Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan is one of the most visited states of India. Rajasthan boasts its ancient history, grandeur forts & palaces, temples & artifacts, rich splendor, mesmerizing lakes & of course scenic beauty that steals everyone’s minds & hearts.
Interestingly, Rajasthan has so many places to visit & explore. Therefore, it is difficult to visit all the places in Rajasthan in a single trip. One can begin his journey from Delhi and visit Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur & Ranthambore National Park can be visited. Besides these popular destinations there are many offbeat places to visit and experience the cultural heritage of Rajasthan Offbeat Tours.
Jhunjhunu
The beautiful frescos that glam the grand havelis, a visit to Jhunjhunu will let one see a bevy of palaces and temples. While here in this cultural capital known as Shekhawati, you can delve into some masterpiece attractions such as The Modi and Tibrewala Haveli. Here, you can also admire the Shekhawati work of artwork that details its linings in the interiors of the heritage building.
A temple, Rani Sati is a beauty that attracts many tourists; its architecture and the paintings inside are well kept for the future visitors to see. Rani Sati also offers a lodge for guests. Feel overwhelmed yet, well, a visit to Aath Havelis, Khemi Sati Temple and Dundlot Fort are a few glam old treasure in Jhunjhunu Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Jhunjhunu is in Jaipur located 193 km away.
Rail: Jhunjhunu has a railway station that is connected to some major stations, Delhi for instance. Sikar Express from Delhi Sarai Rohilla makes bi-weekly rounds to Jhunjhunu.
Road: The roadways are well connected from all cities of Rajasthan. The highway 8 links Jaipur to Jhunjhunu and highway 41 links Rajgarh to Fatehpur via Jhunjhunu.
Bhilwara
You may be familiar with all the grand destinations Rajasthan pampers you with but have you taken a peek into this city of textiles and looms, if not, come to Bhilwara. It maybe well-known for its fabrics but this little paradise offers tourist places like temples, to which one in particular Kyara Ke Balaji is rather a famous attraction. The locals believe that, an image of Lord Hanuman naturally appeared on one of the rocks, Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
Other similar venues to seek a religious harmony are Ghatarani Temple, Patola Mahadev Temple, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple and Beeda ke Mataji Temple. And while here, you cannot miss out on visiting forts. One that is often seen with such glory and might is Badnore Fort, this fort radiant’s with medieval Indian architecture. It may be 70 kilometres off Bhilwara, but for a sight like this, a visit is always much needed. Despite the local attractions in Bhilwara may lack, but it is not short of interesting places to visit nearby.
A visit to landmarks like Pur Udan Chatri (10 km), Triveni Chauraha (40 km) – a meeting point of three rivers Menali, Badachh and Banas; Meja Dam (20 km), Menal waterfall (80 km), Tilsavan Mahadev – a complex of four temples (15 km) are a few must visits Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Bhilwara is located at Udaipur and Jaipur – 150 km and 259 km
Rail: Bhilwara has a railway station that is well connected to places like Delhi, Ajmer, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ujjain and Indore.
Road: Road connectivity is well laid via national highway 48, which is 141 km from Ajmer.
Dausa
famous attraction called Chand Baori that has been captured by many lenses, well, this stunner is located in Dausa. This perfectly symmetrical step well beholds every onlookers and why wouldn’t it? Perhaps, due to its old look it offers certain charm. Though Rajasthan has many baori this one is a beaut of traditionalism and to dwell amid its beauty all you have to do is visit and admire the place in complete silence. During your holiday in Dausa, this architectural wonder must be on top of your check list; however it is not just Chand Baori that is a crowd puller you can expect to get a sight of forts as well.
While touring in Dausa, visit the Madhogarh Fort that lies on top of a hill surrounded by lovely backdrop, although it being converted into a lavish heritage hotel by the family of Thakur Bhawani Singh in 2000, you can as well visit the premises for luncheon or stay over and get the royal feeling. Dausa also has a few temples and the two mentions are Mehandipur Balaji Temple, dedicated to Lord Hanuman and Harshat Mata Temple, dedicated to goddess Harshat.
The temple Harshat Mata rules over with ruins as it was once ransacked by Islamic rulers. Mehandipur Balaji may have a rather eerie feel to it, but it is said to cure mentally disturbed people Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Dausa is located in Jaipur about 63 km away.
Rail: Dausa has a small railway station well connected by trains coming from a few major Indian destinations.
Road: Dausa is conveniently accessible via Jaipur-Agra National Highway. You may find a couple of local buses and taxis that ply to and fro services.
Churu
Churu is tagged to be the gateway to the Great Indian Desert. Its sand dunes illuminates golden brown surface as the sun rays hit the earth shimmering with radiance. It offers quite a magical feeling that will take you to a place of wonderment. Here, the interesting attractions that surround Churu are filled with age-old havelis, built by the Kothari and Surana merchants. Malji Ka Kamra can be ranked as the top place to visit built by Malji Kothari in the year 1925 AD. A unique feature about this haveli is that, the entire structure is built in Shekhawati and Italian style of architecture.
Built in 1870 AD, the famous Double Haveli of Surana brothers is one astounding work of art. Within the premises you can also find 1,111 windows Hawa Mahal and the Bagla Haveli. Churu also has a traditional designed reservoir called Sethani Ka Johra, built by a wealthy timber merchant’s wife of Bhagwandas Bagla. A unique feature about this reservoir is that, it is said to never dry even during harsh summers. Thus, it invites many birds and other animal species such as blue bull. A spiritual place where one can seek blessing is located in Salasar called Salasar Balaji Temple.
A religious site for Lord Hanuman also houses two temples like Rani Sati and Khatu Shyamji. Nevertheless, for wildlife activities, plan a trip to Tal Chhappar Sanctuary at a distance of 210 km Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Churu is located in Jaipur about 175 km away.
Rail: Churu has a junction, thus, it receives many trains from all major stations around India.
Road: You can get regular local buses that ply from other places in Rajasthan.
Dholpur
the city of Dholpur is perhaps one of the less visited places in Rajasthan. However, it can be a popular destination for a one-day tour as it is located between two of the much publicized cities – Agra and Gwalior. This rather unpretentious hustling city has a few treasure of its own kind that are thumbed frequently and the must visit places in Dholpur that you cannot afford to miss circulates around its majestic palace turned hotel, godly temples, crumbling forts and appealing sanctuaries filled with beautiful animals and plants Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
During your sightseeing extravaganza, as you traverse town-hall road the first thing you may see in Dholpur is the Nihal Tower. It is clock tower locally known as Ghanta Ghar. Other interesting tourist spots are the royal step well or ‘baori’ located behind Nileshwar temple, elegant city palace or Dholpur palace, oldest Shiva temples – Chopra Shiv Temple, a 1540 built Shergarh Fort, the oldest Mughal garden in Dholpur – Bagh-e-Nilofar, a beautiful lake – Talab-e-Shahi, a Buddha temple – Sant Nagar and one of the oldest wildlife reserves – Van Vihar Sanctuary.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Dholpur is located in Gwalior about 60 km away.
Rail: Dholpur has a railway station and cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Okha, Amritsar, Jhansi etc are well-connected.
Road: Dholpur is easily connected via roadways, private and government buses are available from major cities. Taxis are also preferred option from Delhi.
Dungarpur
Dungarpur is becoming quite a popular place to visit in Rajasthan, perhaps for its artistic design royal residences and palaces. While here, you may as well simply wander amidst the tourist attractions that enchant the beholder, especially the Juna Mahal, which is quite a stunner. This 13th century old seventh stories structure built from a ‘Pareva stone’ has a rugged exterior offering a look of a citadel. This spellbinding structure is intact with narrow passageways, watchtowers, beautiful murals and miniature paintings Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
A tour here can take hours exploring. Its brilliant art work doesn’t end here; a visit to Udai Bilas Palace will leave you awe-struck for its striking and classic design of Rajput architecture. However, at present, Udai Bilas Palace has transformed into a heritage hotel. The attractions that can be visited while in Dungarpur are Gaib Sagar Lake, Government Archaeological Museum, Badal Mahal, Baneshwar temple, Vijay Raj Rajeshwar Temple, Nagfani (Jain Shrine), 12th century temple Deo Somnath and Boreshwar Mahadeo temple.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Dungarpur is located in Udaipur (120 km) and Allahabad (175 km).
Rail: There is a one platform railway station located 3 kilometres from the main city of Dungarpur and it connects Himatnagar-Dungarpur-Udaipur route.
Road: The state highways such as NH no 8 and the Sirohi – Ratlam highway passes through Dungarpur and to get here, you may find local buses. However, private taxis are convenient since it lacks steady transport.
Jalore
Jalore is a city famed for offering the best granite in the world and it is here you can delve into the rustic beauty of Rajasthan. With its strong connection to the pilgrimage sector, you can find many shrines and the two popular temples are Sirey Mandir built by Rawal Ratan Singh, it is located 646 meters high on the hill of Kalasha Chal. In order to get to the temple, you can expect a 3 km walk. The other temple is Sundha Mata placed in Sundha Mountain in the Aravalli Range. Soaring 1220 m, it houses the Goddess Chamunda Devi.
At Jalore, Malik Shah’s Mosque is also a well known pilgrimage site and it is located within the premises of the Jalore Fort. Speaking of which, this fort is the main attraction and it has an impressive architecture built in the 8th and 10th centuries. The other must visit attraction is the 7th or 8th century Sanskrit school built by King Bhoj. Although, this structure is in ruins but it still holds impressive design of the building and stone carvings everywhere Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport is in Jodhpur located 140 km away.
Rail: Jalore has a railway station that is connected to Jodhpur division network and the trains from Gujarat and Mumbai usually halt at Jalore.
Road: This city is well connected to all major parts of Rajasthan. Both government and public buses can be available from places like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Ajmer and Surat Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
Nagaur
Nagaur can be exceptionally pleasing, you cannot miss this opportunity to visit the largest saltwater lake in India, Sambhar Lake. However, the city may not have much to keep one grounded but you can as well throb in the spice markets that will overwhelm you by the colourful varieties of masalas shaped in a pyramid structure. Nonetheless, a historical place that may please you learning about its wars is Nagaur fort, it is certainly a prominent place to visit.
Besides, the fort and the spice market, while in Nagaur, visit a spiritual place like Ladnun which is a centre of Jainism. Deepak Mahal located within the walls of Nagaur fort is also an attraction not to miss. Other monument that displays age-old work of art and design is Amar Singh’s Cenotaph. Tarkeen Dargah and Jain Glass Temple are also two popular attractions in Nagaur Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
How to Reach
Air: The nearest airport to Nagaur is located in Jodhpur about 137 km away Top 8 offbeat places to visit in Rajasthan.
Rail: Nagaur has a railway station that is well connected from major places like Mumbai, Indore, Coimbatore, Bikaner, Surat, Jodhpur and Jaipur.
Road: Roadways are well laid and you can find government and public buses from Jaipur, Bikaner and Jodhpur.