India Trip: Day 5, Jaipur

Well, pretty soon, we'll have pictures of a new baby to post, and I still feel like I have to finish up our India trip before I can post anything else.  It would be unfortunate to make the baby news wait, so I'll hurry and finish this!  Plus, we have darling Halloween costumes done that I want to show too!  So here is one more day, our busiest yet...

We woke up in Jaipur and didn't waste any time starting our day by heading to Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds).  "The intricate and fascinating facade of the Palace of the Winds is probably Jaipur's most recognized building. Constructed in 1799, it has five floors that contain rows of small windows and screens. Wind used to flow through the openings, giving the palace its name. Legend has it that the palace, which overlooks the main street of Jaipur's lively Old City, was built so that the women of the royal household could watch the streets below without being observed." (text source)

We feared for our lives crossing the street from where we parked to get a closer view of this monument.  We figured that if we followed our tour guide within an inch of his last step, we would be okay.  But it sure felt like a leap of faith to step off the curb.  Basically, you have to look into the face of the oncoming traffic of buses and zipping motorcycles and step out (at some magic moment that we trusted our tour guide to determine) and trust that they won't hit you.  

Okay, so we are tourists whether we like it or not.  We HAD to go see the snake charmers, with their live cobras actually dancing to the music.  And then the guy plopped his turban on Trent's head and encouraged me to take a picture (and then charged us for it).

Next up is Amber Fort, built over a period of 150 years or so beginning in 1600.

Amber Fort is set on a hill top overlooking Maota Lake. It was the original home of Rajput royalty until Jaipur city was constructed, and contains a number of breathtaking palaces, halls, gardens, and temples.  (text source)

Here we are with lots of other tourists all taking an elephant ride to the top of the fort.  We asked if this was the most common way to get to the top and were assured by everyone that it was the most efficient way because it was a long walk.  It's hard to recreate the teetering feeling of being on top of this huge animal going up this narrow passage.  The side of the mountain drops away on the other side of that wall and sometimes the elephant would sway precariously near the top of the wall.

So then we arrive at the top to see our driver and tour guide waiting for us after having driven up in the car.  Oh, well...gotta play tourist, I guess.

Walls of the fort along the surrounding hills.

It's hard to see in the picture, but this whole palace is made of mirrored walls and ceilings.  

The building to the left of the entrance gate is called the Jai Mandir, which is exquisitely beautified with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings. The mirrors are of convex shape and designed with coloured foil and paint which would glitter bright under candle nights at the time it was in use. Also known as Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), the mirror mosaics and coloured glasses were "glittering jewel box in flickering candle light".^[4] However, most of this work was allowed to deteriorate during the period 1970–80 but has since then been subjected to a process of restoration and renovation.  (wikipedia)

This is as close as we got to Jal Mahal ("Water Palace") in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, but it was pretty stunning to see even at this distance.  

The palace, built in red sandstone, is a five storied building out of which four floors remain under water when the lake is full and the top floor is exposed...It was also noticed that there was hardly any water seepage, except for a little dampness, in the floors below the water level. 

In the past, at the location of the lake, there was a natural depression where water used to accumulate. During 1596 AD, when there was a severe famine in this region there was consequent acute shortage of water. The then ruler of Amer was, therefore, motivated to build a dam to store water to overcome the severe hardships caused by the famine to the people inhabiting the region...The dam was later converted into a stone masonry structure in the 17th century...It is provided with three sluice gates for release of water for irrigation of agricultural land in the down stream area. Since then, the dam, the lake and the palace in its midst have undergone several rounds of restoration under various rulers of Rajasthan but the final restoration in the 18th century is credited to Jai Singh II of Amer. During this period, a number of other historical and religious places, such as the Amer Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Khilangarh Fort, and Kanak Vrindavan Valley were also built in the vicinity.  (wikipedia)

Jaipur is also well-known for its fabrics and crafts, so we stopped at a shop to see this artisan at work stamping fabric with ink.  Each time he stamps, he uses a different color on the same picture, so he has to be really accurate.

I loved this shot of such a primitive workspace being used to create such amazing works of art.

Then we stopped to see the City Palace.  Jaipur is often called the "Pink City" because of all the pink painted stucco in the architecture (which was originally done as a tribute to the Prince of Wales in 1857).  The palace was built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber.

Upon visiting the magnificant City Palace, it's easy to see that the royal family of Jaipur was one of the richest in India. The huge complex of courtyards, gardens, and buildings blend both Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The Peacock Gate is exquisite, and contains an alluring display of detailed workmanship featuring bright peacocks. Today, the royal family lives in the graceful Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) bordering the courtyard. Also inside the City Palace complex is a museum, art gallery, and interesting displays of royal costumes and old Indian weapons. (text source)

Check out the gigantic silver pitcher!

 There are two huge sterling silver vessels of 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) height and each with capacity of 4000 litres and weighing 340 kilograms (750 lb), on display here. They were made from 14000 melted silver coins without soldering. They are officially recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest sterling silver vessels.^[14] These vessels were specially made by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, who was a highly pious Hindu, to carry the water of the Ganges to drink on his trip to England in 1901 (for Edward VII's coronation) as he was finicky about committing religious sin by consuming the English water. (wikipedia)

Trent by the Peacock Gate.

This was the only day when I was really tired.  It was also really hot that day, so I was pretty beat by the end of it.  Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the Jantar Mantar Observatory, arguably Trent's favorite attraction.  These structures are HUGE, supposedly to increase accuracy.

Jantar Mantar, built by King Jai Singh II between 1727 and 1734, literally means "calculation instrument". More than just a curious collection of sculptures, each structure at the intriguing Jantar Mantar observatory has a specialized astronomical function. There are 14 structures in total, which measure time, predict eclipses, and track stars. The most impressive one is the huge Samrat Yantra sundial. At a height of 90 feet (27 meters), it has a shadow that moves roughly the width of a person's hand every minute. (text source)

Our driver Kumar, standing by Trent while we shop at a jewelry store.

At the end of our long day, we saw a wedding procession.  Hindu weddings are a big deal and can last for days.  One of the traditions involves the groom's wedding party travelling to the bride's house.  Our tour guide explains that today was a particularly fortuitous day for marrying, so we had seen several weddings that day.

That's it for today!