Things to do
This page is dedicated to places of interest in our region of Rajasthan. We present our views of each place, hopefully interestingly and accurately.
Bhand Devra
Bhand Devra is a complex of temples 60 kms. from here (lat 25.333003 deg; long 76.625237 deg). It is said there were seven temples once, but only three crumpling structures can be seen standing today in some shape or form. There is one temple that is the centre of attraction, though it must be said it is in need of some serious preservation and restoration. It is covered with carvings and some of them are explicitly erotic. This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, has been dated around 10th century A.D., which puts it roughly in the same period, or just before, the famous temples at Khajuraho. Was there some link between the builders of temples at the two sites? - an intriguing question - for this temple has acquired the cliche of being a mini-Khajuraho. The surrounding area is strewn hither and thither, quite amazingly, with carvings from dilapidated temples. Some of the best sculptures from here are now housed at the museum in Kota, and possibly Jhalawar.
Bhand Devra is located in the centre of a crater created by a meteorite eons ago and is surrounded by hills on all sides created by the impact. It is a pleasant quiet spot and generally there is no one around, except perhaps a lone employee of the Archaeological Survey of India (who might object to photography unless you ...) and a few local youths from neighbouring farms hanging about. Holidays and weekends is when local visitors tend to arrive, but we are not talking serious crowds here as the place is quite remote.
To get to Bhand Devra from Bambulia, drive east on NH76 to Baran (18 kms). From there proceed north along State Highway 1 (SH1) to Mangrol (26 kms.) Thence east to the village of Ramgarh (12 kms.) and then to Bhand Devra (4 kms.).
Given the state of this temple we must issue the disclaimer that you enter it at your own risk. But even if you prefer to explore from the outside (which is replete with carvings as well) you can still see the carvings on the inside and a zoom lens can do wonders to capture their enchanting detail.
Sorsan Wildlife Sanctuary
For lovers of wildlife, very close to us is the Sorsan Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a flat stony plateau of uninhabitable scrub land with a number of small water bodies which can sustain an amazing variety of birds, animals, and reptiles. The sanctuary itself is a long elongated strip of desert-like land extending some 17 kms. from a roughly SE to a NW direction - all 41 sq. kms. of it. On the western flank for the entire length of the sanctuary lies the river Parwan, which is dry for a large part of the year. And to the east are strung a number of villages bordering fertile, irrigated, arable land.
This tract of land is home to black bucks, chinkaras, hares, jackals, the Indian fox.... In the winters the tanks are home to migratory birds like the pintail, graylag goose, shoveller, pochards, teals and so forth. And obviously, many scrubland birds are to be found here as well. The Indian Bustard once lived here and we hope it will make comeback someday. There are reptiles aplenty in this stony plateau, with the monitor lizard being the largest of them all.
The northern end of the sanctuary, is about 19 kms. from Bambulia and is approaced by driving east along NH76 to Paliata (11 kms.) and from there following the road to the village of Amalsara (8 kms.), and you are there. The southern end of the sanctuary is about 20 kms. away and requires one to drive directly to the village of Sorsan, and then another couple of kilometers into the sanctuary. Though the roads to the sanctuary are motorable, an off-road vehicle is advised once within the sanctuary.
During the hot season the area can get very hot during the day given the nature of the countryside and prior preparations are recommended (water, food, ankle length boots, first aid kit, ample fuel and so on), as are precautions against the elements (sun cream, headgear, sunglasses, appropriate clothing).
If you like wildlife, we think you will be very pleasantly surprised by a trip to Sorsan.
