Jhalawar, the water fort and the city of temple bells

A kingdom made for a minister's grandson

• A coveted crossing: armies of the Sultans of Malwa, of Mewar and later the Mughals came this way, because whoever held Gagron controlled the river crossings between Malwa and Hadoti.
• Zalim Singh Jhala: in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries he was the all-powerful regent of Kota, and ran it in all but name.
• A Gujarat clan: he was a Jhala Rajput, from a clan whose roots lay in Gujarat.
• A family quarrel: after his death, his family and the Kota rulers fought over who held real power.
• The British solution: in 1838 they carved about a third of Kota's territory into a new state for Zalim Singh's grandson, Madan Singh, the first Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar.
• A new capital: the Jhalas built it near the old cantonment Zalim Singh had founded, with a fortified palace at its heart.
• Bhawani Singh: the most celebrated later ruler, well-travelled and scholarly, who built a public theatre, collected books and manuscripts and founded schools in the early twentieth century.
• Today: Jhalawar joined Rajasthan in 1948, and the former royal family still lives here.
• Two thousand years in a day: go from a seventh-century Shiva shrine to a fifteenth-century siege to an Edwardian opera house.

Gagron, the fort that floats

• Its age: parts are thought to be centuries older than the Khichi Chauhans, and most of what you see was built and rebuilt between the twelfth and eighteenth centuries.
• One of six: UNESCO lists it alongside Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambore, Amber and Jaisalmer. It is the only one defined by water.
• The siege of 1423: Hoshang Shah, the Sultan of Malwa, besieged Gagron, held by Achaldas Khichi.
• Jauhar: when no help came, the women performed jauhar, the Rajput rite of self-immolation to avoid capture, and Achaldas and his men rode out to die fighting.
• Later owners: Malwa took it again in 1444, then it passed through Mughal hands before Kota and then Jhalawar held it.
• Walk it slowly: the double ring of walls, the gates and bastions, the palace rooms and the water tanks are still impressive, though much is ruined and only partly restored.
• The river ramparts: climb up for the view down to the meeting of the waters, with fishermen in small boats and herons in the shallows.
• In the monsoon: both rivers run full and brown, and Gagron is completely transformed.
• Little shade: so go early or late.
• Good shoes: for the uneven stone and the climb to the ramparts.
• Read first: our journal piece on Jhalawar and Gagron Fort, and our guide to the UNESCO forts of Rajasthan if you're collecting all six.

Jhalrapatan, the city of bells

• Still in worship: some of the finest medieval temples in this part of India, all of them living shrines.
• Come at dusk: when the lamps are lit and the bells really do ring out.

How to read a Jhalrapatan temple

• The top: the amalaka, a ribbed stone disc like a giant fruit, then a pot-shaped finial and a flag.
• Into the shade: first the mandapa, the pillared hall, often with a ceiling of concentric rings or a hanging lotus.
• The vestibule: a narrow passage leads on.
• The womb chamber: the garbhagriha, a small dark room holding the deity, directly beneath the tallest point of the spire.
• The whole idea: the walk from bright courtyard to dim sanctum is a move from the world towards the divine.
• Older shrines: the Chandrabhaga temples are smaller and plainer, with crisp early carving around the doorways.
• The sun temple: taller, busier and more confident, with a spire built of many smaller spires clustered together, three or four centuries later.
• Go further: our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture and our page on temples and pilgrim towns.

Jhalawar town, the palace and the theatre

Caves, rivers and forests beyond the town

Where to stay in Jhalawar

• The rooms: furnished with family portraits, old books and hunting trophies.
• Meals with the household: when the family is in residence.
• What money can't buy: a conversation over dinner about the history you spent the day walking through.
• When it's full: or if you want more space and amenities, we base guests in Kota and drive down for a full day.
• Or Bundi: combine Jhalawar with a night in a haveli in Bundi.
• What to expect: our guide to heritage havelis explains family-run historic stays.

The food and the people of the borderland

• Poha: flattened rice with peanuts, onion and turmeric, up from Malwa, served with kachori and jalebi.
• A home lunch: dal baati, maize rotis, a curry of fresh garlic shoots in winter, and plenty of buttermilk.
• Bafla: ask about this boiled-then-baked cousin of the baati, eaten across Malwa.
• Oranges: in season you'll be offered fruit at every stop, and you shouldn't refuse.
• The people: unhurried and curious, and still a little surprised to see visitors.
• Small courtesies: greet people with ram ram sa, accept a cup of tea, and leave time for conversation.

When to come to Jhalawar

• April to June: very hot, and we don't recommend sightseeing except at dawn.
• The season Jhalawar is made for: the monsoon, when the Ahu and Kali Sindh swell around Gagron, the countryside turns emerald and clouds pile over the plateau.
• Monsoon caution: it's humid and some roads may flood, so travel with a flexible plan and an experienced driver.
• Month by month: our page on the best time to visit Rajasthan.

Getting to Jhalawar

• By rail: Kota Junction is on the Delhi to Mumbai line. Jhalawar Road is on the same line but has fewer fast trains.
• By air: there are no regular commercial flights to Jhalawar or Kota at present. We fly guests into Jaipur and drive, or into Udaipur and travel east via Chittorgarh.
• Close together: Gagron, Jhalrapatan and the Chandrabhaga temples are all within about fifteen minutes of town, so one day covers the main sights.
• Longer routes: our guide to road distances and drive times helps with the south-east.

A perfect day in Jhalawar

• Where it fits: at the end of a Hadoti loop on our offbeat Rajasthan journey.
• Among its peers: our page on forts and palaces puts Gagron in context.

Who will love Jhalawar, and who won't

• Photographers: love Gagron in the monsoon and Jhalrapatan at dusk.
• Birders: love the rivers.
• Off the trail at last: travellers who have seen Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur often tell us Hadoti was where they finally felt they had left the tourist trail.
• You may not enjoy it if: you need polished luxury every night, a choice of restaurants, or a full itinerary of famous names.
• At the top end: one wonderful family stay and not much else.
• On the ground: sights are only partly restored, signage is limited and some opening arrangements change without notice.
• Distances: roads are good, but the main circuit is far away.
• Our usual answer: spend most of a journey in the great palace hotels, and give two or three days to Bundi, Kota and Jhalawar in between.
• The reward: that contrast, from grandeur to quiet, is one of the best things the state can offer.

What we tell friends heading to Jhalawar

• Ask before photographing: worshippers or priests, and never photograph inside a sanctum unless invited.
• Book Prithvi Vilas early: months ahead for the winter, because it has very few rooms.
• Carry cash: phone payments are common in town, but villages and temple stalls still prefer notes.
• Keep monsoon plans loose: rivers rise quickly, and a road open in the morning can be closed by evening.