Cities of Rajasthan
Rajasthan, India
Jaipur
Jaipur has now spread far beyond the original city walls and passing several of the original gates we were given quick glimpses of the famous Pink City. The walls of the city and the buildings that lie within are not exactly pink but more different shades of sandstone, faded orange and red. The old city is well planned out in a grid system and we were half way down one of the wide streets heading towards the centre when we found ourselves in front of the famous Palace of the Winds.
Not expecting to find such an ornate building on a busy main street with shops on either side meant it took a few seconds to get over the surprise. The palace is a façade made up of 953 spectacular windows where the Queen and the Ladies of the court could watch the processions and parades without being seen and they could not have wished for a better vantage point.
The best view of the palace was on the other side of the road that had two lanes going in both directions divided by a central reservation. Getting to the other side safely seemed an impossible task. It felt like we were taking our lives in our hands as we were instructed to walk slowly across and not to run. Incredibly the bikes and tuk-tuks just negotiated their way round us and when we reached the other side we were rewarded by a beautiful view of the palace before being inundated by street hawkers.
The Maharaja who built Jaipur was a keen astrologer. He wanted to create a new city on a flat section of land so he could see as much of the sky as possible. Although constructed in 1716, his observatory resembles a modern theme park where skate boarders would be in heaven. The two sundials, one the largest in the world, are incredible feats of engineering and can tell the time accurately to within seconds. There are also 12 miniature sundials that depict the different horoscope signs as well as numerous other astronomical inventions the Maharaja created to plot the stars.
The yellow coloured City Palace is located within walking distance of the observatory and is the only building in Jaipur that is not pink. The current Maharaja and his family still live here so only part of the palace is open to the public. It is really a museum displaying costumes, arms, paintings and carpets although it is the buildings and courtyards that make it worth a visit.
A few miles outside of Jaipur high on a hill is the impenetrable fort and palace of Amber, the original royal residence. For 400 rupees (£5) you can climb the ancient road using the traditional form of transport – on the back of a painted elephant. A bumpy 15 minutes later we found ourselves inside the massive gates and walls of the fort in a large courtyard. Overlooking this outer courtyard was a second courtyard and the beautifully painted entrance to the palace. Above the entrance were three latticed screens where the Queens and Ladies of the court could watch what was going on in the public meeting place below without being seen.
Without a guide I am not sure we would have been able to find our way around the palace, not to mention our way out. It was a two-storey maze of narrow corridors, low doorways, stairs and ramps all designed to make it difficult to attack.
The Maharaja had 28 wives who each had their own apartment within the palace. The apartments on the ground floor led into a courtyard with a columned pavilion in its centre where the wives could meet for a chat. The Maharaja’s apartment on the first floor overlooked this courtyard and was connected to the rest of the palace by secret passages. Marble balconies with carved lattice windows and rooms inlaid with mirrors overlook the imposing hills opposite. Running along the spine of the hills you can make out the remains of walls and watchtowers where large drums would have signalled anyone approaching from the valley beyond.
The palace had an ingenious air conditioning system using water running behind its walls to cool down the stone before appearing as waterfalls that flowed into canals leading to the gardens. With its location high on the hill the palace was wonderfully cool, catching the breezes coming off the lake and mountains. Our guide left the best part of the palace until last – the Palace of Mirrors. Used for entertaining and formal dinners, every inch of the walls and ceilings were inlaid with mosaic-size mirrors and in the sunlight the building looked like it was made out of polished silver.
Jaipur is famous for its gems (precious and semi-precious that come from the nearby mountains), intricate embroidery, block painting and carpets. Skills handed down from generation to generation from the time that the palaces and forts were built. There is so much choice that it is worth deciding before you go what you would like to bring home or you could end up spending hours making up your mind.
Udaipur
The city of Udaipur is surrounded by mountains which means the airport is located a 30 minute drive from the city and the short flight with Jet Airways from Jaipur is well worth taking despite the early start.
Whether you are a James Bond fan or not the most spectacular place to stay is at the Lake Palace Hotel. Just getting to the palace is an experience as you wait for the hotel’s launch in a private reception room overlooking the lake. Guests are given a traditional royal welcome as they step off the boat onto a red carpet before climbing the steps, where traditionally dressed members of staff welcome you with bowls of rose petals, fans and ornate Indian parasols.
The view from the hotel across to the City Palace and down the river estuary reminded me of Venice. Perhaps it was the pigeons that had made the Lake Palace their home, the canopied water taxis shuttling back and forth, the Venetian looking bridge that crossed the river in the distance or the fact that all the grand buildings disappeared into the dark water.
Along the river estuary three wide sets of steps run into the lake and two were a constant hive of activity. The one opposite the main entrance of the hotel served as a launch pad for children to jump, leap and cartwheel into the lake and in the distance on the other side of the river we could just make out women washing their clothes and bathing. To get to this second set of steps we had to meander through the old part of the town before arriving at three archways. Colourful saris were spread out on the steps to dry in the sunshine and women washed their long hair and clothes in the water, overlooked only by a couple of cows and us. We felt awkward intruding in their bath-time but at the same time mesmerised.
On our way back up the narrow street we passed a hotel advertising that it screened Octopussy at 7.30 pm every evening; cows and water buffalo happily roamed the streets and we spotted one almost going inside someone’s house. We were told that they are like cats and return home in the evening but as their owners can’t afford to feed they wander the streets during the day in search of their own food.
In the centre of town stands a beautiful Hindu temple built in the 16th century. It is located at the top of a steep flight of stairs and at the base flower sellers thread together pink and yellow blossoms. Two white marble elephants guard the entrance to the temple’s courtyard and underneath sitting yoga-style were two skinny old men dressed in nothing but loincloths, meditating in the small patch of shade provided by the statues.
As we removed our shoes we could see that the main temple stood in the middle of the courtyard surrounded by four smaller temples. High above a red flag drooped in the breezeless air and we were told that if there is a flag flying it is a sign that it is in use. We walked around the outside of the 75ft pagoda and admired the incredible layers of carvings that covered the building. The bands varied in height and depicted dancers, musicians, elephants and horsemen and our guide told us that some of the carvings were of the Kama Sutra and were used to teach safe sex.
At the entrance of the temple the custom is to ring one of the two brass bells. The idea is that the tone rings through your head and clears your mind of external thoughts. Walking into the temple we felt honoured to be given a glimpse of this very intimate and special place of worship as we tip-toed round old ladies sitting on the floor praying or listening to the readings from their priest.
Up another narrow street is the main entrance to the enormous City Palace that contains separate palaces for the Kings and Queens. It is now a museum with a large collection of paintings and mosaics including five mosaic peacocks that decorate the walls of a small courtyard. Paintings depicting tiger hunts and life within the palace still hang in immaculate condition and fantastic replicas can be bought throughout the city. Original techniques are still used such as natural paints from precious stones and miniscule brushes made from the hair of squirrels or the eyelashes of camels. Traditional methods such as using cow’s urine, oil from the painter’s nose and camel fat create these unique gold leaf paintings full of amazing detail.
The palace has beautiful courtyards but the highlight is the shady roof garden and its full size trees that appear to grow out of the rooms below. Our guide explained that the palace was built around the slope of a hill so the trees’ roots were in fact going deep into the hillside. Every where you go there are wonderful views of the city that looks like it has never changed for centuries or across Lake Pichola with its white floating palace built to protect the Queen in times of war and used as a cool retreat in the heat of the summer.
Although Lake Pichola is the most picturesque, it is one of three lakes that surround the city – all of them man-made. We were told how lucky we were to have visited this year as they had a good monsoon and there was actually water in the lakes. The lakes ingeniously provide the water for a stunning walled garden built for the Queens and their maids so they could enjoy being outside but at the same time observe the custom of not being seen. Here they could swim, sit in the sun or walk through the beautiful botanical gardens decorated with pools and water fountains. As the gardens were built on lower ground the natural gradient brings the water from the lakes into the gardens creating an oasis in the middle of the city.
Not all sightseeing is best done from an air-conditioned car. Walking the streets of Udaipur is highly recommended although it helped to have our guide as an escort. We passed shops selling everything from chutneys, chewing tobacco, fresh tea and lentils and stopped to watch shopkeepers make desserts by piping pastry-like swirls into pots of boiling oil. Just weaving in and out of shoppers avoiding the cows, donkeys and every other form of transport was an unforgettable experience.
The fruit and vegetable market was the climax of our walking tour. Set under an enormous canopy of vibrant sheets of cotton, women of all ages, dressed in equally colourful saris, sat surrounded by wicker baskets displaying every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable and some that I had never seen before. Perfect cauliflowers, apples, pumpkins and green chilli peppers in various sizes. The sheer mass of colours and smells were intoxicating. Baskets of ginger and bunches of fragrant coriander and mint explained why all our Indian meals were so mouth wateringly delicious. Old-fashioned scales and weights determined the cost and vendors shouted back and forth to each other continuously swatting flies and chasing animals away from their precious goods.
A perfect way to end the day is to take a cruise around the lake to watch the sunset. Organised by the Lake Palace Hotel we were sent on our way by a quartet of bagpipers. In the middle of the lake we floated for five minutes, sitting in silence admiring the sun’s reflection on the still water and watched as the sky turned pink.
We then headed a short distance to the lake’s other island – Jag Mandir, guarded by eight stone elephants. We reached the viewing platform just in time to watch the sun disappear for the day before enjoying a walk in the dusk around the island’s small palace and gardens. This palace was home for a while to the Emperor who built the Taj Mahal and it is yet another building where you can see a slight resemblance to the mausoleum he later built for his beloved wife. Sailing back across the lake it suddenly became dark and then a full moon rose from behind the walls of the City Palace into a perfect, star filled sky.
The Jet Airways flight back to Delhi the following day took just over an hour but the memories of our brief introduction to Rajasthan will last a lifetime.
