Vijay Vilas Palace, Mandvi - A Photo Essay !!!

I was writing my last post on Laxmi Vilas Palace of Vadodara and realised though I had written about Vijay Vilas Palace of Mandvi under collective, I had missed a dedicated post for all the pics I had clicked of it. So here is a photo essay of Vijay Vilas Palace, which I visited few years back.

Though Vijay Vilas is not as magnificent as Vadodara's Laxmi Vilas it was Ashutosh Gowariker's movies which made Kutch and Vijay Vilas Palace famous. Sets of his movies Lagaan and Mohenjo Daro were set in Kutch. The palace appeared as the British Royal residence in Lagaan and Aishwarya Rai's house in Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam. 

This redstone structure was built by Maharaja Rao Vijayrajji, the Maharaja of Kutch. The structure is built in Rajput style with traces of Bengal adding to its beauty. Being a summer retreat, the palace is small compared to other palaces of the region and houses few artefacts, furniture and photoframes

The palace is surrounded by thick green which shelters peacocks, jackals and wild ass. The top most floor has an arched balcony and gives beautiful view of the surrounding green.

Maharaja Vijayraji's Chhatri as seen from balcony

Mandvi Beach and Royal family private beach as seen from the top floor of the palace.

That seems like wild boar head, not sure though

Travel Tips

Vijay Vilas Palace is around 7km from Mandvi city and can be best reached by private vehicle. Its another half a km walk from the vehicle parking area to the palace.

Entry Fee

Regular Days 5 years to 11 years Rs. 15/-, above 11 years 30/-

Sundays and Public Holidays 5 years to 11 years Rs. 25/-, above 11 years 45/-

Mobile Camera Rs. 25/-

Still Camera Rs. 50/-

Video Camera 200/-

Timings

9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Birds and Wildlife of Kutch!!!

Kutch is well known for its wild life and immigrant birds. Our first encounter with the wild in Kutch was a jackal while driving back from White Rann at the night, though I couldn't click it. Its said that Kalo Dungar is the only place where you can find jackals feeding on vegetarian food. People from Kalo Dungar and around feed jackals before having their meal.

Though the immigrant Flamingos attracts most of the tourists to Little Rann for bird watching, every lake and river in Kutch can give you a glimpse of these winged beauties. The Hamirsar lake in Bhuj and Rukmavati river in Mandvi are places where you can find Flamingos and other immigrant birds.

The Sharad Baug garden, being very close to Hamirsar lake, too attracts birds, we found so many bats hanging down the trees at sharad Baug

We found these white browed bushchat or Stoliczka's bushchat at Toran resort on the way to Kalo Dungar and the other at the Kalo Dungar hills, they look very much like sparrows and are of same size,

The dense forest surrounding Vijay Vilas palace too offer you with bird watching and wild life, we encountered with a jackal, few wild asses and few peafowls.

How I wish I had better lenses to capture them better.  

Finally I wind up my posts from our weekend trip to Kutch, Gujarat. Do have a look at the complete tour here.

5 Things we did at Mandvi!!

Mandvi is an hours drive from Bhuj city, after our lunch at Shree Swaminarayan Temple, we left for Mandvi. As we drove through the Bhuj-Mandvi road, we could feel a completely contrasting view from our previous days drive to White Rann. While the route to Rann stretched in sands till our sight reached, this route to Mandvi was full of greenery with Sarso ke kheth(mustard fields)too. Our driver called this road samruddh rastha(wealthy road, in-terms of vegetation) which supplies vegetation of Kutch. Mandvi had been the summer retreat for the Kutch rulers for its pleasant weather and was once a major port of Kutch, which connected Far East and Middle East Asian ports. Here is what we did at Mandvi,

5. Visited 72 Jinalay: Just 10km before Mandvi is Bautar Jinalay(Bahttar Jinalay/72 temples), at Koday village. Have you by any chance watched the bollywood movie Khiladi 786, if yes then you know how the movie is related to 72 Jinalay, that was the first thing hubby remembered when I told him we were going to Bautar Jinalay. Like any other Jain temple, the temple is a great white marble structure with intricate carvings, photography is strictly prohibited inside the main temple. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Mahavira, the 24th theerthankara and surrounding the temple are 72 shrines dedicated to other theerthankaras, depicting idols from different siddhakshetr(holy places) across India. Gents are not allowed to enter in shorts, the temple caretaker provides you with a cloth, to wrap around to get inside the temple.

4. Ship Building Yard: I kept reminding my taxi driver, I wanted to visit the Ship Building Yard through out our drive to Mandvi and he said "don't worry madam, you can't miss it, when you are at Mandvi". He was right, as we entered Mandvi city, we could find huge ships being built on the banks of Rukmavati river(river which separates Mandvi city and Salaya). We were told this 400years old building yard has built many ships, which voyage between far east and middle east Asia. Its also said, few ships built here also sailed to Europe.

3. Watched Flamingos at Rukmavati River: Kutch is a treasure of immigrant birds and you can find them at almost every lake and river here in Kutch. When we got down at the ship building yard, flamingos, herons, stilts all were as close as few steps from us and that reminded our visit to Sewri in Mumbai, when we watched Flamingos with binoculars and no way could my cam capture them. A visit to Kutch during winter will treat you with these lovely winged beauties.

2. Visited Vijay Vilas Palace: Vijay Vilas Palace is one of the famous palaces of the region for, many Bollwood movies been shot here, palace of Lagaan movie or Aishwarya's house in Hum Dil De Chuke Saman and many more. The palace is around 7km from Mandvi city. Built in red stone in Rajput style, it has a collection of artifacts, furniture, photographs in display. The top floor of the palace gives a view of surrounding greens, the private beach of the palace and the Mandvi beach.

1. Enjoyed sunset at Mandvi Beach: Our day at Mandvi ended with a visit to Mandvi beach for sunset. A not so crowded beach, has pony and camel rides, parasailing and water scooter. There is a small play area for kids as well. Huge windmills lined up on the beach, makes it unique from other beaches.

We drove back to Bhuj by around 8 in the night, had dinner at Green Rock, on Chatti Bari ring road and boarded our train back to Mumbai the same night.

Travel Tips:
Check my post Kutch Diaries Travel Plan to plan your visit to Mandvi
72 Jinalay:
Timings: Open through out the day.
Entry Free
Photographing not allowed inside the temple.
The temple complex has accommodation and dining facility too..

Vijay Vilas Palace:Timings: Open from 9AM to 1PM and 3PM to 6PM
Entry Fee:

• Week days:
•  5years to 11years: Rs. 15/-
• Above 11 years: Rs. 30/-

• Sundays and Holidays:
• 5years to 11years: Rs. 25/-
• Above 11 years: Rs.45/-

• Mobile Camera: Rs. 25/-
• Still Camera: Rs. 50/-
• Video Camera: Rs. 200/-
• Parking for Private vehicles: Rs. 10/-

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj

Bhuj has many temples, every street and corner has a place of worship. I wondered, if the people had turned religious after the 2001 earthquake, but these temples are really old.

Swaminarayan temples are yet amongst those religious places in Bhuj, one of which was built by Shree Swaminarayan himself. Off their many temples, one which attracts most of the travellers is the new temple, which is off Hamirsar Lake. Just a few minutes walk from Kutch Museum reaches you to this Temple.

The original temple, was built in 1823, by Shree Swaminarayan, a spiritual leader. 2001 Gujarat earthquake destroyed the temple badly, which lead to the construction of the present temple.

The Pinnacle

Constructed using traditional Vedic architectural methods, the temple is built in  pure white marble from Makrana and Ambaji. The temple is east facing, with 7 pinnacles, one central dome, 25 minor domes and 258 pillars. There are many small shrines in the temple, off which the one in the middle, of Shree Nar-Narayan Dev is the main deity, which was relocated from the original temple. This main shrine was closed by the time we visited the temple.

Intricately carved white marble pillars

The pillars, the ceiling and the walls are filled with intricate carvings. On the outer walls, are the series of carvings depicting hindu mythological stories. Below is one from Ramayana, when Hanuman burns whole of Lanka by his burning tail.

Carving on outer wall of the temple with the scene from Ramayana

View of temple from Satsang hall

A red structure, runs around the temple from the main gate. The first floor of  this structure gives a beautiful view of the temple. There is a Satsang hall at that building, which is restricted only for men. Hubby visited the hall to click the temple, meanwhile one of the temple members eagerly shared with him the history of the temple and gave VIP passes for prasad (food).

The corridor, with the view of temple on left and Satsang hall to the right

There is a dinning hall in the ground floor, where you can have food and then donate at the donation box. You should definitely taste their prasad when you visit the temple, the simple yet so sumptuous Gujarati lunch. The temple complex also has accommodation facility. 

Main gate

Travel Info:
Shree Swaminarayan Temple is at the Swaminarayan temple road. You can visit their website here.
Timings: 7AM to 12noon, 4PM to 8PM
Entry free, open on all days

Kutch Diaries - Bhuj City Tour, Part 2

Previous Post: The Fortified Palaces of Bhuj
Sharad Baug Palace: By the time we were done with the palaces inside the fort, we were getting late for Sharad Baug Palace, which closes at 12noon. We drove to Sharad Baug, which is on the other side of the Hamirsar lake. Sharad Baug palace is in the middle of Sharad Baug(a garden, baug meaning garden), hence the palace gets its name.
Unlike Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal, we could hardly find any visitors here. As you enter the gate, there is a plant nursery, and a small room, which is the ticket counter. Then you walk through the park, to reach the palace. We were said, being just next to Hamirsar lake, this park attracts lot of migrant birds, though only birds we could find were bats, hanging down most of the trees.

 

The palace was the king's residence till 1991 when the last king Madansigh died, which was then turned into a museum. Its only few rooms of the palace which are open to visitors now. The display includes royal furnitures, utensils, precious metal works, including a Wimbledon trophy.

There is a coffin in one of the small rooms, a preserved leopard and a tiger. And the main room, has royal furnitures and a preserved tiger.

Though there are very limited exhibits, the museum is worth a visit and has a collection of few rare and precious items from around the world.
As you are out of the Sharad Baug and drive towards the bus station road, you find the famous Ram Dhun temple. Just behind Ram Dhun temple is Ramkhund stepwell.

Ramkhund Stepwell: When our taxi driver, showed us the route to the step well, we gave a second thought, if he was referring to The Ramkhund one of the Archaeological sights. The road is very narrow and you need to walk the lane with stinky litter on either side. Then, there was a temple where we checked again and we were directed to yet another small lane ahead. We finally found the Tourism Department board which read Archaeological sight.

Ramkhund is a step well, with a small shrine. The well, was quite low on water, that the steps were visible. We were told there are sculptures depicting characters from Ramayana and Dashavathar, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, which of course was not visible due to water level. This place too is less in crowd, which makes your visit refreshing. You can feel the coolness as you get down the steps towards water.

Travel info:
Check my post Kutch Diaries Travel Plans, to plan your trip to Bhuj.
Sharad Buag Palace is in Sharad Baug, close to Hamirsar lake.
Entry Fee: Rs. 10/-
Timings: 9AM to 12noon, 3PM to 6PM, closed on Fridays

Ramkhud Stepwell is behind Ram Dhun temple at the Hamirsar Lake.
Entry Free
Timings: Its an open well, can be visited any time.

Kutch Museum: Just across Ram Dhun Temple is Kutch Museum, which was unfortunately closed, being a second Saturday. We were told the museum has the collection of Kutch art works, embroidery, paintings, arms, musical instruments. Also the excavates from Dholavira, the archaeological site containing the  ruins of ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
Entry Fee: Rs. 5/- for Indians and Rs. 50/- for Foreign nationals
Timings: 10AM to 1PM, 2PM to 5PM,
Closed of Wednesdays, 2nd and 4th Saturdays and public holidays.

Bharatiya Sanskriti Darshan Museum, is yet another museum which we had to give a miss, because of time constraint. This too has the collection of Kutch art forms.
Entry Fee:  Rs. 10/- for Indians and Rs. 50/- for Foreign nationals
Timings: 11AM to 1PM, 2PM to 5PM, closed on Mondays.

Kutch Diaries - The Fortified Palaces of Bhuj

Previous Post on Kutch Diaries Rann Utsav, A Photo Essay

The second day of our Kutch tour was Bhuj and Mandvi City tours. After a tiring first day tour, kiddo was not ready to wake up early. While most of the palaces of Bhuj open at 9AM, we finally got ready, had masala Puri and dal for breakfast and started with our city tour by 9.
We started with the palaces of Bhuj, Rani Ka Kas, Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal in the fort complex. Though the best way to visit this fort is by a walk through the narrow lanes of Bhuj, we didn't have enough time and had to drive through. Our taxi driver was very keen in guiding us, through the city. When I checked with him, if the damaged buildings were because of the earthquake, he said, most of the natives of Bhuj were NRIs and they keep demolishing even the new houses to build better ones. He also said, few years back a huge amount of money(in crores) of an NRI family went unclaimed at a Bank because of no nominees.
It was just then that we reached the fort entrance, the vehicle drives in and there is paid parking in the fort complex. The fort entrance is completely in ruined state, with few small stores selling water bottles and packed snacks on either side of the entrance.

The fort entrance

Rani Ka Khas: As you enter the fort, you find a red stone building standing just in front of you, Prag Mahal and adjoining the fort wall, is a completely ruined building. We were told it was the ruins of Rani Ka Khas or Rani ka Vas, which had a bad damage in 2001 earthquake. The remains have some beautiful intricate carvings on the window frames and the ceiling wall, which proves the palace would have looked really beautiful.

Ruins of Rani ka Khas

Prag Mahal: Built in Italian Gothic architecture in Italian marble and red stone, this palace is said be named after Rao Pragmalji II. With the 2001 earthquake and a massive thief in 2006, the palace had lost its significance, till senior bollywood star Mr. Amitabh Bachchan took personal interest in restoring it.

The entrance to the palace takes you directly to the first floor, the first floor has very few artifacts, animal heads. This hall reminded me of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum of Mumbai, which has a similar architectural design.

The second floor has few rooms which have dusty cupboards and dressers with royal dresses and artifacts, and some huge utensils. The corridor on the second floor opens to a terrace, with the clock tower. You can make out the restoration work which has gone to make the tower stand after the earthquake. A climb up the tower gives you a bird's eye view of the Bhuj city. The stairs are really steep and me and hubby had to go turn by turn as kiddo was not ready to take those scary steep steps.

Aina Mahal: Just next to the Prag Mahal is Aina Mahal. While the building is very small compared to the huge Prag Mahal standing tall in the complex, this palace has a great treasure of artifacts, when compared to the former. While you are allowed to photograph here as well, but strictly prohibited from using flash.

Entrance of Aina Mahal

Built in Indo - European style, the palace dates back to 18th century, during the rule of Lakhpatji. The palace was built by Ramsinh Malam, who was a artisan trained in Europe for 17 years. Its said that the artisan established a glass factory in Mandvi and manufactured china tiles in a factory in Bhuj, for the construction of the palace. The walls and ceiling are constructed with marble and decorated with gold and mirror, and most of the palace flooring is of China tiles.

Center room

The palace has several rooms with in. At the center is the main room, looks more like a Durbar, with seating and few musical instruments at the center, Many glass lanterns and chandeliers hung around. Adjoining small rooms have collection of coins, swords and other artifacts.

The mirror work on the ceiling

Off all the rooms, one of the room has the royal belongings of the king, made of precious stones, and hug mirrors on all the walls of the room. The corridor around this room too has mirror work and an ivory door.

Carving on the door of the royal bed room

Inside the royal bed room

The corridor around the room

You come back to the center room and then out through the single entry. While we came out, there were a few college students who had come on excursion, it was good to find them eagerly listening to the history of the palace. From fort, we had to rush to Sharad Baug which was about to close at 12.

Travel Tips:
Bhuj Fort is well with in the city of Bhuj, in Kutch district of Gujarat state, in India.
Check my post Kutch Diaries Travel Plans, to plan your trip to Bhuj.

Entry Fee:

Prag Mahal: Rs. 20/ Adult, camera fee: Rs.50

Aina Mahal: Rs. 20/ Adult, camera fee: Rs.50

Four wheeler parking: Rs. 20/- 

Timings:

Prag Mahal: 9AM - 12noon and 3PM - 6PM

Aina Mahal: 10AM - 12:45PM and 3PM - 6PM, Thursdays closed

Next post on Kutch Diaries Bhuj City Tour - Part 2