Exploring the Pink City …

Today we had the opportunity to explore Jaipur with Yash. We began our day with a slower start, which was a good thing after Ian’s middle of the night online meeting. We went to breakfast in the hotel opting for simpler fare of just toast and some danishes and donuts (hey we are on holiday) following our large meal out last night. We then wandered up to meet Yash and Rajan so we could head off to discover new things to make us say “wow”!

We headed first to Old Jaipur and the gated pink City filled with small shops in a bustling road, all painted pink, before arriving at Hawa Mahal, which is also known as the Palace of the Winds. Built in 1799 its five-floor exterior looks like a honeycomb with its 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen. 

We then drove on to the Amber Fort where we left Rajan behind and jumped into the back of a jeep to take us to the top of the mountain where the fort is located. Our original itinerary had us going to the fort by elephant but we didn’t feel comfortable with this so opted for the jeep, which was an awesome experience as we drove along the streets with one man grabbing on to the back of the jeep for a little hitchhike. We wound our way through narrow streets until we reached the base of the fort.

The fort is a glorious yellow colour but Yash told us the name is actually to do with it being a palace in the sky (or air), although some references dispute this and say that it is to do with the local name for the god Shiva. 

Like the other forts that we have visited there were rooms for the Mughul, his wives and children, as well as reception halls, several gates to protect the entry from “unexpected” visitors, and beautifully ornate gardens. The fortifications in the form of solid walls and ramparts skirt along the ridges of the surrounding mountains (as with the Great Wall in China).

From the top of the fort we could look out from the windows and through the latticework to the Saffron Gardens below. We could watch the elephants walking slowly up the hill, bringing people to the top, before returning to start their journey again. At one point there was a traffic jam of elephants … some coming up and some heading down.

There is a “Mirror Palace” where the ladies could sit which is filled with mirrors and mosaics that glittered like stars in the candlelight. It was exquisite … with the mirrors reflecting the light. This has to be the most beautiful of the three forts we have seen, with beautiful paintings, gold embossed ceilings and intricate carvings.

Like many places in India the Amber Fort is a premium location for both wedding photography and the “influencer”. We saw a few couples with their photography entourage carrying out carefully choreographed poses under the watchful eye of their hair and makeup team. Coupled with that are the many influencers posing - tilt head to the side, one foot forward, swing clothing (or even better spin), look wistfully off into the distance … and repeat! They even start them young!

We left the fort and headed out to find our jeep to take us back down to Rajan. The chaos outside of the palace was in stark contrast to the inside but thankfully Yash was able to find our driver (aren’t mobile phones handy) and we were whisked back down to be reunited with Rajan. We stopped to take some photos of the Water Palace (Jal Mahal) which is located in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. This palace is now partially under water and recent renovation projects have failed due to the silt levels of the water and the instability of the structure.

We then visited a gem and jewellery store (no photos allowed … sorry Dana) and a carpet and textile factory to see how they make the carpets and the stamped textiles - and to get the hard sell to buy something to bring home as gifts (sorry all … we bought nothing).

We then entered the grounds of the City Palace, which was the palace built after the Amber Fort and became the offical residence since 1732. Parts of the palace are not accessible to the public as the current Maharaja still resides there. The small flag flying above the larger flag indicated that the Maharaja was actually in residence … we offered to visit but Yash suggested we would not be welcomed in for a cup of tea! 

The palace is beautiful, especially the four gates that represent the four seasons - monsoon, summer, winter and spring. Some of the rooms in the old palace are now used to display armoury, textiles and artefacts relating to the different maharaja over the years. Unfortunately there was no photos allowed in these rooms so I cannot show you the detailed painted friezes embossed with gold, the massive chandeliers, the huge portraits of the Raj, polo trophies and the thrones that they would sit on in important gatherings.

Guest author … Ian

The final scheduled stop on our tour of India (sad face) was the Jantar Mantar. A Jantar Mantar is a collection of stone-built astronomical instruments designed to be used with the naked eye. There were five of these in India, all built around 1730 at the command of Rajah Jai Singh II, a keen astronomer, astrologer and mathematician (hence why Nerd Boy gets to write this section of today’s blog). The site houses 27 structures which make up 7 instruments, one of which is the largest sundial in the world, standing 27m high and capable of telling time accurately to within 2 seconds (Yes, you read that right). Even with the naked eye we could look at the sundial and calculate the time as 2.57pm, to find that our phones confirmed the time as … drumroll … 2.57pm. Time of day, current zodiac sign, elevation of the sun, etc., - it was a blast for two scientifically-minded people. And our specialist Jantar Mantar guide Jeetu delighted in sharing the site’s amazing capabilities.

Jacqui returns …

And so we left behind Jantar Mantar, heading back through the City Palace for one last look. As we drove back to our hotel Rajan stopped the car to allow us to take photos of Albert Hall, a museum built in 1877, one of the oldest museums in Rajasthan. It is named after King Edward VII (Albert Edward), during whose visit to the city as the Prince of Wales its foundation stone was laid, on 6 February 1876. Located in the middle of a roundabout we were just able to pull off to the side and grab some photos before jumping back into the car.

As we neared our hotel, I was able to snap more photos  ... firstly of Moti Doongri Fort which is not open to the public and is still owned by the Royal family, and finally of Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple located just at the base of the fort.

And so ... that was our last touring day of this amazing adventure. Tomorrow we leave Jaipur for our drive (230 km/ 5 hr) back to Delhi Airport to fly home.