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Your Location : udaipur india >> Monuments in Udaipur>>Ahar and Mahasatiya Ahar museum and Royal cenotaphs udaipurVisit timing Ahar Museum Udaipur : Morning 10:00 am to 05:00 Pm Admission:Indians INR 5 Foreigners INR 10 ; Photography is not allowed Ahar is located at a distance of 3 kilometers from the City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, . Ahar has had several names in the past such as Aghatpur, Ahad, Aitpoor, Anandpura or Gangodbhav Tirtha. Historians say that the Ahar town was founded around 950AD by Rawal Allat of Mewar. He built the city on the ruins of the Harappan site of Tambavati Nagri, the city of the ancestors of King Vikramaditya before he shifted to Ujjain. It is also said that Ahar was the ancient capital of Mewar, the residence of the Gehlot rulers later known as the Sisodias, ancestors of the present Ranas. The excavations done at Ahar Udaipur by the Archaeological Department of the State have revealed the remains of the Chalcolithic era of Rajasthan dating back to nearly 3750 years. Ancient temples, sculptures, coins, pottery and mounds from the ashes of volcanic eruptions are also found in abundance here at Ahar. Four Jain temples with their intricate carvings and dating over 1000 years old found here is still intact and in one piece. Ahar in udaipur was quite a happening place for the Jain community and ancient Jain literature names Ahar as Aghatpur. .Famous for 19 royal cenotaphs and a tiny Government Museum, Ahar is one of the most entrancing Udaipur tourist attractions. See ancient earthen pottery, iron objects, antiques, objects d' art and other ancient objects that were excavated in this part of Udaipur. In fact some of the antiques on display at the Ahar Museum date back to 1700 B.C. See ancient copper coins with impressions of an ass that date back to an ancient civilization.
Also tour the intricately carved temple shrines located in Ahar that date back to as far back as the 10th century A.D.Visit the Gangodbhawa Kund located close to the Ahar temples. According to local belief, this manmade reservoir used to be filled with water that came from an underground stream that was a part of the sacred River Ganges. At a certain point of time in history Ahar in udaipur, became the Mewar royal family's cremation ground or the Mahasati. Most of the royal Sisodia Maharanis and several Maharanas of the Udaipur were cremated at Ahar and the splendid cenotaphs that were constructed to commemorate their memories are an integral part of Udaipur architectural wealth. The most spectacular cenotaph at Ahar is that of Maharana Amar Singh, who reigned in Udaipur from 1597 to 1620. He was the first Maharana who was cremated at Ahar. His son and successor Karan Singh constructed the splendid marble chattri or cenotaph at his cremation site. The exotic sculptures and friezes on the marble chattri also pay tribute to Amar Singh's queens who committed sati on his funeral pyre. An interesting point to be noted is the fact that photography is not allowed at Ahar, Udaipur. Apart from the temples, Ahar has a small Archaeological Museum that has some wonderful exhibits of 10th century sculpture including a fantastic image of the sun god Surya. It also houses the ancient excavates from the mounds of Dhulkot by the archaeological department. Dhulkot is believed to be the site of a 4,000 year old township. Major exhibits of the Ahar museum are the skin scrubber, seals, animal figures, stone weights and balls. Other displays include terracotta toys, pottery remains and a huge earthen pot. There are some beautiful Hindu and Jain icons displayed among which the most notable is the metallic image of the Jain fordmaker. The collection of sculptures includes the statue of Vishnu-Nag-Nathan that belongs to the medieval period in which the snakes are entwined around the deity. a tenth century metal figure of Buddha is a special attraction at Ahar museum in udaipur Rajasthan. |
