Danta

[ Palaces at Danta | Bhavani Villa | Ambaji ]

Palaces at Danta
The two palaces are located at the lower end of the hill, but higher than the town. The entire old royal palace campus was fortified in the past, housing several buildings within it. The huge impressive gate leads one into the royal campus. The old palace is clustered around a series of courtyards, interconnected by a series of gates. The first court is surrounded by a low height structure, originally acting as an administrative block.

In the same court, the other interesting structure is the family shrine of Goddess Ambaji built in the Rajput style of architecture, inspired by the royal architecture of Rajasthan. This four-storied structure has the shrine in one corner, but instead of a temple-like structure, it resembles the small Darbargadhs of Rajasthan. The opaque and plain structure at the lower level becomes more decorative at the top by the sensitive use of several architectural elements like horizontal friezes, carved brackets, deliberately carved stone jalis, jharokhas, decorated parapets and domes.

The second gate leads to another courtyard of the residential wing. The profusely carved floral pattern on the red stone entrances is in the style of the royal palaces and havelis of Bikaner. The inner courtyard is surrounded by arcades and a dome - a typical feature of Danta palaces- caps the stair tower.

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Bhavani Villa
Another palace, Bhavani Villa, the present residence of the royal family is located on a higher elevation than the old palace. The palace is built at several levels on a hill edge with a skyline of domes, offering a fantastic view of the Aravalli hills. The ex-ruler of Danta is a great wildlife enthusiast and also runs a stud farm of Marwadi horses.

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Ambaji: (22 km from Danta)
Ambaji is one of the major Shakti-Piths of India, situated in the Arasur Hills. The Ambaji temple contains no idol, but an inscribed Yantra in the niche. Ambaji is essentially a temple town-with a temple dedicated to Goddess Ambaji in the centre. The Ambaji temple and the frontcourt 'Chachar no Chowk' are aligned in the same axis of the cave at Gabbar Hill - the original abode of Goddess Ambaji. Millions of pilgrims visit the temple every year - especially during Navratri to seek the blessing of Goddess Ambaji.

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