Sitting in the hotel room after a full day of sightseeing in Jaipur. Both of us are feeling a bit sick with a cold, and decided to take a bit of a breather this evening. The irony, worried ourselves sick over Delhi belly and ended up catching the common cold :)
Woke up before 7am, had a shower and headed up to the rooftop for breakfast. It was a bit chilly, but it was clear and promised to be a nice warm sunny day. Breakfast consisted of spicy aloo parantha and French toast, fusion dining India style.
Our driver picked us up and we headed into town to collect our guide AJ in the old walled city. First we visited the Hawa Mahal or wind palace. The 5 storey building towered over us, the crowded composition of projecting balconies with over 300 windows opening on to the street below. AJ explained that the purpose of the building was to allow the ladies of the harem to enjoy the view the street bazaar below. From where we were standing we could see all sorts of stores selling shoes, jewelery, fabrics and so forth and it wasn't hard to image those ladies sitting up there and having a good gawk and gossip about the goings on below.
Next we drove to the eagerly anticipated amber fort. AJ made an attempt to explain the origins of the name of the amber fort, making some vague connections to some Hindu gods name but it was all but lost on us. We left the town behind us as we entered the mountains and soon caught sight of the fortifications. Crenelated walls snaked along the ridge of the mountains reminding us of the great wall of china. We came to a lake in the valley and joined the queue for the elephant ride up to the fort. Touts started working the queue with the usual artifacts, a Chinese guy in front of told them to bugger off which only incited them to sell harder. The elephant ride costed Rs900 but this was already included in our tour. The elephant moved alongside the platform and we hopped on. From here we had a great view of the fort and sorroundings. No matter how many times you ride an elephant it's always a great experience being perched on top of these powerful pachyderms. The elephant lumbered slowly up the walled paths. The touts were still flogging their wares from below and dodging the elephants, or scampering along the walls taking photos of unsuspecting tourists in an attempt to sell a picture. In the valley below, within the lake was a large building on top of which was an expansive multi-layer garden. The elephant carried us through vast gate houses with iron shod doors into the Jaleb Chowk, a vast open air courtyard filled with tourists and deposited us onto a platform.
From there we bought our tickets (Rs300 for a combined ticket) and climbed to the Shila Devi temple. Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos, but the ornately carved solid silver doors were magnificent. After taking off our shoes, we made our way inside the small temple where a holy man was performing a service and blessing devotees at a rail, occasionally someone would enter and ring the overhead bell loudly, most probably for good luck. Back outside we stopped briefly to take photos of the Jaleb Chowk before moving on to the Dewani-I-aam.
The most striking feature of this area is the Ganesh pol, a stunningly fresco-decorated three storey gateway. At the very top was a lattice screened platform, jup you guessed it another story about some royal woman observing blah blah blah... We turned our attention to the covered meeting area and admired the columns topped with elephant designs. AJ led us into a side chamber with another view of the lake, and also explained the purpose of the fireplace which was used to heat water for the turkish baths.
We made our way through the Ganesh Pol up to the Diwan-I-Khas and took in the scenes of the Sheesh Mahal and Aram Bagh. The Sheesh Mahal was the highlight of the palace fort, it's interior surfaces were covered with a myriad of mirrors, each throwing back the light of the courtyard making it seem much lighter inside than would be expected. AJ explained that many Bollywood films had been shot here. We snapped away with the camera, trying to photograph ourselves in the reflection. In front of the Sheesh Mahal was a peaceful garden in a geometrical layout, and a bubbling fountain.
Next we walked through an archway and up a concealed ramp, with only a little bit of sunshine falling through the stone louvres. AJ explained that the queen would have been dressed in heavy robes and jewelery and so had to be wheeled around on a cart, hence the ramps. At the top of the ramp we stepped out onto the upper level overlooking the garden below. We walked over to the latticed paneled platform overlooking the Diwan-I-aam. Further along the perimeter we reached a domed observation point overlooking the valley below. Sadly the the Jas Mandir, hall of private audience, was closed for renovation. Back on the lower level we walked around the other side of the garden, to the Sukh Niwas. This was a living area for the royal family, and featured a fountain running through the center to provide cooling in the hot months. Apparently a large tank overhead stored water collected from the monsoon for this purpose. AJ pointed out the queens trolley used for conveying her around the palace.
Through an archway and corridor and we entered the Man Singh palace. This consisted mostly of apartments for the kings mistresses of the harem. AJ explained that each room had its own entrance stairwell so the king could visit his mistresses in secret, these guys thought of everything. In the centre of the courtyard was a collonaded covered seating area. The mistresses would gather here under guard of the eunuchs. We explored the apartments, occasionally getting lost in the maze of staircases and passages.
From here we made our way out of the fort down a broad winding walkway. Musicians played cultural instuments with a catchy beat. We passed two enormous cauldrons, apparently used to cook the mother of all curry feasts.
Outside we rejoined our driver and made our way to the Jal Mahal, water palace. We stopped and photographed the palace floating in the lake. Unfortunately it was currently under renovation as a hotel and we could not visit. It should be an awesome attraction once it's complete. We bought some coconuts to drink as we were starting to feel the heat of the day.
- Van
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Location:Jaipur,India
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