Idar

[ Idar Town | The Fort | Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar | Other Places ]

The places of interest can be classified in two parts- one, the town and another, the fort.

Idar Town
The entry to Idar town is through a three-storeyed clock tower cum entrance gate, with a huge arch and semi circular dome at the top. The road is packed with a colourful bazaar on both the sides. It leads to the tower and ends at the foothills of Idar fort.

At the foothill, one can see the ruins of an old palace, a fine specimen of architecture in stone with delicately carved balconies. The design and ornamentation of architectural elements like pillars, brackets, foliated arches and frescos remind one of the royal buildings at Jodhpur and Bikaner. On the side of this palace, there is a huge water tank, Rani Talav; fed by water from the hill. An avenue of old trees at the edge of perfectly arranged stone steps and the reflection of the massive stone-cape makes an interesting creation.

Other interesting buildings at the foothills are - Swami Narayan Temple (19th century), Vallabhacharya Temple (19th century) and Khokhanath Mahadev.

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The fort
A flight of about 700 steps leads to the fortress plateau. The famous Dolat Niwas Castle, at the fort, was built by Maharaja Dolatsinhji (1922-1928 AD) and offers a commanding view of the picturesque Idar town. The palace is now an abandoned structure, but one can imagine its past grandeur. It is a seven-storeyed structure with a maze of staircases, terraces, balconies and courtyards. The cool breeze and commanding view make it the perfect resting place after a long journey to the top.

As one reaches the plateau, one can see at the highest point on the right, Rutheli Rani No Mahal and on the left Ranamal Chowli. There is a rectangular kund (small well) with a series of stone steps leading to the water. A dargah of Muslim saint and ancient Shiva temple are located nearby.

At the edge of the kund, there is a ruined structure- a pavilion with three beautifully carved arches and a well with a water channel and an elephant statue. In the past, it might have been a beautiful royal pleasure garden- a miniature version of the Mughal royal gardens.

Further along the way are two Jain temples, Shantinath temple and Sambhavnath Temple. The most interesting elements of Shantinath Temple are two huge carved marble panels, depicting the sacred geography of Girnar and Palitana- two important pilgrimage centers of Jains. The inlay work of coloured stone in the marble flooring is also noteworthy.

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Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar
Shrimad Rajchandra was the guru of Gandhiji. Shrimad Rajchandra Vihar is constructed in his memory.

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Other Places
There are several temples of Shiva, besides a Maha Mandir. There is a Laxmi Narayan Temple, 8 Jain temples and 4 mosques. One can visit Roda, 20km from Idar town. It has a group of five beautiful temples of 8th century and a large broken kund with sculptures in picturesque location.

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Around Idar
Khedbrahma (one of the few Brahma Temples of India, Nana Ambaji temple) 27 km,
Polo (14 temples of Hindu and Jain religion from 14 th-16th century, spread over area of 10 sq km of forest, most interesting are : Saraneshwar Temple, Lakhena Jain Temple, Shiv-Shakti Temple) 40 km,
Ambaji (famous temple of Goddess Ambaji) 73 km,
Kumbhariya (famous Jain temples) 67 km

Shopping
Idar is famous for its handcrafted wooden toys- using simple forms, bright colours and lacquer finish. The market of toys in Idar is known as Kharadi Bazaar.

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