Deogarh: an astonishing destination in Lalitpur Uttar Pradesh

The Indian State of Uttar Pradesh is blessed with historical and religious marvels, which make it a beautiful tourist destination.

This time I was looking to go to a place where I could spent the time in peace. I was not in mood to cover many places which needs much time.  The idea of this vacation was to relax and refresh. Deogarh has been on my list for quite a time and 2 days break was suitable for it.

Deogarh is a small village in the center of Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary, The sanctuary is spread over the area of 5.4 sq kms and established in 1977. The main species found here are Nilgai, leopard, Sambhar and wild boar. Deogarh located about half hour’s drive from Lalitpur and 2 and half hour drive from Jhansi which is splendid entrance to the Bundelkhand, rendered well-known by the legendary Rani Laxmi Bai.

Deogarh is a heartening mix of forest beauty and devotional ambiance

After spending numerous hours of planning and search on internet, the itinerary was finalized. We planned to reach Deogarh from Delhi via Lalitpur. One can reach via Jhansi too but its closer to Lalitpur. We booked 2 rooms in Jain Dharmshala. Jain Dharmshala and UP tourism rest house are the only options available there to stay in Deogarh.

On the Travel-day, we reached Lalitpur in the morning @ 6:30, The Weather God was happy and it was drizzling that time. We took an auto from the railway station itself and set course to Deogarh . It took us 40 Minutes to reach the place.

The Jain Dharmshala:

The Dharmshala was located on the road in the mid of forest area. The location was perfect for the peaceful stay. It is 100 rooms Property and mostly empty at times. On those days only 4 of us were the guest there. I was just in love with the location and the ambience. 

Jain Dharmshala Campus

What made me choose Deogarh:

·         Offering good view of nature, wild life and best of class temple architecture from 5^th to 14^th A.C.

·         Away from crowd and peaceful place

·         Ecotourism and Exploration

The weather was cloudy in the morning and in the day time by the afternoon the sky became gray. After getting fresh and delicious morning breakfast of Aalu ka paratha & Tea at dharmshala, we decided to explore the village. We got all the information of the place by the manager of the dharmshala. We decided to have lunch at dharmshala because there are limited options.

A small village and forest with the 1500 years of historical treasure one can see all around and the light cool breeze was icing on the cake.  Mainly we visited Dashvatar Temple and Jain Temples at fort of Kanali.

We came back to the dharmshala at 2 PM had lunch and went to a small lake which is just 100 mtrs. Away, we spent the entire evening at the lake. The scenery, weather and calmness did not let us go back.

Places to see:

·         Dashavatar temple: fine Gupta temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is the earliest known Panchyatan temple in north India. The terraced basement above the high plinth is decorated with sculpted panels. The figures of Ganga and Yamuna adorn the carved doorway leading to the sanctum sanctorum. Three large carved panels along the side walls-the Gajendramoksha panel, the Nar Narayan Tapasya and the Anantshayi Vishnu-depict scenes from Vaishnava mythology. Only the lower portion remains of the spire, which was the most important part of the temple.

Sanctum Doorway

God Vishnu on the lintel

Gajendra-moksha

Penance of Nara and Narayana

Sheshashai Vishnu

Dashvatara Temple

·         Jain Temple: These 31 Jain temples are somewhat later in origin that the Vishnu temple, but are no less remarkable. They are situated inside the fort of Kanali on the hills overlooking the Betwa. The site was a Jain centre from the 6th to the 17th century. The temples abound in panels depicting scenes from Jain mythology, Tirthankara images, votive pillars, votive tablets, Jain images visible from all sides and pillars carved with a thousand Jain figures.

Jain Temples Campus

Jain Temples Campus

Jain Temples Campus

·         Varah Temple

Varah Temple

Varah Temple

·         Raj Ghati & Nahar Ghati

·         View Point

·         Museum  

Deogarh, Lalitpur-UttarPradesh

Things to do

·         Early Morning & Evening Walk in the foreat

·         Roam around Deogarh

·         Boat ride at Betwa River

This is the place you love for its silence, peace greenery and clean air. The feel of going back home would never be there.

When you are visiting the Sanctuary please make sure that clothes or dress is in camouflage color which is khaki, green, etc. Do not make a loud noise which can disturb the lifestyle of the animals there. Do not Litter paper or throw leftover food in the forest. Proper precautions should be taken while doing photography which will not disturb the animals and birds there.