

But my decency stopped me from doing so. 

Wanted to click the picture but controlled my instinct

 because of the apathy showered upon us by the present Ruler

The Alwar fort standing tall on its massive marble pillars speaks of its glory 

for which there is absolutely no need to use word.    

Bikes parked besides the walls. I remember, there was an instruction of NO PARKING pasted on the wall. We the people of India are masters in evading such instructions. 

 For, We The People of India these are just a piece of Graffiti on the wall.  

The museum.  Part of the fort is converted into a museum, which was closed that day.

 So could not visit.  Just peeped in through the holes.

The huge court yards must have been adorned with elephants the major mode of transport during those days, now adorned with present mode of transportation.

Despite all the apathy of WE THE PEOPLE OF INDIA 

these are standing magnificently tall and not ready to budge.

 Is it the perseverance of the artists who carved and built these or 

the perseverance of these beautiful structures that they have refused to budge. 

Grills carved in Marble, precision with which these were carved can be seen with eyes but perseverance of the artisans can only be felt and admired. I left with chocked throat.

This is a fine embroidery on marble with tools of carving.
 These pieces are a delight to eyes and also a matter of pride.

A state of apathy within the boundaries of collectorate. 

 I wonder, if any of the collectors ever ventured out to see this dilapidation, right under their nose. 

Having massive office gives the state bureaucracy enough ego boosting that they did not bother to keep  a watch on this.

Walls of the fort adorned with notices of the collectorate. 

I wonder, that why they can't afford a notice board where such notices can be pasted

The back side of glorious Alwar fort oops collectorate with a pool at the backdrop

The corridors beautifully adorned with the broken furniture of the offices of the collectorate

The main gate to the fort, still standing tall with all its majesty and 

with a will of security to the fort like an old guard.

This is a ceiling of a chowk in Alwar. Must have been a passage of the royals.  Though the beauty of chowk diminished with garbage and the chowk is encroached by a small temple in one corner and small shops on other corners but nobody has gained that height to reach out to the ceiling of the chowk. The only mark of its majesty that speaks of importance of this chowk during the days of royalty. The bureaucratic royalty has only added to the garbage and encroachments.  I clicked this picture from the moving taxi as it is terribly difficult to stand there and click a picture of the ceiling. 

This is our heritage which is to be cared upon with all dignity.

The more and more I explore this wonderland called THE INDIA, more and more i fall in love with this country which is a bundle of wonders. 

One life time is not sufficient to see and know this country