Farrukhnagar also Farrukh Nagar is a village about 30 km from Gurgaon, just ahead of Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary. I read about it on the Internet and on Republic Day decided to visit it. We lost our way and it took us a couple of hours to reach the place. But then this is what the adventure is all about when you go around the place before you enter it. The road at this point in time was enveloped with golden mustard fields on both sides. The small water bodies on the sides of the roads and in between the fields were full of a variety of birds.
Of course, there are domestic animals that would be roaming around or lazing everywhere. And if you take your eyes across the vast horizon, you will see a few old monuments here and there, mostly through the domes standing out and staring at you.
Farrukhnagar – Heritage monuments to visit
Three monuments that mark the history of this place are a Chhatri, more or less at the entrance of the town. A Gol Baoli or Bauri (round step well) opposite the Chhatri. And a Sheesh Mahal that probably belonged to some ruler of this region. Gol Baoli is the only maintained monument, which was restored by ASI and was clean, making it a pleasure to visit it. The other two monuments are in such bad shape that unless you are an absolute history buff you would not like to step into them.
While there was no one to look after the Chhatri, there were guards outside the Sheesh Mahal. And children were using the place to play hide and seek.
When I asked them about the cleanliness of the place, they laughed and said: “Ab is se saaf kya hoga Madam” (Can this place be made cleaner than this)?
Chhatri
The Chhatri is almost an abandoned monument. It is a double-storeyed structure with arched doorways. There are stairs to go up but the place was so dirty that it was impossible to take the steps. It seems that some fire might have taken place in the monument at some point as it carries a burnt look. Here and there the paintings peep out on the light yellow background. The inner chamber is open and there is nothing visible inside.
Gol Baoli, Farrukhnagar
The Gol Baoli is a multi-storeyed stepwell in an octagonal shape from the inside and a round shape from the outside. Interestingly, and the entrance to this is through a tunnel below the state highway. You can go to the top floor of the Baoli. And have a panoramic view of the town and the fields all around. One of the staff told us that the monument was taken over and restored by ASI in the mid-nineties. You can clearly see the signs of restoration all over the monument.
He also mentioned that a lot of visitors come to see the Baoli but we did not meet any other tourists.
Sheesh Mahal, Farrukhnagar
The Sheesh Mahal is an interesting double-storeyed structure with many arched openings, a wooden roof, and a small channel of water with fountains. You can see a hint of paintings on the walls of the palace. It may have been an open pavilion or a baradari, as the back arches seem to have been closed later. The main pavilion also has double-pillared arches. A newly-erected martyr memorial stands in the front ground of the palace. Along the boundary wall are rooms on two stories and the walls carry a typical yellow color of the region.
Green parrots on the dull walls look magnificent. It seems the palace was part of a fort, whose bastions and walls you can see if you take a walk in the streets of the town.
In this small town, there is a huge mosque whose domes you can see from the main bazaar, a Hindu, and a Jain temple. The Jain temple seems to be recent, though I would not pass that judgment as Jain temples are usually maintained on a continuous basis.
Old Haveli Doors
What I found most amusing was the various doors of the old Havelis in the streets of the town. There was a vast variety of the type of doorways to the old houses. Some were simply colorful, some intensively carved, and some a combination of both. There was diversity in size, shape, color, and style. I just enjoyed looking at them while walking around the small lanes of this town.
You can buy vegetables and fruits from the town that is absolutely fresh. And comes at less than half the price. I loved the Pani Puri there along with the seasonal Gajar ki barfi.
I am not sure if I can recommend this as a weekend getaway from Gurgaon. But you can sure explore it with Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.
Wonderful pictures! I recognize all the architecture elements I have seen on December, during my visit to Rajahsthan, about which I am blogging since I am back. It is a pitty that such interesting places like those you are showing here are so neglected. But I know this costs a lot of money and if tourists aren’t going there…Pitty! India is suc an enchanted place to be seen and has so much to offer.
ohh men…nicely written one….
Fabulous! Love the way you tell it like a story 🙂 Stunning architecture – the thought that there are thousands of abandoned monuments like these with so much hidden beauty gives me goosebumps sometimes 🙂
Sheesh Mahal is State Protected Monument, while Baoli Shah Ali is ASI Protected.
On way to Sheesh Mahal, you will find Dilli Darwaza. There is a tunnel that connects Sheesh Mahal to the Baoli. Just few meters from Sheesh Mahal, you will find Jami Masjid, and series of unknown monuments.
Baoli is connected with Jhajjari Darwaza. The road leads to Rohtak. Just few meters to the Baoli is Sethani Ki Chattri. This one is completely overlooked.
I happened to be in Farrukh Nagar in 2012, as I have huge interest in exploring old, and undiscovered, protected, and world heritage monuments, and capturing them in pictures.
This could not be considered as weekend gateway, but definitely country offsite. – Lonely Traveller 😀
Interesting
I have heard a lot about this place while living in Gurgaon, but never knew there are such places to be visited…
Once gave a talk on the heritage places to visit in and around Gurgaon & everyone was surprised.