Closest to the national capital is the Brij-Mewat circuit comprising Alwar, Sariska, Deeg, Bharatpur, Karauli and Ranthambhor. Winter is just the right time to explore the splendours of this circuit.

Alwar has been among the historic cities in Rajasthan. It is surrounded by pre-historic and historic sites that are an archaeologist's delight. The ancient temples, medieval forts and palaces, gardens and wildlife make it an interesting tourist destination.

Once a part of the Matsya kingdom, Alwar is protected from the desert sands by the Aravali range. The town is endowed with numerous picturesque locations. The region itself is replete with lakes and wooded hills that provide shelter to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Today Alwar is an important industrial centre as well.

(bold) Sightseeing: Important places that are not to be missed are the Bala Qila where Mughal emperor Babur spent one night, and the majestic City Palace that now houses a museum. In the museum can be found some of Alwar's legendary treasures such as weapons, rare manuscripts, paintings and objects made of jade, ivory, and silver.

The beautiful Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatri is a majestic red sandstone and white marble cenotaph built in the memory of a mistress of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh, once ruler of Alwar. Other interesting monuments to be seen are the Vinay Vilas Palace, Vijay Mandir Palace and Moti Doongri.

A little further down the road to Jaipur is Alwar's most popular picnic spot Siliserh. This summer resort is a delightful little palace that overlooks a tranquil lake that is surrounded by hills. You can go for treks along the hills (do take along a pair of walking shoes), do some boating or just sit on the terrace of the palace hotel and watch the water birds and the beautiful sunset over the lake.

To the west of Siliserh lie the protected forests of Sariska. Once the hunting grounds of Alwar rulers, the Sariska tiger reserve and wildlife sanctuary now provide shelter to a large variety of wildlife that include the sambhar, chinkara, wild boar, jackal and tiger. Among birds that are seen here are the parakeet, grey partridge, crested serpent eagle and bulbul.The forest area of Sariska has several relics of the past. To the west lies Viratnagar, a city revered for giving shelter to the mighty Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata.

Explore the forests for temples and interesting rock formations. This is one of the oldest historical sites in Rajasthan. A third century edict of King Ashoka was found here sometime ago. Don't miss the ruins of the circular Buddhist temple, which are perhaps the earliest free standing structures in India.

The palaces and gardens of Deeg are among the most beautiful in this region. Being closer to Agra and Delhi, the architecture of the monuments here bears strong Mughal influences. This small town has some of the best laid out gardens and palace pavilions. The Gopal Bhawan, Nand Bhawan and Krishna Bhawan are ingeniously designed palaces.

A visit to this region is not complete without a trip to Bharatpur. The history of Bharatpur can be traced back to the rise and fall of the Jat power in eastern Rajasthan. This was the region where important Jat rulers like Churaman, Badan Singh and Suraj Mal dominated the history of the entire belt. They fought the invading Marathas, Mughals and the interfering British armies and were a power to reckon with those days. The Bharatpur fort is the focal point of the town. It took 60 years to build this structure and was known as Lohagarh or the Iron Fort. Don't forget to look out for the moat and solid mud walls that once surrounded the fort.

Today the rugged structure is being partly used by the government to run its offices. One part of the fort houses the government museum.

Bharatpur is a small city but what makes it special is the Keoladeo National Park. Once the hunting preserve of the princes of Bharatpur, today it is ranked amongst the world's best bird sanctuaries. Every year this park is visited by over 400 species of water birds that include the exotic migratory birds from Afghanistan, Central Asia, Siberia and Tibet. The greylag and bar-headed geese are among the important visitors, but the star of this sanctuary is the rare Siberian crane. If you're a bird lover, this is would be your paradise. And even if you have just a passing interest in birds you will still enjoy the sight of rare birds.

The Dholpur stone is famous throughout the country and has been used for the construction of several forts and palaces in Agra, Delhi and other places. You can pick up small mementos from the markets. Dholpur by itself offers little to visitors. But, the places surrounding this town are a tourist's delight.

Jhor was the site of the oldest Mughal garden built by Babur in 1527 and re-discovered in the 1970s. There is the famous Machkund where a religious fair takes place every year. Devotees gather here to seek cures from skin ailments by taking a dip in the holy kund. Other important areas of this region include Bari and Damoh and the Van Vihar and Ram Sagar sanctuary.

The tiger land of Ranthambhor is another place that commands international importance. Ranthambhor is one of India's conservation success stories. This is just the ideal place in Rajasthan to see the Indian tiger in its natural habitat. Lush green forested hills, lakes inside the National Park, lodges and water holes make Ranthombhor an altogether different world. Don't come to Ranthombhor as a tourist; instead, let the wildlife enthusiast in you take over. If you can pull yourself out of the Ranthambhor forests, don't miss the formidable fort of Ranthambhor which has a popular Ganesh temple. A little further from here is the unusual Sunheri Kothi of Tonk. You could pick up felt rugs called namdas and other leather products that are exclusive to Tonk.

For details contact Department of Tourism, Government Hostel Campus, MI Road, Jaipur; Ph: 0141-365256; Fax 376362; Tourist Reception Centre, Tourist Hotel, MI Road, Jaipur; Ph: 370180 extension 203; Tourist Reception Centre, Opposite Railway Station; Ph: 0144-21868; Tourist Reception Centre, Near RTDC Hotel Saras, Agra Road, Bharatpur; Ph: 05644-22542; Tourist Reception Centre, Bikaner House, Pandara Road, Near India Gate, New Delhi; Ph: 011-3389525/3383837; Fax 3382823.