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Roughly 140km northeast from Jaipur towards Delhi, ALWAR rests peacefully in a valley, overlooked by a fortress that stretches along a high craggy ridge to the northwest. Alwar was not always so calm. Traditionally the northern gateway to Rajasthan, its strategic position on the Rajput border resulted in incessant warfare between the Jats of Bharatpur and the Kuchwahas of Amber, from the tenth to the seventeenth century. Jai Singh, the flamboyant, eccentric grandfather of the present incumbent, became notorious during the British era for his outrageous behaviour. Official reports in the 1930s describe him burying his luxury Hispano-Suiza cars when he tired of them, and dousing his favourite polo pony in petrol and setting fire to it; rumours also circulated suggesting a predilection for young boys. One visiting ruler claimed he climbed into bed one night only to discover a naked lad, who produced from his bottom a pristine silk handerchief as proof of his cleanliness.

The fort, now a radio station, can only be visited with police permission; the buildings within are in any case unspectacular, but the climb is worthwhile for the views. Construction of Alwar's Indo-Islamic Vinay Vilas Palace began under Bhaktawar Singh, Pratap Singh's successor. Although time has worn away much of its glory, it remains flamboyant, with domed roofs, lavish verandas decorated in gold leaf, and delicate balconies facing a huge tank flanked by symmetrical ghats and pavilions. The stately sandstone and marble Moosi Maharani Chhatri here was built in memory of Bhaktawar Singh's mistress, who sacrificed her life on his funeral pyre. A museum on the top floor of the palace (daily except Fri 10am-4.30pm; Rs3) houses a collection of courtly memorabilia, including remarkable Arabic and Sanskrit manuscripts, tenth-century statues, ivory ornaments, fine embroidery and the inevitable weapons and stuffed animals.

Much of the palace is now taken up with government offices; in the main courtyard, used as the venue for the local courts, typists, lawyers and advisers huddle round rickety tables under banyan trees, drinking tea and filing through endless piles of paper. If you've time to kill, scale the steps leading uphill from the grounds behind the palace to the Gopi Billib-ka Temple , which affords fine views over the town.