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DANTA - Royal abode at the
foothills of Aravalli The royal
houses of Danta was ruled by the Parmar Rajputs. They arrived in Gujarat
in 12 th century AD, from Nagarthatta in Sindh and established their
first capital at Chandravati, which was later shifted to Tarsang in the
Arasur hills. Tarsang finds mention in Mughal history as the rebel
Jahangir was given shelter at Tarsang. About 350 years ago, the capital
was finally moved to Danta. Danta is located close to the
Gujarat-Rajasthan border, having social ties with the royal families on
both the sides. The royal edifices of Danta reflects the blending of
architecture of both the region.
Danta town is situated at the foothills
of Aravalli hill range. The landscape of forest and hills, with huge
boulders, makes a perfect setting for this town. The entire region is
populated by the Bhil tribe and has forests with diverse flora and
fauna.
The two palaces are located at the
lower end of the hill, but higher than the town. The entire old royal
palace campus was fortified in the past, housing several building within
it. The huge impressive gate leads one into the royal campus. The old
palace is clustered around a series of courtyards, interconnected by a
series of gates. The first court is surrounded by a low height
structure, originally acting as an administrative block. In the same
court, the other interesting structure is the family shrine of Goddess
Ambaji built in the Rajput style of architecture, inspired by the royal
architecture of Rajasthan. This four storied structure has the shrine in
one corner, but instead of a temple-like structure, it resemble the
small Darbargadhs of Rajasthan. The opaque and plain structure at the
lower level becomes more decorative at the top by the sensitive use of
several architectural elements like horizontal friezes, carved brackets,
deliberately carved stone jalis, jharokhas, decorated parapets and
domes.
The second gate leads to another
courtyard of the residential wing. The profusely carved floral pattern
on the red stone entrances is in the style of the royal palaces and
havelis of Bikaner. The inner courtyard is surrounded by arcades and the
stair tower is capped by a dome - a typical feature of Danta palaces.
Another palace, Bhavani Villa, the
present residence of the royal family is located on a higher elevation
than the old palace. The palace is built at several levels on a hill
edge with a skyline of domes, offering a fantastic view of the Aravalli
hills. A part of the palace is being converted into a heritage hotel and
will be operational soon. The ex-ruler of Danta is a great wildlife
enthusiast and also runs a stud farm on Marwadi horses.  |
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