Dholpur Part 1

In October 2024, I visited Delhi for work. Due to repeated invitations from my scholar, Lt Col Amit Sharma, who was then the Principal of the Rastriya Military School at Dholpur, I visited the institution and spent a few days with his family.  Amit’s wife, my own namesake, and his children, Adya and Anvit, welcomed me with great pleasure, and Anvit was surprised that his father had a teacher. The few days I spent with them were memorable, especially with Anvit’s antics. I still remember one dinner time when, upon learning that I loved ‘Dance Monkey’ by Tones and I, he had Alexa sing it out loud, and he would also end up dancing around the dinner table for the few days I was there. The guest house that I was put up in was quite spacious, and Amit had gone to the extent of having my name placard in the guest house. It was hilarious and amusing that, like some VIP, I had a guest house with my name plate on it. The school campus is about 10 kms away from Dholpur (Dholpur is also known as Dhaulpur) city and is situated between Agra and Gwalior. The school was established in 1962 and is affiliated with the CBSE syllabus and is under the aegis of the Ministry of Defense. The new and old campuses together make up a land area of 264 acres, and as the school is situated in the historic Kesarbagh palace, it has an aura of grandeur.

As far as legends go, the name Dhaulpur originated from a  king of the Tomar dynasty in the 8th century. The king’s name Dholan Dev was shaped into Dhaulpur, and as per a few early records, the capital city was Dholdera. The king Dholan Dev and later his descendants ruled the areas of Dhaulpur, Morena, and Gwalior districts. Around 1500, Sikandhar Lodhi took control and plundered the riches of Dhaulpur.  The struggle for power among the Muslim rulers and others continued, and in the early 18th century, it was taken over by the Bhadauria king Raja Kalyan Singh. He held on to the territory till 1761, and once again from around 1803 it was controlled by the British.  

In 1982, Dhaulpur became a separate district and had four tehsils, namely  Dholpur, Rajakhera, Bari and Baseri. The district borders on the north the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, on the South the state of Madhya Pradesh, on the West Karauli district, and on the East the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The Kesarbagh Palace, where the Military School is housed, is a beautiful building. As per the historical account jotted down regarding Dholpur, the palatial house was the resort of Maharaja Rana Udaybhan Singhji, who was passionate about hunting, but later he changed his views and instead became a lover and protector of animals. The region around Kesarbagh  became a wildlife sanctuary:

” From a keen shikari of distinction among the Royals of India, as proclaimed by his duck-shooting records established at Bharatpur, he turned into a wildlife lover and protector of all things living. This change actually made him impatient to a stage that he moved to his forest retreat, Kesarbagh from his Raj Nivas or city palace. He remained surrounded by wildlife at Kesarbagh till the end, and he began to feel happy and at peace with himself. From the top of his palace, he could watch and study the movements of tigers, leopards, deer, wildboar, and all sorts of birds.” (Rajoria, 16)

Furthermore, a gazette entry mentions that,

“Kesharbagh Wildlife Sanctuary is situated about 6 kilometres from Dholpur, Rajasthan. This area was notified as ‘Reserved Area’ on 7th November 1955 under the provisions of the Rajasthan Wild Animals and Birds Protection Act, 1951. It is a ‘Deemed Sanctuary’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The area of the Sanctuary is 14.76 square kilometres. Preliminary notification of Kesharbagh Forest Block was issued on 21st June 1956. Final Notification of the Forest Block was issued on the 23th November 1981. The area of the Forest Block is 1476.64 hectares and comprises of 7 compartments. The Kesharbagh Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 14.76 square kilometres and is located in Dholpur tehsil of Dholpur district in the state of Rajasthan; AND WHEREAS, although the Sanctuary is small, it is historically an important area. Kesarbagh Palace, named after an erstwhile queen of Dholpur – Kesarbai is situated in the Sanctuary and presently it residence the Military School Dholpur. Sloth bears can be seen in the Sanctuary occasionally and has also potentials for leopard population. Hyena, jungle cat and jackal are also found in the Sanctuary. Water body named India Lake is also found inside the Sanctuary which supports the winter feedings of migratory birds during winters; “(https://moef.gov.in/uploads/2019/10/Kesarbagh.pdf)

Kesarbagh Palace in Dholpur is a combination of Mughal and Rajput architectural styles, using the characteristic red sandstone. The palace has characteristic features such as  arches, decorative pillars, spacious courtyards, ornate  jaalis (latticework), and intricate woodwork. The palace, as mentioned earlier, was donated to the Indian government for use as the Dholpur Military School.

Works Cited:

Gazette of India, Extra. (II-3)(ii), No. 3727 (Nov. 19, 2019)

Vyas, Rakesh. Discovery Of Love in Wilderness Memoirs of Maharaja Rana Udaybhan Singhji of Dhaulpur., 2015. PDF

Pictures: Row 1: The Chambal Hut: guest house; the Chambal Hut with my name plate; the School buiding with a chandelier

Row 2: The lattice work, the arched entrances, the mainaret and the dome on the terrace

Row 3: The Pricipal Lt. Col. Amit Sharma in his office, the doorway in the building, and the ornate door handle

Row 4: Model of the building