Pictures from Bikaner

Having been told a day prior that Bikaner, a city about 330 kms away from Jaisalmer, was having a yearly Bikaner Camel Festival, Shu and I decided to drive there as soon as possible. Against Sunil’s pleas to leave at the later hour, we embarked on the trip at 6.30 am and witnessed another beautiful sunrise in Thar desert. Along the way we stopped at the restaurant/gift-shop road-stop so that I could in n-th time be ripped off. My advice – never stop at the road stop even if it is recommended by your driver. I ended up buying a box of cookies that turned out to be half eaten.

We reached Bikaner around noon and went straight to the hotel Sunil recommended – Hotel Harasar Haveli. It might not be the best hotel in the area but it is definitely the most authentic one with an incredible stuff and a very charismatic owner, Mr. Bubbles. I would consider an encounter with Mr. Bubbles to be a blessing of traveling in India, he was very knowledgeable, entertaining, kind, generous and very funny. Mr. Bubbles owns a horse ranch not far from Bikaner that is why most of the walls in the Haveli are decorated with the pictures of beautiful horses. He inherited a haveli from his father who, according to Mr. Bubbles, was very disappointed with his son’s weak school performance and desire to have a fun life. However, Mr. Bubbles had an entrepreneurial gene in him and after restoring an old haveli, he started to rent rooms to tourists until he had enough money to convert the entire haveli into a hotel. Presently, Haveli had two adjacent buildings and from what I learnt from Mr. Bubbles, he was about to open another hotel very soon.

We were shown a few rooms and after settling in one and Shu in another, and running a few bureaucratic formalities related to the criminal charges I filed in Jodhpur, we went to the rooftop restaurant to have breakfast/lunch. The restaurant and the hotel were full of people from all over the world who came to see the Camel Safari. Haveli is located outside the old city, next to the Dr. Karni Singh Stadium and this is where the main events of the day took place, so we just needed to cross the street to be in the center of action. Bilal, Haveli’s manager, was kind enough to provide us with the schedule of the Festival. We added +2-3 hours to the posted times, knowing that nothing starts in India on time, and followed the schedule.

A three day Bikaner Camel Festival usually takes place in January during the full moon but please don’t confuse it with the Pushkar Camel Fair which is a real trade fair of Rajasthan, while Bikaner Camel Festival is an opportunity to present the “ships of the desert” at their best. Besides an incredible camel race, it also hosts multiple competitions e.g. Camel Milking Competition, Camel Fur Cutting Competition, Camel Dance Competition etc. and attracts not only foreigners but a large number of locals from the Bikaner District.

Before mid 15th century, the region that we were now visiting was a barren wilderness called Jangladesh. In 1488 Rao Bika, second son of Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur, established the city of Bikaner. According to James Tod, the place which Bika selected as his capital was the birthright of a Nehra Jat, who agreed to have a city built only under the condition that their name would be linked with it perpetually. By adding Naira, or Nera to his own name, Rao Bika named his new capital, and the region Bikaner. Though it was in the Thar desert, Bikaner was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast as it had plenty of spring water to sustain the entire city. Bika built a fort in 1478, which is now in ruins and a hundred years later, under the successful reign of the sixth Raja Rai Singhji (1571-1611) a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city center, known as Junagarh Fort.

Under the Mughal Empire, Raj Singh accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals and became a high ranking army general at the court of the Emperor Akbar and his son Jahangir. Rai Singh’s successful military campaigns which includes gaining half of Mewar kingdom for the Empire, won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal kings. He was given the jagirs (lands) of Gujarat and Burhanpur and with large revenues earned from those jagirs, the state’s fortunes flourished and he built a monumental Junagarh fort. However, the decline of Mughals in the 18th century brought the decline of Bikaner as well.

During the 18th century, there was internecine war with another Rathore ruling house, Jodhpur and other thakurs over who had the right to keep the family heirlooms, which was put down by British troops. Bikaner signed a treaty with British Raj in 1818 and after that the area was markedly backward, but managed to benefit from British-Afghan war by hiring out camels to the Brits. Currently, Bikaner is a small vibrant town with very few tourists but some interesting sights to see and Camel Festival is one of them.

Equipped with cameras, scarfs and plenty of sunblock, we crossed the road to the Dr. Karni Singh Stadium. The Festival was in full swing with about 1,000 spectators and many more participants, both local and foreign. When we arrived, the women water pot breaking competition just started. The idea of the competition is to cover the women’s eyes, give them a stick and guide them to run about 50 m straight with their eyes closed to the pot trying to break it with one swing of a stick. After observing a few legs of the competition, I realized that either some of them cheated and could see exactly what they were doing, or each victory was a pure luck. As foreign guests we were able to sit down in the first row and enjoy the action at close distance. After a few preliminary legs, the finalists were named, including one foreign girl, for the final run. When the winner was announced and the Festival went into a short remission, Shu and I went to explore the grounds.

Around the main stage, there were multiple stands with beautifully decorated camels and very chatty camel-owners. Not only did camels have specially designed seats and bling-bling adornments, but also they were tattooed with some beautiful ornaments around their necks and bodies. Camel-owners happily allowed us to take pictures of their animals and in return, asked for the pictures with us.

By the time we checked out 10-12 camels, a huge crowd gathered around Shu and I and it was getting very uncomfortable and dangerous. By crowd, of course, I mean young men and all of them tried to take pictures, grope or brash their hands or bodies against me. We have told them to disperse and remembering my experience in Jodhpur a few days earlier, I was getting claustrophobic and scared surrounded by a herd of 40-50 men. We were saved by Rounak, a reporter and photographer from local network who told us that the Festival would commence in the evening, at 7 or 8 pm and we were free to leave and explore some other parts of the town, and so we did.

Sunil was waiting for us at the Stadium’s parking lot, so we asked him to drive us to the Junagarh and perhaps meet us someplace in the city later. We reached the Karan Prol Gate just before its closing time but managed to get the tickets (Rs.200 + Rs.100 for camera + Rs.100 entry to the Prachina Bikaner Cultural Centre & Museum). The admission includes a group tour in Hindi/English or an audio guide. I wish we have optioned to take an audio guide instead because the Hindi/English group didn’t have any English speakers and no other tourists but us, so everyone regarded us as a spectacle on its own and paid attention to us more than to the fort and its history. Also, we were incredibly rushed from one room to another, from one floor to another. I guess if we came earlier, we would have plenty of time to see everything in a leisurely manner, but we just had to go with the group.

Foundation of Junagarh was laid on 30th January 1589 by Raja Rai Singhji, the sixth ruler of Rathore dynasty of Bikaner. Its construction was completed in 1593 and it remained the strong hold of Rathore rulers until the state merged into the Union with India in 1949. Karan Singh, who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations. Anup Singh (1669-1698) made substantial additions to the fort complex, with new palaces and the Zenana quarter, a royal dwelling for women and children. He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience) and built the Anup Mahal – Hall of Private Audience with walls lacquered in red and gold. Gaj Singh (1745-1787) refurbished the original Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) and built Gaj Mandir – gold painted and decorated with colorful murals, sandalwood, ivory, mirrors, niches and stained glass suite for him and his two favorite wives. Following Gaj Singh, Surat Singh (1787-1828) lavishly decorated the audience hall with glass and lively paintwork and after the kingdom became a suzerain of British Raj in 1818, the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily in rebuilding and redecorating the old Junagarh fort. Dungar Singh (1872-1887) built the Badal Mahal (Weather palace) named after the painting of clouds and falling rain, a rare event in Bikaner, decorating the palace. General Muharaja Ganga Singh (1887-1943) was the best known of the Rajasthan princes and was a favorite of the British Viceroy of India. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented India at the Imperial Conferences during the WWI and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls of public and private audiences in the Ganga Mahal and a Durbar Hall of 1896 with its pink stone walls covered in beautiful and intricate relief carvings which served as a hall for formal functions. Junagarh also hosts Maharaja Ganga Singh’s office and the Vikram Vilas Durbar Hall, a hangar with an incredible exhibit of carriages, howdahs and a WWI De Havilland DH-9 biplane bomber.

After visiting a small but interesting museum located in the back of the Junagarh and a photo exhibition, we were asked to leave the fort because it was already closing for the day. Shu and I figured that before going back to the Stadium for the evening festivities, we should take advantage of a few free hours and explore the old city. For Rs.300 we hired a tuk-tuk (which came with a very annoying “guide” who wouldn’t shut up about his Barcelona girlfriend who spends all her money on him) to take us to Bikaner old town and show us 300 years old havelis (Rampuria Haveli, Poonam Chand Kothari Haveli) as well as Jain and Hindu temples. However, by the time we reached the town, it was already too dark to see anything in details yet to ask for a tour. Instead, we spent an evening browsing the Bada Bazar with its fruit and spice stalls, silver and copper shops.

The tuk-tuk driver and his friend took us back to the Stadium and by the time we arrived, it was already the closing part of the today’s festivities – performances and a famous Fire Dance. There were many more people, including children and women, so it indeed felt as a festival. Shu and I were interviewed by the local TV station, our pictures were taken by at least half of dozen newspaper reporters and a thousand of onlookers. A young girl came by to introduce herself and invite me and Shu to have dinner at their house the next day but we politely declined. When the Fire dance started, everybody ran towards the stage and indeed, it looked very impressive. The shaman-looking people ignited the big bonfire and then spread the burning coal all over the platform before starting to dance on it and throw/eat/play with it. It looked very painful, but they seemed to enjoy themselves and I hope they did.

After the dance was over, we tried to get out as quickly as possible but to no avail; once again we were surrounded by mad crowd of crazy and horny men. By then, I ran out of patience and snapped at every one who groped or touched me. We literally took off and ran to the police stand at the front gate where we asked for the security guard assistance. Once everything calmed down, we hurried back to the hotel.

January 17, 2014

After breakfast, Sunil drove us to Ladera Sand Dunes near Ladera Village (45 kms) to see the most interesting part of Camel Festival – Camel race. We got lost on the way so by the time we got there, the festivities were going in full throttle. The moment we got off at the “parking lot”, I realized what a wonderful idea it was to take Shu with me. There were over 20,000 men in the Dunes, not kind and generous men but scary men. People you would prefer to stay away from. Of course, a tall Asian man with a blonde European women were their first point of interest. From the car to the actual place of competition and festival, we had to walk about 1 km and while we walked, we had about 100 followers stalking us and shouting obscenities from time to time.

We were lucky to reach the main location before the Villagers Wrestling Competition started; everybody started to run towards the sparing area and security pulled us inside the wrestling circle to avoid being hurt by the mob. As much as I hoped to believe that Indian men were good natured and friendly, this was all non-sense, they were perverted, freaky and dangerous, especially in masses.

Wrestling was an interesting competition, following the main rules of free-style wrestling and weight categories, but performed in the dunes with sand and dust getting into your ears, nose, eyes and mouth. I guess, if you survive and win the fight in the Ladera Sand Dunes, you might as well qualify for the Olympic Games. I was really impressed by the performance and competitive spirit of the participants except for a few who intentionally pulled out a comedy act to entertained the viewers.

At some point, almost entire crowd got up and started to run up the dune away from the wrestling field. Indian men follow the rule of an animal herd – one runs all run. Apparently, a previously featured but currently banned Bike Dunes race started in the nearby Dunes so all the spectators took off and ran to see what was going on. Obviously, it was immediately stopped by the police and army forces so 15 minutes later, they all returned to the wrestling circle.

After the wrestling was over, everybody went to the racing track to see the main competition of the Bikaner Camel Festival – the camel racing. It was by far the most interesting part of the entire Festival. Shu and I were standing in the first row near the finish line and had unobstructed views of the race. The best part was to feel adrenaline and hear everybody cheering for his favorite camel or camel rider and actually witness the race, but the worst part was to realize that there was no barrier, except for human, to separate the crowd from the camel thus on a few occasions racing beasts ran straight into the dense layer of people hitting and injuring many of them. Otherwise, it was definitely an exciting experience I wish to repeat.

After the camel race, we got introduced to the Mr. Bikaner 2014 and some other local celebrities, took a few pictures with them and for them and headed to the main stage to see the evening performance which promised to be interesting. Foreigners were given a special VIP sitting right in front of the stage and no locals were allowed to enter to our section. I could finally relax and enjoy a company of other follow-travelers. A commotion just outside of the VIP area attracted everybody’s attention however, it was hart to see what was happening. The concert hasn’t started yet but we saw a huge group of police/military people ran and brought to the stage a blood covered body of a man. As I later found out, the man was one of the unsuccessful bikers who got under the hot hand of the police and got severely beat up. Instead of taking him to the hospital, trying to avoid the mob rage, the police brought and placed him in the middle of the stage. I can’t tell whose stupid idea it was because the moment it happened, the mob started to run towards the stage in hope to “liberate” their comrade while sweeping everything and everybody on their way, including us, as we were sitting the closest to the stage. Luckily, the police figured their mistake and rushed to calm the crowd, and by “calming” I mean “beating the hell out of them”.  Up until this point, I was nothing but alert, but after, I became completely paranoid because I knew that if something happens, help wouldn’t come from neither side.

Nevertheless, the concert started and it was a combination of poor, good and interesting performances. The 2 hour long show ended with the grand finale of Fire Dance, this time on a much larger scale than the day before. I happened to be right by the stage when they started to prepare for the dance and managed to record it at a close range. I also figured out their secret of dancing on the fire when one of the dancers threw a bunch of burning coals into me and my camera (I didn’t expect anything less). Apparently, the coals were cold! COLD! It was the moment when I should have run through the crowd shouting “Le Roi est nu” and their Fire Dance was all nothing but the big fat farce.

Video of the Fire Dance.

The moment the dance was over, Shu and I ran towards our car. It was already dark and with no lights in the desert, but random tracks and camel carriages, we were a direct target for the mob. Luckily, we got to the lot before anybody could harm us. After another 2 hours on the road we finally got back to the Haveli. Mr. Bubbles was in the best state of mood, treating everyone with free drinks, inviting all the guests to join the music performance and a complementary dinner at the restaurant. It was one of the best evenings I spent in Rajasthan. Thank you, Mr. Bubbles.

The post Bikaner, India. January 2014 first appeared on SvetaNYC.

Pictures from Jodhpur.

After spending 5 days in the old Mewar kingdom (Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Kumbhalgarh), it was time to move on and get acquainted with Mewar’s arch-enemy – the Marwar dynasty and its capital Jodhpur. Second largest city in Rajasthan, Jodhpur has a few names and all of them are correct. It is called the “Gateway to Thar”, implying city’s strategic location on the border with the Thar desert; it is referred to as “Sun City” for the bright, sunny weather it enjoys all year around. But the most obvious name, which I could witness with my own eyes, is “Blue City”, a name given because most houses in the city are painted in all shades of blue, honoring Jodhpur’s large population of Brahmins (whose color is, apparently, blue).

Sunil and I arrived to Jodhpur around 8 pm and since no vehicles are allowed to the old town (really, again?!), I had to call the owner of the Haveli to come and pick me up by the Clock Tower. He speedily sent a tuk-tuk for me and in less than ten minutes, I was checking into my new home – Shahi guest house, located in the middle of the rustic, vibrant, always- moving old town. Shahi, the owner of the Haveli, has done a great job converting this old house with large courtyard into a wonderful, romantic and very traditional home-stay. I paid $50 per night and got to stay in, perhaps, the largest room in the Haveli, with huge king-size bed, balcony overlooking the temple across the street, an ottoman corner with thick carpets and thousands of pillows and the bathtub! A bathtub is a rarity in India, and even though it lacked a plug and could have caused the shortage of hot water for all other guests, if i decided to fill in the bath, the fact that I had my own bathtub was super exciting. But the most remarkable feature of the room was its wonderful mosaic floor, a floor you wish you had in your own house, if you had a house and the beautiful hand-carved head-board for the bed. I am not an expert, but I could guess it was made a few centuries ago. And the perk of the haveli was the roof-top restaurant, offering the views of the dramatically lit Mehrangarh perched on top of a rocky hill. As the only late-night client in the restaurant, I enjoyed my dinner and thought that my visit to Jodhpur started successfully. Sadly, I was wrong.

January 12, 2014

According to the Hindu epic Ramayana (composed in the 4th century A.D.) Abhiras (or Ahirs) were the first inhabitants of Jodhpur before they got succumbed by Aryans. Later, the region was part of the Gujarat-Pratihara empire and until 1100 A.D. was ruled by a powerful Bargujar king. In 1200 A.D., the Rathore Rajputs, long before founding Jodhpur and a new dynasty, were driven from their land in east of Agra (Kannauj) by Afghans, serving Mohammed of Ghori, to the region around Pali, 70 kms southwest of Jodhpur. They grew and prospered, conquering surrounding territories and eventually succeeding to oust the Pratiharas of Mandore (9 kms from Jodhpur) in 1381, making the city its new capital. In 1459 the fifteenth Rathore ruler, Rao Jodha, one year after his accession to the throne decided to move his capital to the safer location, as the one thousand years old Mandore fort no longer provided sufficient security. He founded Jodhpur as the new capital of the Marwar kingdom (which cheerfully translates as “The Land of Death”).

The city was located on the strategic road linking Delhi to Gujarat, thus it enabled the Marwar dynasty to profit from a flourishing trade in opium, copper, silk, sandalwood and date palms. The harsh topography and rugged terrain allowed them to extend their borders from modern Pakistan to Jaipur, and from Jaisalmer to Bikaner. Early in its history, the kingdom became a fief under the Mughal Empire, owing fealty to them while enjoying some internal autonomy. Jodhpur and its population benefited from this relationship, because new styles of art and architecture were introduced to Marwar’s court and opportunities opened up for local tradesmen to make their mark across northern India.

However, after the decline of the Mughal empire in 1707, instead of benefitting from the circumstances, Jodhpur drowned in court intrigues and Marwar descended into strife, inviting on their poor heads an intervention from the Marathas, who soon enough replaced Mughals as new lords of the region. By the time Marwar kingdom entered into subsidiary alliance with the British in 1818, its wealth was long gone and its land was torn by continuously raging wars.

At the Shahi guest house, I had to deal with January weather. The disadvantage of having a large and beautiful room in winter is that it’s impossible to warm it up, no matter how many space heaters you ask for. And even though, I was comfortably warm under 3 extra blankets, a very close proximity to the Hindu temple kept me awake and alert all night long, and the following night too. Until that day I didn’t know any religion in the world that would go on celebrating something and nothing for 24 hours a day. To my sad amusement, I found it and unfortunately, the temple of that religion was located right by my balcony. Listening to the wildest …hmmmm religious songs (??!!), slipping in and out of nightmares, I was acoustically present throughout the entire Hindu feast.  The church bells of Rome, the impressive appeals to Allah from the mosques of Beirut have never bothered me before, au contraire, they were always the authentic part of the experience I craved. However, the teeth-pulling, soul-annihilating , nerve-destroying suicidal sounds coming out of that temple were more than my non-schizophrenic mind could handle. Despite all, I was in a bright state of readiness to leave the haveli and spend a day exploring Jodhpur.

Shahi, the owner of the haveli, provided me with a map and explained how to get to the main site – Mehrangarh fort and more importantly, back to the haveli, because the tangled streets of old town were unforgiving to newbies. Shahi mentioned a few times the route I should take to the fort, stressing that the goat path, I saw from the roof-top, led straight from the old city to the fort but wasn’t a safe option even at 9 in the morning, since it was rarely used even by locals. After packing my backpack with everything I might need for a full day in town, I went to discover Jodhpur.

Obviously, I never found the main road because all roads, narrow and narrower didn’t seem like “the main” to me, so shortly after and with help of few locals, I ended up at the beginning of the path that Shahi warned me not to take. Evaluating my chances and considering the lack of other options, I decided to climb up the path. It was 9.30 am, barely any people on the streets and sun brightly shining over the blue city, made me forget about an awful sleepless night. Along the path, ascending the steep rocky walls of the hill, Jodhpur presented itself in its full morning glory – quiet and dignified.

On the path, I met a man, perhaps Indian-American, since he had no accent, who told me to be careful because some parts of the path lay among the trees and if one of the trees fell over the path, I might have to come back and take another route. I took my chances and proceeded. They say, everything happens for a reason, there are moments in life when we are tested, there are moments when we are given a second chance and there are moments when we have to stand up and act. Sadly, destiny was about to test me.

Half-way up the hill, I glanced back and saw a few men quickly approaching me from behind and I knew, they weren’t going to the fort, they were going after me. Later, analyzing the situation, I was surprised to realize how quickly our brains process the information. Those men didn’t waste their time and surrounded my from all sides, but the few seconds of advantage I had from the moment I spotted them were enough for me to compose myself and try to look for a way out. The older guy, perhaps 40 y.o., jumped ahead of me on the path (which none of us could abandon, since it was the only way on the cliffy surface of the hill) and took his pants down. I looked around to see that other men were closing up on me from behind, trying to grab my shoulders to keep me still and perhaps pin me down. By then, the guy who took his pants down, got his pathetic “member” out jerking it off and trying to get it up. Have you ever been scared to the extend that the palms of your hands involuntarily start to sweat? That is how i felt, trapped and scared! I knew it was the end, if not the end of my life, but definitely, if those men succeed, some part of my soul would die and nothing will ever be the same. I looked into his eyes and I saw a sign of victory. He hasn’t insert his d**k inside me but he was already celebrating. He was already glorifying himself for something that I consider the most heinous crime against human being – rape! And something clicked in my head when I saw his eyes – I was ready to fight and if I had to, I was ready to kill him, but never allow him to touch an inch of my skin, yet rape me. All the kindness and continuos petty I felt towards Indian people throughout my trip turned into the strongest bout of anger I have ever experienced. I was so terrified but I swang my very old and heavy Nikon D70 off my shoulder and with full force landed it in the head of one of the rapists. They didn’t expect such move from me and retreated back by 1-2 meters, releasing my hands. A man who was blocking my way, made a move to seize me but because he had his pants down, he couldn’t move freely, so he bent over to pull his pants while I grabbed a rock and started hitting him with it on the back of his head. He was strong enough to easily overpower me, but I was ready to kill and that sealed my destiny. Blood started to pour from a gash on his head and he slowly slid off the path. Without waiting for the events to unfold further and not looking back at his friends-rapists, I ran… and ran.. and ran… and I never run, but those ten minutes to the front gate of the fort seemed like an eternity to me.

I spare you the details of my trials and tribulations with Indian police when i showed up by the Mehrangarh with a bloody camera in my hand screaming that somebody attempted to rape me just 400 meters away from the entrance. No one cared! Indians think that Western or European women are whores so by raping them, they are doing them a favor. I am 100% serious! They are sure, that even if a foreign woman doesn’t enjoy forceful sex with them, she won’t go to the police but simply take a shower and forget about it. And if something goes so wrong that a woman does go to the police, no one would assist her there, because either policemen are just like other Indian men or because police is a big Indian joke, but likely a combination of two. To wrap up my story, police refused to open a case on the ground that they didn’t speak English and apparently, couldn’t record my story without a translator (who probably doesn’t exist). But, I couldn’t let this situation slide, how could I? I am immensely grateful to the US Embassy in Delhi who helped me to open the case and supported me all the way throughout this situation.

But let’s back to Mehrangarh…. Shaken, scared but alive and unharmed, I reached the front gate of this fort. A British father-son duo witnessing my conversation with the Tourist police, volunteered to accompany me to the fort if I wished to continue. I could have called Sunil to come and pick me up, but I knew that being alone, scared and frustrated in my hotel room, wouldn’t be the best option. So, I decided to stay with the British couple and at least walk around the fort.

Rao Jodha laid the foundation of the fort on May 12, 1459 on the rocky hill 9 kms to the south of old capital Mandore. The hill was known as Bhaurcheeria – the mountain of birds. According to legend, in order to build his fort, Rao Jodha had to displace the only human inhabitant of the hill, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji – lord of birds. Angry at Rao Jodha, hermit cursed the place with scarcity of water and until today, the area is plagued by a drought every 3-4 years. In order to ensure that Mehrangarh will be populous and prosperous, following an old tradition, Rao Jadha buried a man, named Raja Ram Meghwal, alive in the foundation of the fort. In return for his favor, Rao Jodha promised the man’s family to be looked after by the Rathore kings and up to this day, his descendants still live in the Raj Bagh, an estate bequeathed them by Jodha.

Construction of Mehrangarh (Sun-fort) started in 1459 by Rao Jodha, however, most of the fort which stands today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh (1638-1678). The fort is located in the center of the city, spreading over 5 kms atop of 122 m high hill. Its walls, which are up to 36m high and 21m wide, protect one of the jewels of Rajasthan and despite multiple sieges and attacks, Mehrangarh has never been conquered. Still run by the Jodhpur’s royal family, Mehrangarh is full of history and legends. The complex houses the Maharaja’s palace, several temples and, tucked away in the back, an extensive garden still farmed to this day. After paying Rs.300 entry fee, Rs.100 per camera, I picked up my audio guide and joined the British couple. Unfortunately, I was still deeply distraught and didn’t want to come across as a ungrateful friend, so shortly after, I excused myself and left to walk around the fort by myself.

I entered the fort via Jai Pol “Victory Gates” built by Maharaja Man Singh in 1806 to celebrate his victory in a war with Jaipur and Bikaner. Walking all the way up the ramp, I got to Dedh Kangra Pol, built in the 16th century, it was the original external gate to the palace and still bears the scars of bombardment by cannonballs from 1808.

I had to pass trough two more 16th century gates – Imritia Pol and Loha Pol (Palace’s original gate) before entering the Palace grounds. Immediately to the left of Loha Pol there are handprints (sati marks) of the ranis who in 1843 immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband, Maharaja Man Singh.

Within the fort, there are multiple fantastically designed and decorated palaces, some of which were turned into interesting museums, exhibiting palanquins, howdahs, miniature paintings, costumes and so on. And despite the fact that I have visited uncountable palaces in India alone, Mehrangarh palaces made the biggest impression on me. Not only were they beautifully and craftily built, but also they had a sense of belonging in them, as if the king just stepped out and would return soon. There were no long abandoned female quarters or dilapidating king’s bedrooms, it felt as if the palaces froze in time in their best state of affair and because excess to pretty much every room was allowed without constrains, I felt as if I were touring somebody’s very …very beautiful home.

The first palace everyone enters is Shringar Chowk or Anointment Courtyard, superbly decorated with finely carved jalis that look more like sandalwood than sandstone. The facade of the upper stories form a continuous perforated screen through which the women could watch proceedings in Shringar Chowk. The proceedings included the anointment of a new ruler, for which the marble throne in the chowk was employed.

The galleries around Shringar Chowk display India’s best collection of elephant howdahs and Jodhpur’s royal palanquin collection. Howdahs were a kind of two-compartment wooden seat (mostly covered with gold and silver), which were fastened on the elephant’s back. The front compartment, with more leg space and a raised protective metal sheet, was meant for kings or royalty, and the rear smaller one for a reliable bodyguard disguised as a fly-whisk attendant. Palanquins were a popular mode of travel and circumambulation for the noble ladies up to the second half of the 20th century, but they were also used by male nobles and royals on special occasions.

After, I proceeded to Daulat Khana Chowk, housing a gallery displaying textiles, paintings, manuscripts and headgear. This gallery hosts the most important and best preserved collections of fine and applied arts of the Mughal period of Indian history, during which the Rathore kings of Jodhpur maintained close links with the Mughal emperors. The armory is displayed in the adjacent gallery and represents a rare collection of weapons from every period of Jodhpur. On display are sword-hilts made of jade, silver, rhino horn, ivory, shields studded with rubies, emeralds, pearls etc.  Exhibit contains the personal swords of many emperors, among them outstanding historical Khanda of Rao Jodha, weighing over 7 lbs, the curved sword of Akbar the Great and the sword of Timur.

Upstairs is a gallery of miniature paintings from Marwar school and the beautiful 18th-century Phool Mahal (Flower Palace) built by Maharaja Abhaya Singh (1724-1749). It is perhaps Mehrangarh’s grandest room, decorated with the 19th-century wall paintings depicting 36 moods of classical ragas as well as royal portraits; they say that the artist took 10 years to create them using a curious concoction of gold leaf, glue and cow’s urine. It served as the Maharah’s pleasure chamber to accommodate dancing girls and revelries.

And of course, there is no palace in India what doesn’t have its own Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Hall). The mirror-work includes large, rectangular pieces, rather than an intricate mosaic of tiny fragments; another things is the superimposition over the mirror-work of brightly painted religious figures make in plaster.

A leisurely and fascinating walk around the second floor of the palace brought me to Takht Vilas, which used to serve as a bed chamber of Maharaja Takht Singh (1843-1873), which had just 30 maharanis and numerous concubines. The last ruler to reside in the Merhangarh, his room is an interesting blend of styles, most traditional, but some, like the christmas balls on the ceiling, testifying to the modern age which arrived with the British. The bed chamber is decorated from ceiling to floor with paintings on a variety of subjects; from Hindu gods and goddesses to European ladies. Even the ‘carpet’ on the floor is painted.

I then entered an extensive zenana (women’s quarter), the inner sanctum of the palace once guarded by eunuchs, this is where the Maharaja’s multiple wives whiled away their days. The zenana’s beautiful lattice windows (from which the women could watch the goings-on in the courtyards) are said to feature over 250 different designs. An audio guide had an interesting self-narrated story of a living rani who entered the zenana many years ago as a young girl and a new wife of the last king of Jodhpur.

Moti Mahal (Pearl Hall) was the last to visit on this tour. Built by Raja Sur Singh (1595-1619) it is the largest palace in Mehrangarh. Pearl-colored inside and decorated with colored glass windows, the palace served as Maharaja’s audience hall. It is equipped with five alcoves leading into hidden balconies, believed to be built for his five queens to listen in on court proceedings.

Before exiting the Mehrangarh fort, I called Sunil to come and pick me up by the gates of the fort because I was still afraid to walk alone back to the city. Coming down towards the Jai Pol, I ran into Nicco and his Argentinian friend, whom I met in Udaipur a few days before. They were coming back to the palace with no particular reason, so I suggested, since I had a car, to go and check out some other places. They agreed and when Sunil arrived, I asked him to take us to the palace which faint but beautiful silhouette was rising above the city –  Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Umaid Bhawan Palace is the last grand palace built in India. Divided into three functional parts, it houses a Museum, the current royal incumbent’s, Gaj Singh II, residency and a luxurious Taj Palace hotel. Built in 1929, the 347-room edifice was designed by the Brit Henry Lanchester for Maharaja Umaid Singh. It took 15,000 workers, 15 years and a whooping amount of money to complete. The building is mortarless and incorporates 100 wagon loads of Makrana marble and Burmese teak in interior. Apparently its construction began as a royal job-creation program during the time of severe drought. Currently, only the museum part of the palace is open for public, while access to the rest of the Palace is reserved for those, who stay or dine (another way to get into the palace as I found out) at Taj hotel or King’s court.

Rs.60 would get you a ticket to the Museum, which displays photos of the palace’s interior as well as its past and current kings, a collection of european and Chinese clocks and table wear. Across from the museum is a Maharaja’s large collection of highly polished classic cars.

After checking out a small museum and cars, Sunil drove back to the city and dropped us off by the Clock Tower in the center of Sardar Bazar. It was packed with people and Nicco worried whether I would safe being there alone. There were two things (besides visiting a police office again) that I wanted to do. Primarily, I wanted to order a custom-made set of 3 feet tall gangaurs for my apartment in New York, which I successfully did from J.G. Art & Crafts shop, whose owner took my order and promptly one week later delivered the gangaurs to my friend’s house in Delhi. And the second thing was to buy the world famous teas and spices from M.V. Spices (shop number 209-B, inside the vegetable market near the Clock Tower).  Run by 3 sisters, this place is famous to have the best teas in all of India. The shop attendant made me a few different teas to try and 30 minutes later, I left the shop with a bag full of teas, vanilla and saffron. Be aware that many shops in Jodhpur try to imitate M.V. Spices because of their stellar reputation and multiple mentioning in different travel guides; pay attention to the name of the shop you enter, it is not M.M.V. Spices and not V.M. Spices or any other derivation of those or any other letters. On the way to my hotel, I have also purchased a dozen of bangles from a master himself which pleased him and his clients who helped me to pick the right ones, since, apparently, I have very big hands and not all Indian bangles fit me.

Despite having the Haveli’s card with a map printed with me, I still couldn’t find it in the network of complicated streets, so I asked a few people to show me a direction. Every Hindu person told me that Shahi guest house didn’t exist, as if I never spent a night there, but one Muslim boy came to me and told me that he would escort me there because Durgah where he was going to attend his evening prayer, was a block away from the Haveli. And indeed, he took me straight to the hotel.

I was told to inform the owner of the hotel about the rape accident, but Shahi was at the wedding when I arrived and since I was leaving the town at 6 am next morning, I knew I couldn’t seek help from him. I had a quiet dinner at the restaurant overlooking the exact hill where I was attacked 10 hours earlier, and then went to bed. Needless to say that it was a sleepless night, events that took place that day compounded by the crazy music coming from the Hindu temple across the street kept me awake all night.

The post Jodhpur, India. January 2014 first appeared on SvetaNYC.

Pictures.

The great advantage of having a chauffeured car in India is freedom – freedom to drive anywhere, stop for as long as you wish and more importantly, flexibility to come up with a new destination a few days or hours prior, pointed it to your driver and have him get you there.

After spending two full days in Udaipur, Sunil and I left for Jodhpur, however, on the way, I had instructed him to stop by two places that were recommended by every travel guide: romantic fort Kumbhalgarh and the largest Jain temple in India – Ranakpur.

We left at 7 am and 2 hours later reached Kumbhalgarh, which is located 82 kms north-west from Udaipur. The zig-zagging road to the top of the 1,100 m Aravalli Hill is hands down one of the most picturesque drives in Rajasthan.

Kumbhalgarh played an important role in the history of Mewar dynasty, particularly from the time of Maharana Kumbha to Maharana Pratap (1433-1597). Second only to the Chittorgarh fort, the rulers wisely used to retreat there in times of danger. Not surprisingly, Kumbhalgarh was taken once and only for two days by the combined forces of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Raja Man Singh of Amber, Raja Udai Singh of Marwar and the Sultan of Gujarat. It is said that 3 women of Mali caste showed the secret entrance to the enemies and as punishment, they were bricked alive in the wall of the fort and stone heads of three women were put on demonstration on the exterior of fort wall on the right of Ram Pol.

The earlier history of the fort is somewhat obscure in the absence of adequate archeological and literary evidences; however, legendary tradition says that in ancient times Kumbhalgarh was known as Machchindrapur and was associated with King Samprati of Maurya dynasty who built the original fort. There is no archeological or historical evidence that links Samprati to the construction of the fort, although the remains of an old wall, few structures and a small fortress (around the 2nd century B.C.), near Juna Bhilwara village and Pitaliya Shah Jain Temple appear to belong to pre-Kumbha times.  

The traditional version of the history of Kumbhalgarh says that the fort was built by Mewar’s Maharana Kumbha of Sisodia dynasty. Out of 84 forts in his dominion, Rana Kumbha is said to have designed 32 of them, of which Kumbhalgarh is the largest and most elaborate. According to legend, in 1443, Rana Kumbha attempted to build a fort on the top of the Aravalli hill, however, despite all his efforts, every morning he woke up to see the constructions of the previous day to crumble. As a religious person, he consulted a spiritual preceptor who advised the ruler to find a volunteer to serve as a human sacrifice. The king sent out word, but no one volunteered, until one day a pilgrim (another version – a solder) came about with his desire to be decapitated, so the Rana could build his fort. According to the prediction, the sacrifice was necessary to ensure that the battle walls of the fort would be strong enough to withhold the sieges. 

Today, the winding 15 feet wide walls of Kumbhalgarh, second only to the Great Wall of China, stretch for more than 36 kms, allowing 8 horses to ride abreast. There are 7 fortified gateways to the fort, including Ram Pol through which I entered and Hanuman Pol containing a shrine and a temple commemorating a person who sacrificed his life for the fort to be built. 

After purchasing a ticket (Rs.100) and a guide book about Kumbhalgarh (Rs.50), I went inside. It was still very early and cold, and no guides were available for hire, so relying on my sight and a moment-ago purchased book, I went on what it turned out to be a 6 hours tour around the fort but more importantly around 360 intact and ruined temples, some of them dating back to the 2nd century B.C.

Right of the Ram Pol, there is Vedi-Temple complex, built on raised platform enclosed on three sides by high walls. It comprises of Yajna Vedi, square chhatri and triple shrines. This complex is one of the most imposing structures in Kumbhalgarh for performing yajnas on completion of the construction of the fort by Rana Kumbha in 1457 A.D. An image of six-armed Vishnu seated in lalitasana on Garuda is enshrined in the sanctum of the shrine on the right. A square-pillared chhatri, probably meant for offering sacrifice during the time of yajna, is in the center between the triple shrines and the Yajna Vedi.

I continued walking away from the fort towards the rising spires of ancient temples. I can’t name all of them, but I will try to mention and describe a few I remember. Neelkanth Mahdev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, built in 1458, faces west. It is rectangular in plan with seven domed roof, supported by 26 gigantic stone pillars with lotus finials at the top of central dome. The huge 6 foot high Shiva-linga of black stone with yoni pitha is the only deity in the area still being worshipped and maintained by the locals. A legend says that Rana Kumbha was so tall that when he sat for his prayers on the floor of this temple, his eyes were on level with the deity. He never began a day without performing prayers himself and what an irony that he was beheaded by his own son, as he prayed.

I passed by Parsvanatha Temple, Mataji or Kheda Devi Temple, Jain temples near Vijay Pol, towards Bawan Deori, an imposing group of 52 temples built in 1464, of which fifty are equal in size and arranged all around the outer wall with their entrance towards courtyard. Two main shrines – one in the center of back wall and the other in the middle of the court, are larger in size. The main shrine has pancharatha sanctum with curvilinear sikhara, an antarala and an open mandapa with square interior and dome ceiling. The facade of the sanctum is lavishly carved with floral designs and human figurines. Mukhamandapa (frontal pavilion) is decorated with apsaras in different postures playing with balls, vina, holding mirror, necklaces, chauri bearer etc.

Further up the hill, I entered Golera group of temples, containing nine shrines, of which 4 are dedicated to Jain pantheon, while the remaining 5 are brahman shrines. Built on elevated rocky surface, Temples stand majestically and attractively on the highest point on the western part of the hillock, approached by the flight of steps from east. There is a chamber below the western mandapa with a narrow entrance from the west, where 24 headless stone sculptures were found, now kept in the museum.

Every temple I encountered was a little discovery in itself, standing on circular terraces or patterned platforms, they all were beautifully carved and despite their visible hollowness, had a story to tell. By then, I spent 4 hours browsing the empty temples while walking away from Kumbhalgarh, so I turned around and after shedding a few layers of clothes, since it finally got warmer, proceeded towards the fort.

To the left of Ram Pol is Ganesha and Charbhuja Temples. Ganesha temple was built by Rana Kumbha and the image of Ganesha is enshrined in the sanctum. Standing on the high platform, it can be entered via the flight of steps from south, it has a garbhagriha, an antarala, a mandapa with pillared kakshasana followed by mukhamandapa. Charbhuja Temple is dedicated to four-armed goddess, it is raised over a high platform and enclosed by a prakaram walls.

The Palace-Complex comprising of three magnificent structures – Badal Mahal (Fateh Prakash), Kumbha Mahal and the birth place of Maharana Pratap located on the top of the ridge. After climbing a pretty steep ramp, I entered the palace grounds near the ancient baoli which was used to collect rain water. The largest rectangular tank is located near the birth place of Maharana Pratap, however, there are over ten dams and more than twenty stepwells within or outside the fort. The dams were built at a narrow valley by providing huge stone masonry walls at regular intervals. Walls are longer on the top and gradually become shorter while extending down towards slope. Similarly, walls are the thickest at the base, but slowly thinning at the top while maintaining the height of the dams. Provisions have also been made to release excess water by outlet at the corner of the top. Stepped landings have been built from top to bottom with arch-shaped structures in the center to lift water through Persian wheel system. Series of niches were also built on the inner face of the walls for fixing some images, but now they stand empty.

Next to the water tank was a place where Maharana Pratap was born, however, the staircase, leading towards the room or group of rooms was closed, so I wasn’t able to get inside to check it out.

There was no route around the palace complex, but I continued going straight to see the palace from the other side and take wonderful pictures of it and views from the Aravalli hills. By then, I could hear dozen of voices from the palace’s roof, however, it felt as if there was no one around.

After returning to the palace gate, I first proceeded to the lower terrace of Kumbha Mahal. This double storied edifice standing the vagaries of time speaks of the Rana’s greatness and love for architecture. Not comparable by size to the one in Chittorgarh, Kumbha Mahal most definitely was the most luxurious of two. The ground floor consists of a rectangular hall with small chambers and open courtyard. Between Kumbha Mahal and Badal Mahal is another two storied building with an open courtyard, the ground floor of which was used as a shrine dedicated to Nava Durga. In front is royal kitchen built probably by Rana Prakash. The network of passages, hidden rooms, lower and upper levels connected by hard-to-find staircases, make Kumbha Mahal a wonderful labyrinth of history. I was curious enough to climbed up and down, explore all, even crumbling rooms and by chance, return to the 15 century.

The newest palace, Badal Mahal was built by Rana Fateh Singh (1884-1930). Standing on the highest point of Kumbhalgarh and facing east, this two storied palace is constructed in two parts, Zenana mahal and Mardana mahal, with several sets of large and small rooms. The walls and the ceiling of the rooms of upper floor are painted with floral designs in various colors, whereas the lower half of the walls of the ground floor depicts the fighting scenes. Zenana Mahal has stone jalis which facilitated the queens to see the court proceedings and other events in privacy. Many rooms are under restoration, but the views from the roof of the palace to the jungle covered hillsides and across the deserts of Mewar towards Jodhpur, are simply stunning. 

It is easy to get lost in time as you stand on the walls of the fort or browse through its multiple palaces or temples, listening to the stories of the legendary king Rana Kumbha – the king who gave his name to the area, and who lives on through his deeds long after his tragic demise.

After 6 or 7 hours spent in Kumbhalgarh, to the immense joy of bored Sunil, I finally re-emerged from the fort. We planned to visit another site, on the way to Jodhpur – Ranakpur, India’s most important and largest Jain temple. 23 kms west of Kumbhalgarh (by air), it is a 50 kms  drive via Saira. 

The construction of Ranakpur is well documented on a 1437 copper-plate located in the temple and in Sanskrit text Soma-Saubhagya Kavya. Inspired by a dream of a celestial vehicle, Dhanna Shah, a Porwal, commenced its constructions under the patronage of Rana Kumbha. The architect overseeing the project was Deepaka and there is an inscription on a pillar near the main shrine, stating that in 1439 Deepaka constructed the temple at the directions of Dharanka, a devote Jain. When the ground floor was completed, Acharya Soma Sundar Suri of Tapa Gaccha supervised the ceremonies, which are described in Soma-Saubhagya Kavya.

Built in white marble and occupying an area 60 by 62 meters, the temple with its distinctive domes, shikhara, turrets and cupolas rises mafnificently from the slope of the hill like a wedding cake. After paying Rs.200 entry fee (comes with a free audio guide which is a MUST to understand the history and hundreds of little but important details about Ranakpur),  two Rs.100 tickets for each of my cameras (I left the phone in the car otherwise, they would have charged me another Rs.100 for the phone camera) and the most thorough body/bag search, I was finally allowed to come in.  Note: shoes, cigarettes, leather articles including leather bags and belts are not allowed and should be removed before entering the temple, menstruating women are asked not to enter either; appropriate attire required.

The main temple, the Chaumukha Mandir (Four-Faced Temple) is dedicated to Adinath, the first of Jain tirthankara (depicted in many Buddha-like images throughout the temple). The construction of the temple and quadrupled image symbolize the tirthankara’s conquest of the four cardinal directions and hence the cosmos. An incredible construction consists of complicated series of 30 halls, 80 domes and 1444 individually carved pillars none of which is the same. I wish I could prove them wrong, but after an hour of meticulous examination of every pillar, each of which was indeed like none other, I couldn’t see beyond the large picture of the hall. Foreigners weren’t allow to enter the main platform in the middle of the temple, but I definitely had enough time to browse around, admiring the interior covered in knotted, wrought carvings, multiple Jain statues and a beautiful carving made out of a single marble rock depicting 108 heads of snakes and numerous tales.

I surely benefited from listening to the audio guide, it provided me not only with the history of Ranakpur, but also Jainism, specific details about the design of the temple, its architect, results of invasions and the story of re-discovering Ranakpur and re-claiming it back from the jungles. A place with so many delicate and intricate details, should be explored extensively and for a long period of time. I spent about 2 hours in Ranakpur and could have spent even more if we didn’t have to continue to Jodhpur.

The post Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, India. January 2014 first appeared on SvetaNYC.

January 9, 2014

After a good and warm night of rest, delicious home-cooked breakfast and a thoughtful present from an affectionate and beautiful Parvati’s daughter, it was time to say goodbyes to the magnificent Chittorgarh fort and follow the steps of Maharana Udai Singh II, who in 1568 abandoned the fort for good and moved the Mewar dynasty capital 118 kms west to a place he called Udaipur.

Legend has it that Udai Singh II came upon a hermit while hunting in the foothills of the Aravalli Range. The hermit blessed the king and asked him to build a palace on that spot, assuring him that it would be well protected (you don’t have to be a fakir to understand that the Aravilli mountain range is a great natural protection by itself). Udai Singh followed the advice and built his residency on the site and when Mughal king Akbar the Great conquered Chittorgarh, Udai Singh promptly moved his court to Udaipur. After Udai’s death in 1572, his son Maharana Pratap took the reins of power, he defeated Akbar at the battle of Haldighati in 1576 and re-conquered lost Mewar territories (except for Chittorgarh). Peace and prosperity descended on Udaipur, palaces were built on the lake shores and art, particularly miniature paintings, flourished.

In 1736, the marauding Marathas attacked Udaipur and by the end of the century, the Mewar state was in dire straits and ruins. However, the State of Mewar was re-established with the help of British, who took the city under their protection till 1947 when India gained independence.

Udaipur is referred to as the “Venice of the East” and in my opinion, it is one of the most picturesque cities in Rajasthan and India too. The city, which represents an attractive mix of modern and old, is located on three interconnected lakes within the town – Fateh Sagar, Pichola and Swaroop Sagar Lakes. Multiple forts, palaces, temples, havelis, gardens, mountains, narrow ancient shopping streets, along with fabulous Taj hotels occupying the former Maharana palaces, followed by the all-time high cult of the current symbolic ruler of the Suryavanshi (Sun) dynasty – Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar – made it a perfect two-day destination.

Sunil dropped me and my luggage outside the city, since there are no out-of-town cars are allowed in (or so he said), so I hired an-always-super-overprices tuk-tuk to get me to my hotel – Jagat Niwas Palace. It is, no doubt, one of the best places to stay in Udaipur, unless you prefer the quaint old-world feel and luxury of the Taj Palaces hotels, which also comes with a few thousand dollars per night price tag.

Jagat Niwas Palace is a beautiful historic haveli located on the Pichola lake, overlooking the Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir, two lake palaces. After I settled in my room on the ground floor with, unfortunately, no lake views, I asked concierge for a map and directions to the City Palace and embarked on a 9 hour tour around the palaces, lakes and temples.

The City Palace was only 5 minutes walk via the narrow alleyways, and because of the well-charted map, it was easy to find. After buying the City Palace Complex Ticket (Rs.30),  the City Palace Museum Entrance ticket (Rs. 115) and one Camera permit (Rs.225), I was surrounded by the tour guides offering their services. I love hiring guides because they “usually” know more than I do and often things that aren’t commonly known, it is definitely a great money-time investment in India. After picking one, very calm and self-assured young guide (Rs 200 + Rs.50 tip), we went in for am amazing 2.5 hours exploration tour around immense Palace premisses. (Guide’s name was Nitin Sharma, his phone is +91-98292-96494, e-mail: magguidr@yahoo.com)

The City Palace was built concurrently by Udai Singh II in 1559 and his 76 successors Maharanas over the period of 300 years. 224 m long and 30 m high, it is the largest palace in India, and despite its enormous size, this conglomeration of eleven separate palaces and gardens, built and extended by various Maharanas, still remains incredibly uniform in architectural design and style. A rich blend of Rajasthani, Mughal, Medieval, European and Chinese architecture is distinctly homogeneous and eye catching. The palace complex was built entirely in granite and marble. The interiors of the palace with its balconies, towers and cupolas exhibit delicate mirror-work, murals, wall paintings , silver-work, inlay-work and colored glass.

Nitin and I entered the front courtyard via Tripolia Pol (built in 1725), in front of the palace facade is an arena where elephant fights were staged in the past to test their prowess before starting on war campaigns.

After giving me a brief history lesson about Udaipur and its maharanas, Nitin mentioned that luckily I came in the right time, because the current Maharana’s only son was getting married in two weeks time, so the palace has been cleaned, re-decorated to look its best for the festivities. We approached the main block of the City Palace through a modest door from the Ganesha Deodhi Terrace. The door was flanked by whitewashed walls vibrantly painted with martial animals in the traditional Rajput style.

Via Toran Pol, named after a traditional wedding ritual, where the groom getting married to the Mewar princess would touch the toran – a temporary crown tied on the entrance gate, we entered the City Palace Museum. Do not get confused, the main entrance ticket to the Palace allows you to enter only the front arena since the rest of the palace operates as a City Palace Museum and requires a separate ticket.  First courtyard, Moti Chowk, was built during the reign of Rana Karan Singh Ji (1620-1628) and served as the arrival and departure hall for the royal family, as well as a place where elephants and horses were prepared for the royal processions.  Adjacent, there are sites of Khasa Rasodia, original structure was known as Kanwarpada ki Ovari (living room for the prince), converted in the 19th century by Maharana Swarup Singh Ji into the special kitchen and Satanavari Paiga that literally means ‘seven and nine bay horse stable” built by Rana Karan Singh Ji in the 17th century, with five bays of the north block still functioning as horse stable.

The City Palace Museum begins with the Rai Angan (Royal Courtyard), the very spot where hermit Goswami Prem Giri blessed Udai Singh and instructed him to build a new city. Rooms along the sides contain paintings (including the one of the Battle of Haldighati in 1576), armory, historical documents and the fire-pit dedicated to the hermit.

We moved on to Baadi Mahal (Great Palace), the exotic central garden palace situated on a 27 m high natural rock formation vis–à–vis the rest of the palace, where the rooms on the ground floor appear to be at the level on the fourth floor. The swimming pool in the middle was used for Holi festival celebration.

In adjoining hall, miniature paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries depict Jag Mandir, Jagdish Temple, the very courtyard and an elephant fight organized by the Maharanas. Because elephants are naturally very calm animals, they were fed hashish before arranging the flights. The fight looked like the two elephants pulling each other by the trunks. It might have seemed innocent, but on most occasions caused elephants deep tusk-inflicted wounds.

Kishan (Krishna) Villa is another chamber in the Palace with rich collection of miniature paintings that portrays royal processions, festivals and games of the Maharanas. However, there is a tragic story linked to this wing of the City Palace – Bhim Singh’s daughter Krishna Kumari drank a fatal cup of poison here to solve the dilemma of two rival princely suitors from Jaipur and Jodhpur, who were both threatening to invade Mewar, if she didn’t marry them.

Approached from the Manak Chowk, Manak Mahal is an enclosure for rulers’ formal audiences and has a raised alcove inlaid completely in mirrored glass. Sun-faced emblems, in gleaming brass, religious insignia of the Sisodia dynasty are a recurring display at several locations in the City Palace; one of these prominent emblems is depicted on the facade of the Manak Chowk, which can also be seen from the outermost court below. The largest emblem is also seen on the wall of the Surya Chopra , a reception area at the lower level. Surya or Sun emblem of the Mewar dynasty depicts a Bhil, the Sun, Chittorgarh and a Rajput with an inscription in Sanskrit of a quotation from the Bhagavat Gita “God helps those who do their duty”. It was and still is customary for the Maharanas to offer obeisance to the Sun facing east, every morning before breakfast.

Many chambers are former living quarters of the Maharanas, each representing a particular king’s style, needs and hobbies. One of the rooms belonged to Bhopal Singh (1930-1955) paralyzed from waist down since the age of 16, his room was equipped with an elevator and made fully accessible for a person in a wheel-chair.

Surya Chopra opens into Mor Chowk (Peacock Courtyard) – a pillared hall with glass and mirror mosaic decorations which are integral to the inner courts’ style. The elaborate design of this chamber consists of three peacocks (representing the three seasons of summer, winter and monsoon) modeled in high relief and faced with 5,000 peaces of colored glass, built into successive niches in the wall area. The Mor Chowk was built by Maharana Sajjan Singh, 200 years after the construction of the palace. The all-mirrored Chitram-ki-Burj and Badi Chorur Chowk are great places to check out too.

The south end of the Palace comprises of Zenana Mahal, the royal ladies quarters built in the 17th century. In 1974, it has been converted into a gallery and now contains lots of paintings depicting royal hunting scenes. Next to Zenana Mahal is Amar Mahal or the Treasure Hall built in the early 17th century by Rana Amar Singh I. Adjacent rooms contain the exhibit of old horse baggies and precious silver objects.

It was almost 13.45 when Nitin finished the tour and rushed me to the Chandra Chowk Gate to get a ticket for a Pichola Lake boat ride. Apparently, tickets sold between 10.00 and 14.00 were Rs.340, while from 14.00 till 17.00 Rs.600. Since I already had the City Palace Entrance ticket, I didn’t have to buy another one, and after getting a boat pass, I said goodbyes to Nitin and ran to the Rameshwar Ghat to catch the last boat (which usually leaves every hour). The Ghat was about 15 minutes walk and I was lucky to make it on time.

Pichola Lake was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II after he moved his capital to Udaipur. Now, it is 4 kms long and 3 kms wide and offers a fantastic way to see the city from a boat. There are two natural islands in the Lake, Jig Niwas Island – home to the royal summer palace converted into the world-famous Taj Group-run luxurious Lake Palace hotel (which I didn’t visit) and Jag Mandir Island, where I took a boat trip.

The city looked stunning from the water, built in different, yet coordinated styles, Udaipur looked nothing less than a postcard during the 40 minutes journey to Jag Mandir.

Construction of Jag Mandir, also known as Lake Garden Palace, started in 1551 by Maharana Amar Singh, continued by Karan Singh (1620-1628) and finally completed by Jagat Singh I (1628- 1652). The palace’s history is closely related to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, when he was still young prince known as Prince Khurram. In 1623, he rebelled against his father Emperor Jahangir claiming the throne of the Mughal empire. Faced with danger of getting thwarted in his campaign, he sought refuge in Mewar kingdom at Udaipur where he was given a refuge by Maharana Karan Singh (they say that the courtesy was extended because Khurram’s mother was a Rajput lady). Initially, Khurram, his wife Mumtaz Mahal and two sons, Prince Dara and Prince Aurangzeb, stayed at the City Palace, but later they were moved to Gul Mahal, a palace especially built for Khurram by his host in the middle of the Jag Mandir island, where Khurram remained under Mewar’s protection in 1623-1624.

The irony of this act of hospitality is that Karan Singh’s father was defeated by Khurram in the war in 1614, and his son, Karan, had acted an envoy to the Mughal court where the cordial amity developed between the Mewar and Mughal kingdoms. Following the death of Jahangir in 1627, Khurram bestowed the title of Shah Jahan at the Badal Mahal in Udaipur, before he left for his coronation as the Mughal Emperor. As the reward, Shah Jahan not only restored six, previously annexed by Mughals, districts to the Mewar kingdom, but also presented a unique ruby jewel to Jagat Niwas, son of Rana Karan Singh.

During the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the island became a refuge for the second time, when Maharana Swroop Singh saved a number of European families, mostly women and children, from imminent death from the Indians, by hiding them in the Jag Mandir palace.

You can’t deny that Jag Mandir is impeccably beautiful and manicured island with two separate palaces, Gul Mahal and Jag Mandir, a garden and a pavilion; it is home to an amazing restaurant and a seven-room boutique hotel.

We docked the boat at the Pavilion, an impressive white colonnade of cusped arches, decorated with large elephants carved in stone, four on each side of the entry steps.

The first structure I visited getting off the boat was Gul Mahal. Initially built as a small sandstone palace in 1551, during the reign of Maharana Amar Singh, it was further developed to host Prince Khurram. The Gul Mahal has three circular domed chambers, one above the other, with a crescent of Islam fixed on top of the dome. The columned hall lead to the living chambers where the massive marble slabs affixed to the interior walls were inlaid with colored rubies, onyx, jasper, cornelian and jade. This type of decoration is reported to have been replicated by the Mughals in their Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah at Agra, in 1626. The palace is also said to have housed a throne carved from a single block of serpentine, which is presently not traceable. The Mahal is surrounded by a roomy circular apartment built in white and black marble with murals and paintings considered an uncommon feature in Rajput architecture. On the western wing of the palace, this type of design has been repeated in three other pavilions.

Jag Mandir is the main palace which incorporates the Gul Mahal. It has octagonal towers topped with cupolas and houses a labyrinth of reception halls, residential apartments and internal courts, all built in Rajput and Mughal style. The Zenana and Kunwar Pada ka Mahal (The Palace of the Crown Prince) adjoint the palace. Access to the second floor was prohibited, but the main hall represented a very interesting and well assembled historical museum of the Palace and island. A group of Russian tourists was on the boat with me, and because they didn’t speak English, for 30 minutes I had to play a guide and translate every plaque posted in the museum.

Gardens and Palace of the Twelve Stones are other two things to explore on this small island, but I preferred to order a glass of wine and enjoy the views of the lake and the city, as well as the fabulous dining pavilion.

Once you are on Jag Mandir Island, you can stay as long as you want and take any boat heading back to Udaipur. I stayed for over an hour and met two interesting Argentine guys, Nico and his friend,  who I ran into a few more times on my trip around Rajasthan, since we were visiting the same cities at the same pace.

After getting back to Udaipur, I stopped by Fateh Prakash palace, which is now a luxury heritage hotel hosting two very interesting sites – Durbar Hall and Crystal Gallery. After paying Rs. 525 for a combined ticket (Crystal Gallery and a tea/coffee ceremony) and leaving my driver’s license as a deposit, I went on exploring the hotel’s premises. Durbar Hall, built in 1909 within the Fateh Prakash Palace is one of India’s largest and most extravagant royal reception halls, lit by some of the country’s biggest chandeliers. The luxuriant interior is decorated with weapons of the Maharanas and some of their unique portraits. The gallery above the the hall was used by the royal ladies to observe the court proceedings. I was the only person in the hall and judging by the busy staff running back and forth, they were getting ready for some important function. I have heard from my guide that the rent of this room starts at $40,000 per day.

Before I entered the Crystal Gallery, I deposited all my cameras and a phone, since no pictures were allowed in the Gallery. Maybe because of its hefty, by Indian standards, entry price the Gallery was empty, only the voices of two guards at the door, continually bickering with each other, were heard throughout the entire hall. The audio guide was very useful in telling the story of the gallery and origins of some of the peaces. The gallery houses a rare collection of crystal that Maharana Sajjad Singh ordered from F&C Osler & Co in London in 1877 but died before it arrived. It is said that all the packages and boxes containing the crystals remained unopened for 110 years and when they were finally re-discovered, the current Maharana didn’t want to use the objects but built a permanent exhibition showing the best of the items. Now, the gallery consists of crystal chairs, dressing tables, sofas, beds, thousands of pieces of crockery and table fountains none of which was every used.

After finishing the tour, I was escorted to the Gallery Restaurant where I sat by the window, imagining a life of a Mewar princess while waiters served me coffee with cookies.

After exiting through the City Palace’s Badi Pol, I visited Jagdish Temple, a large Hindu temple built by Jagat Singh I in 1651. After climbing elephant-flanked flight of 150 steps and fighting off the herds of men pretending to be the apprentices of the school of miniature painting across the street (a very common trick in Udaipur), I got to enjoy a few moments admiring wonderfully carved double-storied mandapa enshrining a black stone image of Vishnu as Jagannath, lord of the Universe and his man-bird vehicle Garuda.

It was starting to get dark and I was quite exhausted, but there was one thing I wanted to do before calling it a night. I phoned Sunil to come and pick me up by the Temple and after about 15 minutes, we were already on the way to Sajjan garh or Mansoon Palace. Located 9 kms by the winding road, on top of Aravalli hills overlooking Pichola Lake, this melancholy and neglected white marbled palace was built by Sajjan Singh in 1884. It was originally planned to be a nine-storied astronomical center, but after Sajjan Singh prematurely died at the age of 26, the partially built palace was subsequently completed by his successor Fateh Singh who used it as a monsoon palace and a hunting lodge.

The white marble palace (Rs. 160 + Rs 130 for a car) has high turrets and guards regulating each of the towers. The palace has a grand central court with a staircase that leads to many rooms and living quarters. It has been built on marble pillars, which have been carved with exquisite motifs of leaves and flowers. The Mansoon Palace has a unique rain water harvesting structure with storage capacity of 195,500 litres, however, it wasn’t adequate to sustain the palace and it was therefore abandoned. In 1956 Maharana Shri Bhagawat Singh gave Mansoon palace to people of Mewar, perhaps it explains the neglected state of the Palace and its weird Wildlife Sanctuary exhibit inside the main hall.

I did come to check out the palace, but more importantly, I came to witness the glorious end of the day with the sun setting behind the Aravalli range.

After a delicious dinner at the restaurant located in my hotel, with a wonderful views of the lake and a bunch of noisy patrons, I finally went to sleep.

January 10, 2014

I spent the entire previous day checking out the sites of Udaipur and with relative success, taking my time, I succeeded to see most of them. Today, I asked Sunil to take me to a few other sites that are located within 20-30 kms from Udaipur, namely Sas-Bahu Temple and Eklingji Temple.

I met Sunil outside the city walls at 9 am and we headed to Nagda, the old capital of Mewar kingdom, even before it moved to Chittorgarh in 734 A.D. In ancient times, Nagda was known as Nagahrada founded by Nagaditya, the fourth Mewar king, who ruled in 646 A.D. It was a flourishing town studded with Shiva, Vaishnava and Jain temples. In the 15 century, the Guhila king Mokala, constructed a large lake naming it after his brother Bagela Singh. There are several temples around the lake, but the most famous one is Sas-Baku Temple.

The temples were built in the 10th century and Sas-Bahu means “Mother-in-law” and “daughter-in-law” respectively. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and consists of two structures – one by mother-in-law large structure and one by daughter-in-law smaller structure. Both temples are similar in construction, have an altar, a mandapa (columned prayer hall) with projections and a porch.

The larger Sas Temple has a torana (archway) in its front and it is believed that on ceremonial occasions the image of the Lord Vishnu was swung from the torana accompanied by hymns in the praise of lord. The smaller Bahu Temple has an octagonal ceiling which is adorned with beautifully carved eight intricate female figures.

Both temples are built on the high platform facing east and each of the temples is surrounded by subsidiary smaller shrines – ten around Sas Temple and five around Bahu Temple, all decorated with astonishing carvings.  The walls of the shrine are bare and not engrossed with much decor, but the projections with their exquisite sculptures are mind blowing. The sculptures are made in two steps, first, the images of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were carved and then, images of Rama, Balarama and Parashurama were added. The detailed relief figures include male and female deities, regents, amorous panels and scenes from Ramayana. Some temples were better preserved than others, but the entire Sas-Bahu Temple complex was something to explore, especially because there was no one around that early in the morning, not even a guard.

On the other side of the lake, Sunil dropped me off by the Jain temple Adbhut ji Ka Mandir dedicated to Saint Shanti Nath, built during the reign of Rana Kumbha. “Adbhut” means “strange” and it refers to a strange 9 feet idol located inside the temple. When I arrived, the temple was under a full-throttled construction and unless the black ordinary looking sculpture I found inside was the “strange idol” people were talking about, I didn’t find anything interesting to see there. However, on the way out, the construction workers showed me the other, smaller temple which surely served as a substitute to the one under construction. The attendant showed me around what looked like a regular Jain temple with statues of naked saints sitting in the lotus position, except for one thing – in the middle of the room hung a huge bell with Russian inscription “Трудовая Слава 1965” which means “Glory to the Workers” made it 1965. I could have never imagined a Soviet factory or farm’s bell in the India’s Jain Temple. Soviet leaders would have flipped in their caskets had they known that the “no religion” trick didn’t work out. What an irony.

Both places took me about an hour to see, and now we were going to Eklingji – a Hindu complex of 108 temples. The temple complex was built by the Guhila (later called Sesodia) dynasty of Mewar in 934 A.D., in honor of their presiding deity Eklingji (which believed to be the ruling deity of Mewar), in a form of Lord Shiva. The beautifully sculpted temple complex is surrounded by high fort-like walls. The main temple, which dates to the 15th century, was rebuilt from the ruins of an earlier destroyed temple. The walled complex is made of marble and granite and has an enormous double-storied, elaborately pillared hall (mandapa) under a vast pyramidal roof, with a four-faced image of Lord Shiva in black marble. Another temple in the complex is the Lakulish Temple; built in 971, it is the only temple of the Lakulish sect in the whole of India.

I deposited my cameras, shoes and SOCKS in the locker and went inside. It was very cold, about 0C, but the marble floor of the complex was covered with red carpet making it more or less comfortable to walk and explore this very densely built complex. I didn’t count whether there were indeed 108 temples, but there were a lot of them, tightly packed into one city block.  I wish I have hired a guide because after about 10 minutes, all temples blended in together. Nevertheless, it was a stunning place to explore.

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* Photo was taken from the Internet.

By noon, we were already on the way back to Udaipur. Sunil suggested to visit Saheliyon-ki-Bari, a so-called “Garden of Maidens”. I am not a big garden person, unless I am in Japan or China where each garden is a piece of art, but since I had plenty of time, i decided to give it a try. Designed and built by Maharana Bhopal Singh in the 18th century, the garden served as a leisure and relaxing spot for the Rani and her 48 young female attendant who accompanied a princess to Udaipur as part of her dowry. There are four water pools decorated with multiple fountains each of which “sings” in its own way; marble elephants and birds, along with the lotus pond apparently were very popular with locals too. There was a small hideous museum in the center of the garden, designed after Ripley’s “Believe it or Not Museum That Went Terribly Wrong”.

My attention attracted a young, 5-6 y.o. girl, playing on the steps of the museum with a dirty piece of clothes. It wasn’t a doll, it was a thread of fabric. She looked very pre-occupied trying to put her rag to sleep, then cuddling it etc. I didn’t expect her to speak English but I asked an Indian couple to check with a girl if she was there with somebody or if she was homeless, because she did look like one but in India, many children look like homeless. They asked her and she said that her mom was a gardner at the Saheliyon-ki-Bari. I guess she brought her daughter to work but didn’t keep an eye on her because she was nowhere to be seen. I never found out her name, but I asked her whether she wanted to walk in the park with me and take pictures of the fountains and flowers, and she happily grabbed my hand and led me to the lotus pond.

This little pure soul was a true delight to be with and a real model when it came to taking pictures, since she wanted to be in the every single one. We spent over an hour walking together, holding hands and inevitably attracted attention of other garden visitors, who would stop and stare. When I finally explained to her that I had to leave, she found the most beautiful flower in the garden and brought it to me. I was touched and hurt to leave. I looked into my backpack, trying to see if there was something I could leave with her, but all I had was a Lonely Planet travel guide and an apple. So, I gave her an apple and she gave me a huge hug in return.

When I left the garden, I found my car surrounded by homeless children, many were barely 5-6 y.o. There was a girl, perhaps 4 y.o or younger, a toddler herself, carrying a wrapped new born baby. I gave all of them some little money, which I usually avoid doing since it stimulates the beggars’ ‘industry’, and even more children started to run from all over the place. I jumped in a car, closed the door and was about to drive away, but then I remembered that I had a pretty pink hair pin in my make up bag which I kept in a car. I asked Sunil to stop, found the pin and gave it to that little girl with a baby in her hands. Money did make her happy, but this little gesture of kindness, made her shine! I could see her waiving us goodbye till the car turned around the corner.

It was still afternoon, so after Sunil left me by the city gate, I walked along the lake ghats, taking pictures of the phenomenally beautiful views of the lake and surrounding buildings, bridges, shops and daily life of Udaipur citizens. Without looking at the map, I simply browsed around the old town, checking out jewelry and souvenir shops, as well as buying famous Indian body oils. Next to the City’s Clock Tower, I spotted a very interesting looking temple, which turned out to be Vasupoojyaji Temple. The attendant sitting outside on his chair not only allowed me to go inside, but also accompanied me with the stories of the paintings depicted on the temple’s walls, and there were a lot of things to talk about. It was decorated with colorful glass and mirrors from top to bottom, making it look surreal and rich. Multiple paintings in the front hall depicted stories from famous Indian legends and I wish I wrote them down, because I can’t recall any one of them. I tipped the attendant Rs.200 for being super nice and friendly and for spending a good 30 minutes showing me every corner of the Temple.

After finishing shopping, I returned to the hotel to pack my suitcase and get ready for an early-morning departure. For the last time, I climbed the stairs to the hotel’s rooftop restaurant that offered, in my opinion, the best food in Udaipur and the best views of the lake too. Even though, the restaurant’s service was mediocre, I let it slide this time.

The post Udaipur, India. January 2014 first appeared on SvetaNYC.

After observing the early morning rituals by the holy Pushkar lake, Sunil and I continued our car journey through Rajasthan  and proceeded to another spectacular site, usually skipped by most travelers, Chittorgarh Fort.  Located about 180 kms from Pushkar, Chittorgarh is the largest fort complex in India regarded as the epitome of Chattari Rajput pride, romance, spirit and tragedy, for the people of Chittorgarh  on three occasions chose definite death (jauhar) before surrender. Even though, it is presently nothing more than a ruined citadel, for people of Rajasthan, it remains a symbol of all that was brave, true and noble in glorious Rajput tradition.

They say, Chittor, a magnificent 6 kms long fortification perched on top of 180 m cliffs, was built by the Maurya in the 7th century B.C.  Mauryan dynasty ended in 271 B.C and till the 7th century A.D. the fort was ruled by Chitrangada Mori (where the name Chittor originated from). In 734 A.D. Bappa Rawal, the founder of the kingdom of Mewar, seized Chittorgarh and made it his capital (another version says that he received Chittor as a part of the dowry after marrying the last Solanki princess).  For 834 years, the fort remained the capital of Mewar kingdom, which stretched from Gujarat to Ajmer. It was one of the most contested seats of power in India and a place of the most glorious battles fought over its possession. With only brief interruptions, Chittorgarh has always remained in possession of the Sisodias of the Guhilot clan of Rajputs.

Trice in its history, the fort was conquered and each time it ended in honorable yet horrific  tradition of jauhar – the males of the fort, dressed in saffron robes drove to fight the enemy till imminent death, while women committed act of self-immolation by jumping into a funeral pyre.

The first attack was by Alauddin Khilji  Sultan of Delhi in 1303 A.D. According to my beautiful guide and host Parvati, Alauddin was given a parrot as a present and every time this parrot saw Alauddin’s wives, he kept shouting that Rani Padmini of Mewar was yet the most beautiful woman in the world. Infuriated but intrigued, Alauddin gathered a huge army to march on Chittorgarh and acquire Rani Padmini, if she was indeed as beautiful as parrot was saying.  Upon reaching the great walls of the fort, Alauddin deceitfully promised  Maharana Rawal Ratan Singh to allow him to take a look at Padmini, after which he would withdraw the  army back to Delhi.  Because no man but the king-husband could see Rani Padmini, they came up with a solution – Rani would sit on the steps of her palace in the middle of the lake, looking into water, while Alauddin would stand in the palace on the bank of the lake,  with his back to the window but looking in the mirror at the  reflection of Rani in the lake.  Upon seeing her in the mirror, Alauddin fell desperately in love  and ordered his army to capture the fort and its queen. Rani Padmini along with other citizens of Chittorgarh committed jauhar, but the legend of her beauty until present day told and re-told by people of Rajasthan.

The fort was recaptured in 1326 by the young Hamir Singh and by the 16th century Mewar had became the leading Rajput state. Rana Sanga of Mewar led the combined Rajput forces against the first Mughal emperor Babur in 1527, but was defeated at the Battle of Khanwa. In 1535, Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, besieged the fort again causing immense carnage. Just like in 1303,  32,000 men rode out to face certain death, while Rani Karnavati led women to commit an act of self-immolation.

Jauhar was perform for the third time after Akbar the Great captured Chittorgarh in 1568, after which the capital was permanently moved to Udaipur,  a residency of  the young heir Rana Udai Singh II since 1559.

Chittorgarh was never rebuilt nor re-populated. A small village still exists on the top of the hill, surrounded by the authentic and partially restored walls of the fort.  I was lucky to reserve a room at, perhaps, the only available accommodation in the fort – Padmini Haveli,  a  90 year old converted school beautifully restored and run by the local family. I can’t deny that it was perhaps the most beautiful and authentic historic hotel I have stayed in India.

Sunil and I reached Chittorgarh around 2 pm and after entering one of its 7 gates, Ram Pol,  we drove into the fort’s settlement. Sunil has never been to Chittorgarh before, because most of his clients neither knew about it, nor had time to visit this off  “traditional Ajmer-Udaipur route” site. I happened to treat myself with yet another fantastic historic site away from foreign crowds. We would have hard time navigating the narrow ancient streets had we not met a beautiful young lady in pink saree riding a moped. It was Parvati – the owner of Padmini Haveli, and since I was her only guest that day, she figured that a car with a blonde girl inside was heading towards the hotel.  She showed us the way to the Haveli, a porter boy helped me with my luggage and after having a delicious cup of tea in the courtyard, Parvati took me around the fort (Rs.800). I couldn’t have wished for a better guide!

We took Sunil with us since Chittorgarh covers a huge area but the circular road within the fort links all the gates and provides access to all the monuments (ruined palaces and 130 temples) within the fort walls. The guide book recommended 3 hours to see everything, however, it took us almost 5 hours, even with a car.

After paying for the entry ticket (Rs.100) we went to explore the largest and oldest structure in Chittorgarh – Kumbha Palace. Presently, this magnificent palace complex provides only faint glimpses of pristine glory of the Rajputs.  Maharana Kumbha (1433-1468) made several additions and alterations to the previous palaces on that site. Two gates lead to the Kumbha Palace , Badi Pol and Suraj Pol, and during its remarkable past, the Palace consisted of multiple apartments, The Surya Gokhra, Zenana Mahal (women’s palace), Kanwar Pade ka Mahal, elephant and horses stables, a Shiva temple and other residential buildings and courtyards. Both, the exterior and interior of the remaining structures, are interactively carved and decorated with canopied balconies, making it very easy for visitors to imagine their previous splendor and luxury.

Maharana Udai Singh II, the founder of Udaipur, was born here. The legend says that his maid, Panna Dai, saved the prince by replacing him with her own son as a decoy, while Udai Singh was spirited away in a fruit basket.  Thus, the dynasty was saved. This is also the Palace where Rani Padmini, consigned herself to the funeral pyre in one of the underground cellars, committing an act of jauhar along with many other women.

On the other side of Kumbha Palace is a small but beautiful and active Kumbhaswamin Temple (originally dedicated to Varaha but now to Lord Krishna) renovated by Maharana Kumbha. Raised on high plinth, it comprises of a sanctum, a mandapa, a portico and an open pradakshina path. Built in the ornate Indo-Aryan style, the interior of mandapa is composed of twenty pillars with a roof built in the form of pyramid. Its carved panels illustrate 15th century Mewar life. In front of the temple is an image of Garuda under the canopy supported by four pillars. The sanctum appears to be original and shows bold podium moldings decorated with sculptured niches.

On the south, there is another smaller shrine called Meera Mandir, associated with the mystic-poetess Meera Bai, a 16th century Mewar royal who was poisoned by her brother-in-law, but survived due to the blessing of Krishna. She is one of the most famous historical figures whose compositions are still popular throughout North India. Meera Bai was the most passionate worshipper of lord Krishna, and legend has it, that her love for Krishna epitomized by her final disappearance in the temple of Krishna in Dwarka. She is believed to have entered the sanctum of the temple in the state of ecstasy after which the sanctum’s door shut on their own. When re-opened later, Meera Bai was no where to be found, but her saree was seen enwrapped around the idol of Lord Krishma, symbolizing her final union with the Lord.

Right before the famous Chittorgarh landmark – Vijaya Stambha- I noticed another very different and definitely old temple Sammidheshwar Mahadev (also called Mokalji’s Temple because it was restored by Maharana Mokal in 1428 A.D.).  The temple was built by Raja Bhoj in the 6th century, and contains the inscription on the western wall of the temple, left by Kumarapala, the Chalukyan ruler of Gujarat, when he visited the temple soon after conquering Arana Raja, the Chauhan ruler of Ajmer in 1150 A.D.

The Sanctum of the temple (Garbhagriha) has three idols joined in a single statue representing all 3 Hindu gods together – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Middle idol stands for Vishnu, left for Brahma and right for Shiva. The centered idol of Vishnu has big eyes as if he is watching the world;  idol of Brahma is regenerating the world; and the idol of Shiva, with a gap in his mouth, looks as if it is swallowing the world.

Down beyond the Sammidheshwar Temple is the most picturesque place in the fort – Gaumukh Reservoir – a deep water tank carved out on the edge of the cliff. It takes its name from a spring that feeds the tank from gaumukh (cow’s mouth).

It was getting late and Parvati rushed me to see the symbol of  Chittorgarh – Vijay Stambha or Victory Tower. The Stambha was built in 1448 A.D. by Maharana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over Sultan of Malwa in 1440 A.D.  Dedicated to Vishnu, it rises 37.19 m high in nine exquisitely carved storeys distinctly marked with openings and balconies at every face of each story. The entire tower, inside and out, covered with architectural ornaments and inscribed images of gods and goddesses, seasons, weapons and musical instruments etc. It is regarded as a veritable textbook of Hindu iconography.

After paying additional Rs.50, I climbed the 157 narrow stairs to the 8th floor and enjoyed not only the splendid views of the Chittorgarh, but also the beautifully carved interior.  Luckily, I reached the top floor when there was no one there, so I could spend a few moments on my own, savoring the beauty and uniqueness of this place.

Below the Vijay Stambha is the Mahasati area with many sati (widow suicide by immolation) stones – this was a royal cremation ground and place where 13,000 women committed jauhar during the second siege of Chittorgarh by Bahadur Shah in 1535.

There were a few  Indian tourist groups in the fort, and I guess my presence attracted a lot of attention since I was the only foreigner. Noticing Indian freak-ish obsession and unhealthy interest towards me, I tried to walk as closely to Parvati as possible, hiding my face and hair in a long scarf. However, even all measures of precaution didn’t help because two men approached me and tried to rip the clothes off my head while shoving their phone cameras straight into my face. One guy pulled the edge of my scarf , which was wrapped around my neck, with such force that I started to chock grasping for air. But Parvati pushed them away before they could completely suffocate me. I don’t know how long it would go on for, if not for a man from another group who ran over and started beating the men harassing me.  Police came running too and without assessing the scene bombarded the assaulters with their rubber bats.  After about 10 minutes of thrashing, with a huge circus of Indians surrounding us, both men were led towards me and put on their knees (weird!!!) to ask for my forgiveness.

I can’t deny that I was a bit shaken by this experience, so Parvati pushed me in the car and we drove to check out two more sites, notably the famous Padmini Palace located in the middle of the lake. A three-storyed  white structure (a 19th century reconstruction of the original) crowned with chhatris became the forerunner of other palaces built in the state with the concept of Jal Mahal (palace surrounded by water). It was in this palace Alauddin was allowed to glimpse at the mirrored water reflection of Rani Padmani, wife of Maharana Ratan Singh, which led to the death of Maharana, distraction of Chittorgarh and act of jauhar. Rani Padmani’s beauty was compared to that of Cleopatra and her life story is an eternal legend in the history of Chittor.

I wish, I had more time to spend in the palace by the lake, overlooking the Padmini Palace to soak up its charm and fully comprehend the importance of the historical event that took place there, but it was getting dark very quickly and Parvati was rushing us back to the Haveli.  Along the road we stopped by 22 m high Kirti Stambha (Tower of Fame). Built in the 12th century by Bagherwal Jain merchant Jijaji Rathod, the tower is dedicated to Adinath, the first Jain tirthankar (just like the one in Ajmer) and decorated with naked figures of various other tirthankars of the Jain pantheon indicating that it is a monument of the Digambara (sky-clad) order. Apparently, a narrow stairway with 54 steps leads through the six storeys to the top, but it was already closed when I checked in.  There is a 14th century Jain temple right next to the Kirti Stambha where I was allowed to enter and explore.

After releasing Sunil at the end of the day, I finally got to enjoy the blissful Padmini Haveli. Parvati, whose husband was on a tour with German tourists, introduced me to her lovely children and told me about the restoration process that transformed the old ruined school into this incredible and comfortable hotel. Having witnessed myself the heights male chauvinism reached in India, I truly admired Parvati.  After spending a day with this gorgeous, soft and gentle, yet bold, determine and busines- oriented lady, I wish I could get to know her better.  She wasn’t born in Chittorgarh but married to a Rajput from the fort (and she mentioned a few times how proud her husband, whom i didn’t get a chance to meet, was about his Rajput heritage). A Swiss family helped to restore an old school that belonged to her husband’s family and now Parvati, pretty much single-handedly  runs all operations in the hotel. She learnt the history of Chittorgarh from her husband’s grandmother, who was, if i am not mistaken, the first female guide in the fort.  I couldn’t have desired a better company.

After a delicious home-cooked dinner, I climbed to the roof of the Haveli, where I enjoyed all colors of universe coming down on the Chittor Fort in a form of a beautiful sunset. By the end of this long day I wished I stayed in Chittorgarh and Padmini Haveli for longer than one night.

 Pictures 

The post Chittorgarh, India. January 2014 first appeared on SvetaNYC.

After 3 fantastic days in Jaipur, I had to abandon the world of luxuries and start a real road-trip around Rajasthan.  On January 7, I planned to pay a visit to two most important religious sites in Rajasthan – Ajmer and its Dargah of the Sufi’s saint Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti  and an ancient Hindu  pilgrimage town of Pushkar. It is a very common itinerary since Pushkar is a huge touristic hub for both, hippies and spirituality seekers. Sadly, Ajmer always stays in a shadow, however, it was my favorite place out of two.

Ajmer, the Rajasthan’s most important site in terms of Islamic history and heritage, was founded in late 7th century A.D. by Ajayraj Singh Chauhan, a clan branched out of Chechi Gurjars. For many centuries Ajmer withstood the repeated invasions by Turkic Muslims of Central Asia, until in 1193 it fell to Muhammad of Ghor, founder of Delhi Sultanate. Heavy tribute payments to Delhi guaranteed Ajmer a relative autonomy until 1365, when the city was captured by the ruler of Mewar. Since 1509, control of Ajmer was disputed between the Maharajas of Mewar and Marwar, until the city was conquered by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great in 1559. In the 18th century, reign passed to the Marathas and from 1818 till 1956, the area was directly administered by the British Raj.

It took Sunil and I about 2 hours to drive 135 kms from Jaipur to Ajmer, and at 11 am I was already standing by the Soniji Ki Nasiyan (or Siddhkoot Chaityalaya).  Also know as The Golden or Red Temple, this architecturally rich Digambara Jain Temple was built in 1865 by Soni family. The complex consists of two structures – the main temple building and a two storied Svarna Nagri Hall located behind the temple and known as the Museum.

Greatly revered by the Digambar sect of Jains, the Nasiyan temple is dedicated to Lord Rishabhdev, first of the 24 Tirthankars (religious path-makers of the Jains).  The  beautifully carved entrance gate of the temple is made of red sand stone brought from Karauli. The temple’s court houses an artistically designed 25 m high Manastambha  and a marble staircase, leading to the main temple, which is embellished with images of the Tirthankars.  The halls of the temple are said to be adorned with series of large, gilt wooden figures and delicate paintings that display scenes from Jain scriptures. The central image is of Lord Rishabhdev seated in the “Samavasarana“, in which he imparts true knowledge to the humanity, so that they get liberated from the entanglements of life and death. Unfortunately, this part of the temple is closed for non-Jains, or as the guard told me “It is the Soni’s family property and at their discretion no foreigners are allowed”.

Since I couldn’t bribe my way into Siddhkoot Chaityalaya, I went to check out the Svarna Nagri (admission Rs.10, shoes storage is free). It is sort of a museum that hosts only one item – a three- dimensional replica of the story of Rishabhdev in accordance with an old manuscript by Acharya Jinasena. The thought to have such an impressive model occurred to Seth Moolchand Soni after completion of the main temple in 1870. He wanted to build a figurative representation of the five auspicious events (panch-kalyanak) in the life of every Tirthankara: conception, birth, renunciation, enlightenment, and salvation (moksha or nirvana). It took Jaipur masters 25 years to complete this work and now, it is considered to be the largest (24.3 m by 12.2 m) and most artistically represented mythological narrative. You can’t really approach the structure, but you can see it from different directions and levels by following the corridor encircling the model. I was very impressed by the grandeur and amount of details depicted in Svarna Nagri.

After admiring the Nasiyan Temple for about an hour, Sunil drove me to Dargah Sharif,  so that I can participate in pilgrimage to the Muslim’s holy of holies in India. It is impossible to approach the Dargah by car since Dargah Bazaar is one of the busiest shopping streets in Ajmer. Sunil dropped me off about 1 km away from the main gate; aware of “No bags, no cameras” policy at the Dargah, I took my wallet, my iPhone (which was allowed) and entered the Bazaar.

I had mixed feelings while walking a road leading to Dargah. Even though it didn’t look any different from other crowded places I have visited in India, I knew that this road would take me to a special place. I guess it was the presence of chadors and flower vendors as well as a dense flow of people on a mission. The spiritual aspect of the experience died out when I looked under my feet and saw beggars, ton and ton of them in different state of physical mutilation (whether accidental, by birth or purposely inflicted, I can’t judge). The closer I got to the Islamic Shrine, the more it resembled la cour des miracles!

The Dargah Sharif or Dargah of Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti is a holy place because it hosts the tomb of a Sufi saint and a founder of a Chishti Order on the Indian subcontinent, Khwaja Muin-ud-din Chishti, who came to Ajmer from Persia in 1192 and died here in 1236.

Khwaja Muin-ud-din was born in 1141 in Chishti in Sistan region of Eastern Persia. His parents died when he was 16 y.o., but they  left him a windmill and an orchard to take care of. Legend has it that once, when he was watering his plants, a revered Sufi Shaikh Ibrahim Kunduzi came to his orchard. Young  Khwaja offered him some fruits from his garden and in return the Sufi gave him a piece of bread. Upon eating the bread,  Khwaja became enlightened; he distributed his property and money and left for Bukhara in search of knowledge and education.

After acquiring education, Khwaja travelled widely in search of a pir (spiritual guide). He met Nazrat Khwaja Usman Haruni, who was at the time the greatest scholar and spiritual leader, and after the very first meeting, he completely submitted himself to Usman. For 20 years Khwaja was a devoted follower of Usman Haruni and after passing various stages of a spiritual life, he was honored by his teacher to accompany him to Hajj to Mecca and later to Medina. It was in Medina, where Khwaja received an order from The Prophet requesting him “to proceed to India and show the path of truth to the people there”.

Khwaja arrived to Ajmer in 1190 at the age of 52.  When the news spread that a pious Devrish inhabited a hill by Ana Sagar lake, many people flocked to him for treatments and blessings, including Sultan Muhammad Ghori. In Ajmer, Khwaja Chishti attracted a substantial following and acquired a great deal of respect from the residents, introducing Islam to masses. Neither Khwaja Chishti nor his immediate disciples ever wrote down his teachings, but it is accepted that his Sufi Sulh-e-Kul (peace to all) concepts laid the foundation of the Chishti order in India. He preached renunciation of material goods,  strict regime of self-discipline, independence of rulers and the state, generosity to others and tolerance and respect for religious differences. Khwaja Chishti urged his disciples “to develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality”.

Khwaja Muin-ud-sin Chishti died on March 16, 1236 at the age of 97 and was buried in the same cell where he preached his teachings at the foot of the Taragarh Hill. However, his story wasn’t over. He left after himself a few prominent successors, including Hazrat Shaikh Nizamouddin Auliya,  who ventured to different parts of the country, serving the people and preaching the tenets of Islam.

However, It was during the reign of Akbar the Great (1556-1605) that Ajmer emerged as one of the most important religious centers in India.  Construction of the shrine was completed by Humayun, but many other parts of Dargah were commissioned and added by other Mughal emperors – Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb and so on. Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra  (370 kms away) every year in observance of a vow (he asked to be blessed with a son, since he had no male heir). The large pillars  – Kos Minars  – were erected at intervals of 3 kms along the entire route between Agra and Ajmer to mark the places where the royal pilgrims halted every day. Akbar also presented the Dargah Sharif with a big cauldron (deg) sufficient to cook for 5,000 people and two large drums.  They say that over 125,000 pilgrims visit the site every day and I was about to become one, along with Akbar the Great.

The crowds, beggars and vendors almost distracted me from the purpose I came to Dargah Sharif. I stood in front of the stunning Nizam Gate (given as a present by Nizam of Hyderabad), gathering my thoughts and admiring the beauty of Arabic writings on the walls of the gate. I knew that I had to bring something with me as a donation, but I didn’t know what and Zeeshan came to my rescue. He is one of the volunteers assisting the visitors at Dargah.  Not only did he suggest to buy flowers and chador (Rs.700) as a donation, but also he took me into the shrine and around the premises, explaining things and sharing bits of history I didn’t know. It didn’t hurt that he was a very good-looking  and composed young man, who escorted me through the Sharif Dargah with such feel of importance as if I were a Russian Tsaritsa Sviatlana.

Dargah Sharif consists of several courtyards and we passed via three gates (Nizam, Nakkarkhana (drums gate) and Buland Darwaza) in order to reach the central courtyard where the saint’s domed tomb is located on the silver platform. Pilgrims from all walks of life and faith, irrespective of their caste, beliefs and creed come here hoping  that the saint’s spirit will intercede on their behalf. They leave notes and holy strings attached to the railings, expecting the miracles to happen or thanking for something that already occurred.  The amount of people “storming” the shrine was unimaginable; shouting to hold tight to my wallet and camera, Zeeshan dragged me to the center of the shrine. He speedily entered the sacred space  behind the railings where the actual tomb was located, placed my offerings on the tomb and called me to come close so he could bless me. I did all as he said, even though it was almost impossible to squeeze through the ocean of people, but when i did, I was relieved to accomplished something I’ve planned.  Sadly, neither the atmosphere nor the people’s attitudes inspired me to stop for a moment and reminisce or think or reflect on something important to me.

After visiting the main shrine, Zeeshah walked me through the Dargah, showing the degs (large iron cauldrons) donated by Akbar in 1567 and his son Jahangir in 1631, green and white Akbari Masjid, which currently serves as an Arabic and Persian school of religious education, and also the courtyards. People visiting Dargah were curious but very friendly, none of them pulled out his/her camera or phone to snap a picture of me, nobody asked me where I was from and why iIcame there – we all came to Dargah for a reason and they respected my privacy.  After making a small (Rs.500) donation to Dargah Sharif, I was peacefully escorted back to the Nizam Gate, where I thanked Zeeshan for his help and promised to stay in touch.

Walk back to the car took even longer because the Dargah bazaar became impassable due to even denser crowd.  After getting into a car, Sunil was ready to proceed to Pushkar for a night, but I had another important place to visit, a place that even my driver, with his 10 years of experience in Rajasthan, has never been to – Taragarh Fort located on a steep hill south of Dargah Sharif.

Ajameru Doorg, as it was originally know, was built by Raja Ajaypal Chauhan, who was also a ruler of Sapadlaksh territory, in early 6th century A.D. It is reputed to be one of the oldest hill forts in India and the world, though not much remains since its glorious past. The fort unique defense and strength lied in impregnable ruggedness and acclivity of the mountains on top of which it was built. It has seen many battles and nerve-wrecking sieges and was considered to be invincible, however that proved to be wrong. Since the 6th century it changed hands from Rajpur to Muslim to Maratha to Brits.  I wanted to see the oldest fort in India and all i’ve got was a 5 meter long stretch of an old wall along with a 3 kms of newly constructed walls.

Indeed, there were very few things left from the Fort’s past, however, I realized that it is another huge pilgrimage site for Muslims, coming from all over India to visit Hazrat Meeran Sayd Hussein Dargah. During the  the reign of Qutb-ud-din Ebak, Hazrat Syed Meeran Hussain was the Garrison  Commander of Taragarh Fort.  While playing polo in Lahore, Sultan Qutb-ud-din Ebak fell down from the horse and died. As soon as the news of his death reached Ajmer, the Thakur and Rajput landlords of adjoining areas collaboratively launched a night attack on Taragarh Fort by entering the fort and murdering everyone on their way.  Hazrat Meeran Hussain was also martyred in the attack.

When the people of the city woke up in the morning and saw the bloodshed, they began a mass mourning.  Hearing about the tragedy, Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishti visited the fort with his followers and after performing the Namaz-e-Janaza,  he buried the martyrs of Taragarh Fort. Indeed, people don’t come to Taragarh to look at the ancient fort, but to pay their tributes to the Dargah Sharif of  Hazrat Meeran Hussain.

Before following the crowds without realizing where they road would take me, I looked around, still in desperate search for the old walls of the fort. I circled the ruins around the road, visited a half-finished, but already beautiful mosque outside the gate and witnessed a man taking a bath in the garbage, literally.

While climbing the stairs to the old town, a hijda approached me. S/he gently pinched me on my cheek saying that I was pretty and with a roaring laughter ran down the stairs. I have heard and read about hijdas, but it was my first face-to-face encounter. I guess I was lucky!

I took my shoes off and entered the Dargah Sharif of  Hazrat Meeran Hussain via a massive white gate. Two Muslim girls 8-10 years of age with heavy buckets of water on their heads led me all the way to the shrine. On the way back, when I was looking for my shoes, one of them rushed to me carrying them; apparently, she was worried that somebody might take them, so they kept it safe for me while I was at the Dargah.

The old Taragarh fort felt surrealistic as if it froze in time – the streets, the people with their odd clothes and manners; nevertheless, everyone seemed peaceful and welcoming to me. After walking around the green-and-white courtyards of Taragarh Dargah and chatting with a lot of friendly and curious people, I left the shrine and went to explore the old city. Right outside the side gates, there were two huge 1,600 and 3,200 kgs degs in use to serve food for poor people. While taking pictures of the degs, a crowd of girls surrounded me and asked to take pictures of them. I spent 10 minutes snapping photos of everyone and they all seemed to be super delighted not only by the process but by the results as well.

The photo session brought a sort of commotion to the sleepy streets of this town from Middle Ages, so I tried to slowly and respectfully withdraw from the gate area into the back streets. It was a wonderful walk, full of character and calmness – no Westerner stepped a foot on those streets for a long time. I found a true gem destination next door to a touristic Ajmer.

There are more things to see in Ajmer, including a famous Qutb-ud-din Jhonpra, Magazine (Price Salim’s former house), Mayo College and Ana Sagar lake. Sunil never got to understand why I was so fascinated with Muslim culture willing to spend hours browsing the Dargahs. Tonight, all he wanted was to take off to Pushkar  and call it a night as soon as possible.

Just 11 kms away from Ajmer, Pushkar has its own charisma and interesting history. It is one of the oldest cities in India and one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage sites)  for Hindus, visiting Pushkar to worship Lord Brahma.  I found at least 4 different legends associated with the city’s initiation, but the main one is based on the Hindu scripture Padma Purana. According to it, Brahma saw the demon Vajranabha (Vajranash, in other versions) trying to kill Brahma’s children, so he immediately slew the demon with his weapon – the lotus flower. Lotus’ petals fell on the ground and created 3 lakes. When Brahma came down to the earth, he name the place Pushkar – “pushpa” for  “flower” and “kar”  for “fell from Brahma’s hand”.

Brahma then decided to perform a yajna (fire-sacrifice) at the main Pushkar Lake. To perform it peacefully without being attacked by the demons, he created four hills around the Pushkar and positioned gods there for protection. However,  to execute the yajna, he needed the presence of his wife Savitri  (Sarasvati in some versions) who was away, waiting for her companion goddesses  Lakshmi,  Parvati  and Indrani.  Annoyed, Brahma request God Indra (King of  Heaven) to find a suitable girl for him to wed in order to compete the ceremony. Indra could only find a simple Gujar’s daughter who was sanctified by passing through the body of cow. Gods Vishnu, Shiva and the priest certified her purity and named her Gayatri.  Brahma married Gayatri and completed the yajna with his new consort sitting beside him, holding the pot of amrita (elixir of life) on her head and giving ahuti (offering to the sacrificial fire).

When Savitri finally arrived, she found Gayatri sitting next to Brahma. Upset, she cursed Brahma that he would never be venerated, but then reduced the curse permitting his worship only in Pushkar. Savitri also cursed Indra – to be easily defeated in battles, Vishnu –  to suffer the separation from his wife as a human, the fire-god Agni ,who was offered the yajna, –  to be all-devouring and the priests officiating the yajna – to be poor. Endowed by the powers of yajna, Gayatri diluted Savitri’s curse, blessing Pushkar to be the place of pilgrimages, Indra would always retain his heaven, Vishnu would be born as the human Rama and finally unite with his consort and the priests would become scholars and be venerated. Thus, Pushkar (and Jagatpita Brahma Mandir in particular)  is regarded the only place dedicated to Lord Brahma. Savitri moved into the Ratnagiri hill and became a part of it by emerging as a spring known as the Savitri Jharna; a temple in her honor was also established here.

Sunil dropped me outside the city center as this place was so small, that only few local cars were allowed to enter. I dragged my suitcase for about 5 blocks to reach Hotel Kanhaia Haveli, located about a block away from the main Bazaar street. After checking in and upgrading my room (extra Rs.750), I inquired the owner of the hotel about the places I must visit  and how long it would take. He said that the entire place, including 52 ghats and 500 temples would take no longer than 30 minutes to see!!! Apparently, no temples but  Jagatpita Brahma Mandir are open for tourists, however, I didn’t verified this information, since it was already 5 pm and I hurried to see  the famous Brahma Temple.

The Temple was located on the other side of Bazaar, which is a long touristy street selling everything you need and don’t. The one things that caught my eye immediately was the serenity and hassle-free attitude. Perhaps, it was one of the few places in India where people didn’t stop to look at me, take photos or try to sell me anything  I didn’t want.  Everyone plainly went along with their lives  – vendors, cows, tourist, pilgrims and a huge colony of hippies inhabiting the banks of Pushkar lake.

I reached Jagatpita Brahma Mandir at around 5.30 pm, deposited my shoes and cameras at the store next door (Rs.50) and climbed the stairs to the Temple.  As I mentioned earlier, Savitri’s curse banned worship of Brahma anywhere else, except for Pushkar, however, Jagatpita Brahma isn’t the only Brahman temple in the world, but definitely the most prominent one. Its current structure dates to the 14th century, though the temple is believed to be over 2000 years old. The original temple is said to be built by sage Vishwamitra after Brahma performed his yajna on the spot chosen by Brahma himself. The 8th century Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara renovated the temple, while the present medieval structure dates to Maharaja Jawat Raj of Ratlam, who made additional constructions and repairs preserving the original design of the temple. Since then, Brahma Mandir was restored a few times, especially after it was destroyed and desecrated during the rule of Aurangzeb (1658-1707).

The Temple is located on high plinth which requires a steep climb up the marble steps via entrance gate archway decorated with pillared canopies. The gate entry leads to an outdoor courtyard and then to the sanctum sanctorum – Garbhagriha.  The temple is built of stone slabs and blocks, with a red spire symbolizing a goose  (a mount of Brahma),  decorating the temple. Marble, black-and-white checked floors and walls are inlaid with hundreds of  inscribed silver coins donated by devotees.

Brahma’s central icon is made of marble and was deified in the  Garbhagriha in 718 A.D. by Adi Shankara. The icon depicts Brahma as chaumurti – a four-faced idol with four hands, four faces each oriented in a cardinal direction. Brahma sits on top of hamsa (a goose) and holds in his hands four symbols –  rosary, a book, kusha grass and a water pot.  His new wife, Gayatri is seated to his left and Savatri, along with other deities of the Hindu pantheon, to his right.

I spent about 20 minutes at temple’s courtyard, snapping photos with an iPhone (which was allowed) and distributing my wealth to the beggars. After picking up my belongings, I hurried to make a pilgrimage to the famous ghats of Pushkar Lake. It is a holy place and according rules apply -take off  and deposit your shoes before entering the ghats; if you plan to bathe yourself in the lake, do it with dignity; don’t take photos of the people or the ceremonies; don’t joke around.

By the time I reached Varah Ghat, evening aarti was in full preparation. The local worshipers invited me to join them for this intimate and authentic (unlike an aarti in Varanasi) ceremony. It went on for about 15 minutes at the end of which everybody threw their flowers  into the water. Seeing that I had no flowers, many people came and share theirs with me.  It was a truly dignifying Hindu experience.

After the aarti, I headed back to the hotel where  I had a simple dinner at the roof-top restaurant.  It was freezing and only one other Italian couple was there having dinner, along with, what it seemed like, a local guide aka drug dealer. We chatted and their “guide” after eliminating me from his list of potential clients, offered me an authentic Pushkar Malpua.

After securing a few extra blankets and a space heater (Rs.200), I was finally able to fall asleep.

January 8, 2014

I woke up early morning to walk through the ghats again and take pictures of them without disturbing anybody. Even though, the streets of Pushkar were empty, ghats were buzzing with local people. I spent 30 minutes in tranquility, watching the morning rituals and stray puppies playing on the bank of the lake. After less than 18 hours in Pushkar, I could understand why many people find this place attractive and option to stay here for weeks and months at the time.

In my case, I was rushing to another rarely visited place – Chittorgarh Fort.

 Pictures

The post Ajmer and Pushkar, India. January 2014. first appeared on SvetaNYC.

After spending 2 weeks together, exploring, learning and struggling through India, it was time for us to say goodbyes. I knew, Dimitris didn’t like India because of many reasons, but I also knew that my own trials and tribulations were about to begin. Traveling in India alone is equal to being in a war zone, where continuous battle with local men and constant need to stay alert and look over my shoulder never ends.

Rajasthan, India’s largest state, is considered to be a gem of India. Its history is rich, its people are fearless, its scenery is breathtaking, but despite the amount of tourists, it is still one of the poorest and least literate Indian states (literacy level is at 67%).

Rajasthan’s history goes back to Western Kshatrapas (405-35 B.C.), the Sika rulers of the western part of modern India. Traditionally and presently, many different tribes, with their unique customs and cultures, make up Rajasthan, but all of them can be described as Rajputs – the warriors originated from Sun (Mewars of Chittorgarh and Udaipur, Rathores of Jodhpur and Bikaner, Kachwahas of Amber and Jaipur), Moon (Bhattis of Jaisalmer) and Fire.

Unprecedentedly proud and independent, Rajputs were famous for their sense of bravery and honor, fighting the enemy despite all odds and, when no hope was left, committing jauhar (ritual mass sacrifice) – dressed in saffron clothes, the warriors would ride out to fight their last battle and meet inevitable death, while women and children would commit suicide by jumping in the flames of a funeral pyre.

A kaleidoscope of multiple small kingdoms and fierce sentiment of independence lead to a continuous squabble among the kings, thus weakening their power and eventually resulting in submission to Mughal Empire in 1560s (via military campaigns, marriages – Akbar’s first wife, Jodha Bai was a Rajput princess, and other alliances).

With a decline of Mughal empire, Rajput kingdoms gradually claimed back their independence, and after allying with British Raj, were allowed to rule their territories without much control or restrains from the East India Company. After Independence in 1947, in order to secure Rajasthan as a part of a newly formed India, the ruling Congress Party promised the Rajput kings a right to keep their titles and inherited property holdings, but in 1970s all titles were abolished and property rights were sequestered. Despite all, while traveling in Rajasthan, I could always hear people discussing their kings, as if they still were the only rulers of the Rajput cities. Undisputedly, people in Rajasthan are very proud of their history, origin and their royal families.

I landed in Jaipur at 6 pm and Sunil was already waiting for me at the airport. After 17 days in India, I realized that I would enjoy my trip to Rajasthan only if I make it as comfortable for myself as possible. Thus, I used Kalka Travels to arrange a car with a driver for the entire trip, I booked the best hotels aligned with my budget and picked all the best spots to stay or visit (preliminary research and multiple history books were helpful).

While some hotels were spot on and some were disappointing, my faithful driver Sunil was perhaps the best “thing” that happened to me. He was always on time, never argued with me over the road or place to see, but simply took me everywhere I wanted to go, and… as a bonus, he spoke very good English. Out of all things that could and did go wrong, he was a true blessing and after 18 days on a road, I realized that hiring a car and having him as my driver was by far the best decision I made while traveling in India.

Sunil picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at ITC Rajputana, a 5 starred hotel I was staying in Jaipur. What an impressive and luxurious place it was – the staff, the facilities, the room, the service, the restaurants, even the shopping galleries. After checking in and taking a brief tour of the hotel (which is a must), I indulged myself in bath-taking and TV-watching.

January 4.

The Pink City – Jaipur! The capital of Rajasthan and its largest city, turned out to be one of my favorite. There are many reasons to like Jaipur – its history, its architecture, its swarms of people and tuk-tuks, its chowks and jewelry bazaars – but for me, the city represents a continuous journey back to Rajputana’s history. If Jaipur’s magnificent forts, palaces, royal cenotaphs and Hindu pilgrimage sites aren’t enough to impress you, maybe the stunning views of the lakes and mountains are. Sunil was struggling to drive me from one place to another because I would ask him to stop at pretty much every road intersection, because there was always something to see there- the ruins of old palace, the ramparts of a fort, the ghostly havelis or the abandoned royal hammams. I craved the history and the city kept pouring it over me in abundance.

Jaipur is the first planned city in India and was named after its founder Maharaja Jai Singh II (1688-1744). Jai Singh II, the warrior and astronomer, came to power at the age of 11, after the death of his father, but his royal lineage goes back to the Kachwaha Rajput, clan that came to power in the 12th century. As an archenemy of Sisodia Rajputs who ruled Mewar, they allied with Mughals which eventually brought them a pre-eminent position in Rajasthan.

Reining from the majestic Amber fort (pronounced as “Amer”) which they built,  the power of Kachwahas encompassed the kingdoms of Mewar (Udaipur) and Marwar (Jodhpur). After Jai Singh came to power, he fell out of favor with Mughals by supporting an unsuccessful bid on the Mughal throne by Azam Shah. However, soon after he was able to re-instate himself and during his rein, his kingdom has prospered and its borders has expanded.

Jai Singh commenced a work on a new capital around the Amber fort in 1727 and he named it after himself – Jaipur (similar to Mughal culture, when the emperors called the cities after themselves by adding a Persian ‘abad” – Shahjahanabad or Aurangabad, Rajasthani “pur” holds the same meaning). First planned city required a wide vision and impressive expertise to be built and much of the credit goes to Vidhyadhar Bchattachrya, the king’s chief architect. Founded on strong scientific principals and laid out according to the Shilpa Shastra (the ancient architectural manual) it still remains one of the best planned cities in India.

After Jai Singh’s death in 1744, the Marathas and neighboring Rajput states usurped large areas of kingdom, leaving for the sons of Jai Singh to rule only over the city of Jaipur and its immediate adjacent territory. In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh painted the entire city in pink, traditionally a color of hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) to the city. The tradition remained and till today, all resident of old city are compelled by law to preserve the pink facades. Originally built within walls, the city long expanded outside of its original size, however, the entire old city can be covered in one very long day.

For my first encounter with the Pink city, I decided to use the recommended by Lonely Planet India “Old City walk”. Old city is a “status in statu”, encircled by a parapet walls and adorned with grand gateways. Streets inside the old city divide it into proportional squares or rectangles, each of which, till present time, specializes in a specific craft or line of trade. The main bazaars in the Old City – Bapu, Tripolia, Johari, Chandpol, Nehru – trade jewels, sarees, fabrics, bangles and so on.

At 10 am, Sunil dropped me off by the New Gate which lead me to Bapu Bazar, famous for its fabrics and shawls. It was supposed to blow my mind off, but it didn’t – like everywhere else in India, Indian people don’t like to start their day early. Less than a dozen out of hundreds stalls were open, so instead of encountering the new city, I crossed the entire Bapu and Jahari (jewelry) markets alone and unharassed. Jama Masjid was easy to miss, so I asked for directions and after taking a picture from the outside (as it was closed) continued to Hawa Mahal.

You can’t miss Hawa Mahal, as it is one of the most beautiful and unusual buildings in Jaipur. However, its entrance isn’t easy to locate as it lays in one of the courts away from the main street, so once you pass the palace, you must enter the archway to your left and proceed along the long alley to a courtyard. From there, multiple guides will show you the main entrance.

Before entering a main courtyard, I visited a Hindu temple – Sri Goverdhan Nath Ji – built in 1799 by Swai Raja Pratap Singh Ji to bless the construction of Hawa Mahal. Apparently, it was (and still is) common to built a temple or a shrine (preferably during a full moon for good luck), dedicated, mostly, to Ganesha, in order to bless the upcoming project. The same way, the construction of Jaipur didn’t start before a temple to Ganesha was built by the order of Jai Singh II. Sri Goverdhan Nath Ji was formally inaugurated in 1850 and is presently run by “eternal sect of Hindu philosophy based on devotion and love for Krishna”. This intimate temple is beautifully painted and offers much-needed tranquility just a few steps away from a busy bazaar.

I have heard a story about a legless man who spent his entire life sitting on the parvise of this temple and begging for money. Throughout his life, he managed to put two of his sons through law and medical schools and even though he no longer needs money, he still comes to the temple and begs. After I’ve heard this story, i remember seeing this man outside the temple, soliciting donations.

After locating the ticket office to Hawa Mahal, buying a composite entry ticket valid for two days (Rs.350 – allows you to visit Amber Palace, Hawa Mahal, Albert Hall, Jantar Mantar and Naharghar Fort) and hiring a guide (Surendra Singh – surendra.guide@gmail.com, +91-9828-407506), I went in.

If nothing else, including Taj Mahal, impressed you in India, Hawa Mahal will. The Palace of Wind was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as an extension of his zenana (harem). Its purpose was to allow the ladies to observe everyday life in the streets of the bazaar below them, without being seen by men (Rajputs copycatted the Muslim culture of Mughals in their tradition to acquire multiple wives and concubines, make them wear purdah and restrict them to harems). Designed by Lal Chand Ustad in the form of the crown of the Lord Krishna, this five storied extraordinary palace, completed with 953 jharokhas (which do create breeze) is frequently compared to a delicate honeycomb of the beehives.

While built in a traditional to Jaipur pink sandstone and connected in style and purpose to the City Palace and women’s chambers, Hawa Mahal is still strikingly different in its architecture and interior decorations. My guide, Surendra, was knowledgeable to take me around the palace and back in time with his detailed stories of the palace.

First two floors of the Mahal have rooms and patios along with a large pool, while top 3 floors have a dimension of one room width with long narrow corridors. But no matter where you are, you can always feel the breeze as latticework decorating the building was created to naturally “air-condition” the palace during the sizzling summer temperatures.

On the top floor of Hawa Mahal, I was, as always, approached by a n-th person with a picture request. Before allowing him to take a picture with me, I asked him why he wanted a picture, since we weren’t friends, relatives, boyfriend and girlfriend, we weren’t even acquaintances. Why would he want to take a picture with a total stranger? After considering my questions, he shamefully revoked his request.

Before we left Hawa Mahal, I asked Surendra whether he was available to accompany me as a guide to Jantar Mantar and the City Palace and after agreeing on a governmentally established price of Rs.200 per site, we continued to Jantar Mantar.

More than wars and city planning, Maharaja Jai Singh liked astronomy, that is why he built 5 observatories (between 1727-1734) in North India – Delhi, Varanasi, Ujjain, Jaipur and Mathura. Modeled after the one he built in Delhi, Janta Mantar (translating from Sanskrit as “instrument of calculation”) is the largest and the best preserved one. This UNESCO world heritage site consists of 14 major astronomical devices that are hard to grasp and understand especially for somebody like myself with a minimal knowledge of astronomy. However, with help of Surendra and signs posted next to each device, I was able to grasp not only the physical enormity of the site, but also its scientific importance.

Devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars as the Earth orbits around the sun, determining the celestial altitudes, ascertaining the declinations of planet, are well represented in Janta Mantar.

The Samrat Yantra’s shadow (the largest instrument of 27-m high) carefully plotted to tell the time of the day. Even though all of India lays in the same time zone, Maharaja knew that the official time and the real time of Jaipur is different, that is why Samrat Yantar was built at 27 degrees angle to correspond the latitude of the city. The Hindu chhatri on top of the device was used as a platform to announce eclipses and the arrival of monsoon seasons.

All instruments in Jantar Mantar are huge, because the scale increases the accuracy. Even today, according to my guide, the observatory is used by astronomers and students.

After an 1.5 hour long astronomy class taught by Maharaja Jai Singh and delivered by Surendra, we headed to the City Palace.

The City Palace occupies nearly 1/7 of the entire old city and incorporates an impressive array of courtyards, gardens palaces and temples. The Palace (or more likely – the outer walls) were built by Jai Singh II between 1729 and 1732, the later additions were made by successive rules up to the 20th century.  A 15 year old Padmanabh Singh is a current king of Jaipur; he is an adopted heir (and a factual grandson) of Jaipur’s last recognized Raja Bhawani Singh who passed away in 2011. The king still lives in the Chandra Mahal of the Palace and for a fee of Rs.2,500, an hour long “Inside of the Royal Palace” tour was easily arranged for me.

After getting a ticket (Rs.300) Surendra led me to the City palace via a beautiful Virendra Pol (Gate). There are other gates to the City Palace, such as Udai Pol and Tripolia Pol, the letter reserved for entry only by the royal family.

Virendra Pol leads to Mubarak Mahal (“Auspicious Palace”) built in late 19th century by Maharaja Madho Singh II as a reception hall; it is a beautiful and fragile looking palace built in a fusion of Mughal, Rajput and European architectural styles. Currently, it is a museum displaying a fine collection of royal textiles, such as formal costumes, silk sarees, sanganeri block prints, kashmir shawls and a set of clothes worn by a giant king Sawai Madho Singh I, who was 2 m tall, 1.2 m wide and weighed whooping 250 kgs (he also had 108 wives).

The museum also hosts a shop “Palace Atelier“, supposedly, run by the Queen of Jaipur. I made a mistake of buying a few uberly-overpriced pieces hoping that they were authentic. I naively assumed that if the shop was backed by the Queen’s  name and reputation, its merchandise must be original, but neither my earrings were gold nor the shawl was made of real kashmir pashmina.

Through a delicate archway, we entered a large courtyard called Sarvatibhadra, hosting a pink-and-white, marble paved Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) where the Kings used to consult their ministers.

An impressive looking gallery is home to two huge silver vessels  of 1.6 m tall, able to contain 4,000 liters and weighing 340 kgs. They were made from 14,000 silver coins and officially (by Guinness Book of World Records) considered to be the largest silver vessels in the world. The story goes that the vessels were specially made for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, a highly pious Hindu, in order to carry the Ganges water on his trip to England where he traveled in 1901 to attend Edward VII’s coronation.

Diwan-i-Am (Sabha Niwas) is a “Hall of Public Audience”, built in mid 18th century, it was the throne room of the palace, designed for ceremonial assemblies of ruling Maharaja, his Thakurs (nobles), court officials and visiting dignitaries. Here, the Jaipur king would receive emissaries from other Indian states and later, British Raj. Because women weren’t allowed to attend the ceremonies in open, a special raised and concealed gallery was built behind one of the carved screen walls. Presently, Sabha Niwas functions as an art gallery and I decided not to go inside in order to avoid being harassed and hassled.

We briefly glanced through a Maharani palace, originally the residence of the royal queens and concubines, but converted into a weapon museum. The most remarkable thing in the palace I remember was an amazing frescoed ceiling, incrusted with jewel dust and semiprecious stones.

After spending 2 hours in the City Palace, we walked into a small entrance leading to Chandra Mahal, the private palace and current residence of the king of Jaipur and his family. Chandra Mahal is the most dominating structure of the City Palace, this seven storied building contains many unique paintings, mirrored rooms and incredible interior decorations. Each floor has its own name – Sukh Niwas, Renga Mandir, Pitam Niwas, Chabi Niwas, Shri Niwas and Mukut Nahal. Sadly, no cameras were allowed inside to record the immense beauty and luxury of this palace, but I highly recommend to splurge $45 and visit it.

We were accompanied by an official court-guide and it didn’t take long till the king himself ran me over with his bike.  An interesting encounter!

The tour started from the ground floor, slowly climbing up all the way to the balcony on top of the palace and followed by a tea ceremony in the royal courtyard adjourning the dining hall.  Each floor or room was opened by a royal guard who followed and assisted us. The hall of the brilliance and a Diwali celebration rooms were my favorite.

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I was literally swept off my feet by the richness and style, and after being allowed to comfortably position myself on one of the cushions in the Diwali room, I felt like a princess who happened to live in a jewelry box.

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* downloaded from google image.

Views from the balconies were also stunning and especially pleasant as no other tourists were around, besides the guards, the guides, the king and myself. Despite the overwhelming luxury, there is a tragic story linked to this palace. Ishwari Singh, son of Jai Singh II afraid to face the advancing army of Marathas, committed suicide by getting bitten by a snake. His 21 wives and concubines followed him and committed a ritual sati – self immolated themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband.

After an hour in the Chandra Mahal and a proper royal tea ceremony, I started to wonder about the ways current Royal House generates its income. It is an interesting topic to research, as it seems that most of the residents of Jaipur know about it, or at least eager to speculate about it, however, there is no specific information to be found anywhere on Internet. Apparently, the king and royal family own valuable properties operated by Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces as hotels/cultural landmarks; they also receive 100% revenue of all tickets sold to Chandra Mahal ($45 per person with approximate 50 visitors a day = $45,000 a month). I would call it a luxury living with limited funds, considering the immense expenses they must carry to sustain the palace and its army of servants and guards, but it should be a pretty comfortable one, comparing to the one of regular folks on the streets of Jaipur.

By the end of my tour, I was escorted to the inner courtyard adorned by small gates (Ridhi Sidhi Pol) representing the four seasons and Hindu gods. In north-east is a Peacock gate representing the autumn and Lord Vishnu; in south-west is a Lotus Gate – for summer and dedicated to Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati; in northwestern is a Green Gate (also called Leheria – the “waves”) suggestive of spring and representing Lord Ganesha, and in south-east is the Rose Gate for winter representing Goddess Devi. I paid Surendra Rs.900 for his services (Rs.600 for 3 sites and Rs.300 tip) and we said goodbyes.

After 10 hours of exploring the city, I asked Sunil to come and pick me up by the New Gates of the old town. I was tired, but extremely content by the eventful day filled with beautiful sites.

January 5.

The moment I stepped into a restaurant to have breakfast, I knew that I had to look for an indoor morning activity, as the weather outside was wet and very foggy. Even though I planned to visit Amber and Nahargarh Forts, a two-hour trip to Albert Hall Museum was an easy choice as its price was already included into my composite ticket.

Sunil dropped me off by the entrance at 9 am and after paying for an absolutely-must-have audio-guide (Rs.124), I went on exploring the oldest museum of the state. The building was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob and represents a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. Maharaja Ram Singh initially wanted this building to be a town hall, but his successor, Madho Singh II, decided that city needed a museum to represent the art of Jaipur and to serve local people, thus Central Museum was open for public in 1887.

I spent over 2 hours admiring not only the collections, but also the building and architecture itself. This cosy and easily manageable museum contains paintings, carpets, ivory, pottery, a collection of celestial gods, block printings, an exhibit of clay models of yogis in every imaginable position and a whole room full of turbans. Apparently, every 15 kms you travel in Rajasthan, you encounter a different type of turban, each of them is simply a piece of clothes up to 6m long, tied in a specific way to represent a different cast, region, prestige and power.

As the story goes, in 19th century, museum was considered to be incomplete unless it had a real Egyptian mummy on display and indeed, The Albert Hall does have an entire room devoted to Egypt with a mummy as its center-piece.

My favorite items were the Ramayan Shield depicting the story of Mahabharata on brass and bronze, and Sarangi, a musical instrument said to most resemble the sound of human voice.

By noon, fog thinned and we drove to Amber Fort. This massive fort-palace complex is a must-see attraction of Jaipur and was one of my favorites. Built in Hindu-Muslim styles by Raja Man Singh I, Amber fort served as a royal palace of the Kachwahas from 1600-1727. It is located in the village of Amber, named after Amba, the Mother Goddess. The fort, along with Jaigarh fort, is located on the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of Eagles) of the Aravalli range, and is considered to be one complex, as the two forts are connected by an underground passage used as an escape route in times of war.

Prior to rule of Kachwahas, Amber was a small place built by Meenas in the town they consecrated to Amba (“Gatta Rani” or “Queen of the Pass”). It was known in the medieval period as Dhundhar (meaning, attributed to a sacrificial mount in the western frontier) and ruled by the Kachwahas from 1037 till 1727. Amber fort, as it stands now, was built in 1592 over the remnants of this earlier structure and represents an impressive palace complex that underwent remodeling, expansion and improvements by all successive rulers for over 150 years, until the capital shifted to a newly built Jaipur during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727.

From the main road, there are several ways to get to the fort and riding on elephant’s back is one of them, however, I drove up to Chand Pol (Moon Gate) and had my driver wait for me at the gates. Of course, I couldn’t resist hiring a guide (Rs.200) and Bhanwar turned out to be one of the most erudite people I’ve ever known. He gave me the official story of the fort, spiced out with his own expansive knowledge of history, politics, current events, astronomy, psychology, literature and so on. I highly recommend his services  – Bhanwar Singh Gaour at bhanwarsingh1964@gmail.com.  I spent more than 3 hours at the fort and Bhanwar’s company made time fly and kindled in me even more interest in this place.

The Fort is divided into four main sections, each with its own entry gate and courtyard. My adventure started in Jaleb Chowk (from Arabic – place for solders to assemble), which is the first main courtyard. It was built during Sawai Jai Singh’s reign (1693-1743) and served to accommodate the victory parades of the army returning from the battles. The Surjai Pol (Sun Gate) was the well-guarded main entry into the palace and the only entrance for royal cavalcades and dignitaries. Jaleb Chowk also hosted horse stables with the upper floors occupied by the guards.

To the right of the staircase leading to the main palace, is the Siladevi Temple where the Rajput Maharajas offered worship and performed sacrificial rituals, starting with Maharaja Man Singh I in the 16th century till 1980s, when the animal  (goat or buffalo) sacrifice during the festival days of Navratri, practiced by the royalty, was banned. No photos are allowed.

Via staircase, we entered the second courtyard that served as the Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audience, where the Rajas held audience to hear and receive petitions from the people.

Ganesh Pol (Ganesha – a Hindu god who removes all obstacles in life) was a gateway to the third courtyard and private palaces of the Maharajas. Gate is a three level structure, built by the orders of Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1621-1627) and decorated with a myriad of beautiful frescos and statues. Above the gate, there is the Suhag Mandir where ladies of the royal harem used to watch the functions held in the Diwan-i-Am.

Upon crossing The Ganesha Gate, we entered the beautiful garden with private quarters of the Maharaja, his family and attendants. It used to host the Diwan-i-Khas (The Hall of Private Audience or Jai Mandir) and The Sukh Niwas (Hall of Pleasure).  Constructed by Mizra Raja Jai Singh (1621-1667), Diwan-i-Khas is more commonly known as Sheesh Mahal or Glass Palace because of the incredible glass inlaid panels, mirror mosaics, colored glass and multi-mirrored ceilings decorating the interior of the palace. This hall served as a private reception hall to meet and greet foreign envoys visiting Amber.

The attendants kept Jai Mandir cool in summer by covering its arched openings with screens woven from aromatic grass. Those screens were periodically moistened with water, thus, wind passing through the screens would cool the air off and carry the fragrant smell of grass into the palace chambers.

My guide, Bhanwar, pointed at a specific flower carved at the bottom of one of the columns, which apparently was a “magic flower” and represented seven unique designs at once – fish tail, a lotus, a hooded cobra, an elephant trunk, a lion’s tail, a cob of corn and a scorpion – depending on which part of the carving you cover or expose.  Here is a picture of the flower, try to identify all seven incarnations.

The other building in the courtyard is Sukh Niwas or Hall of Pleasure, which, probably, served as one and was equipped with piped open water channels flowing through the rooms and keeping them cool. However, one of the best features of the courtyard was its beautiful Mughal garden.

The oldest part of Amber Fort, the Palace of Man Singh I, lies south of the courtyard. It was completed in 1599, after 25 years of construction. The ground and upper floors are decorated in frescoes and colored tiles; all sides of the palace are connected to several small rooms with balconies and the pavilion (sometimes curtained for privacy), which was used as the meeting place for the maharanis (queens).

Zenana (women’s) quarter lies adjacent to the main Palace, but it is truly a palace of its own. The courtyard was designed in a way, that a Maharaja could visit his wives or concubines in their respective chambers without anybody else knowing about it. All chambers are independent and open onto a common courtyard but there is a secret corridor leading from the Palace to each queen’s room separately.

Amber Fort is a large, historically infused and tiring place to visit, but because of Bhanwar’s knowledge and story-telling skills, I never wanted to leave this place. All the courts, gates, gardens and mirrored palaces might seem confusing but nevertheless, you would admire and appreciate their beauty as you go along and explore them. I highly recommend not to skip the water tank, private hammams and pools. Some of them were locked, but a guard was happy to take us underground and show them. It is a special treat!

My driver Sunil picked me up at the gate and took me to Nahargarh Fort (price included into a composite ticket). It stands on the edge of Aravalli Hills and offers unprecedented views of Jaipur. Built in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, Nahargarh, along with Amber and Jaigarh Forts, once formed a strong defense ring for the city.

The Fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh  (“abode of tigers”) after the spirit of Nahar Singh Bhomea haunted the fort and obstructed its construction. As the legend goes, the spirit got pacified only when a temple in his memory was built within the Fort premises and since then, everyone knows the fort by its current name.

Though, the fort has never been under attack, it did see its share of historical events, notably it sheltered Europeans and British resident’s wife during the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

The fort was extended in 1868 during the rein of Sawai Ram Singh. In 1883-92 more palaces were added, but the main Madhavendra Bhawan Palace was built by Sawai Madho Singh to accommodate king of Jaipur and his queens. The two storied palace was divided into 9 similar duplex apartments, each of which composed of lobby, bedroom, toilet, store and kitchen designed to accommodate the needs of the royal family.

Nahargarh Fort wasn’t very busy with tourists and provided a much needed refuge to enjoy the views, wander around slowly dilapidating rooms still carrying the traces of their 19th century grandeur, but remaining solemn and full of dignity. Unable to hire a guide (as there are none provided), I simply strolled the apartments enjoying the wonderfully decorated walls and magnificent views from the windows and roof.

I stepped outside to walk around the water reservoir and check out the wall fortifications comparable only to those of the Great Wall of China. Sadly, a herd of men followed me along the walls and at some point I realized that they outnumbered me by 1:25 and it was no longer safe to stay alone.

On the way back to Jaipur, Sunil stopped by Jal Mahal (Water Palace) which sits in the middle of the Man Sagar lake. This palace, build in red sandstone, is a five storied building, out of which 4 floors remain under water when the lake is full. The rectangular Chharti on the roof is of the Bengal type which used to host a garden with arched passages. Currently, the palace is undergoing architectural restoration with a goal to restore the original wall designs as well as prevent the water seepage to the bottom floors.

January 6.

After two full days in Jaipur, I still had a list of things to see. I started my day by visiting Jaigarh Fort (Rs. 200 or free with a Jaipur’s City Palace ticket, Rs 50 for a car), located on the Cheel ka Teela  (Hill of Eagles) of the Aravalli range and overlooking and connected by subterranean passages to the Amber Fort. It was built in 1726 by Jai Singht II to protect the Amber Fort and its palace complex.

This highly fortified fort with thick walls of red stone is also known as a Victory Fort; it is 3 kms long and 1 km wide. Apparently, it hosts a royal palace with gardens, armory and museum, however, I wasn’t able to locate anything except for the Jaivana cannon, at the time of its manufacture in 1720, the world’s largest cannon on wheels. This cannon was never used in the battle as the Rajputs had friendly relationships with the Mughals, however, it was fired once with a charge of 100 kgs of gunpowder and when fired covered a distance of about 35 kms.

There is a plaque at the entrance to the enclosure where the cannon is located with a detailed relevant information and a request “no tips allowed”, however, I was mercilessly followed by one of the guards, who kept senselessly reciting the information displayed on the plaque while stretching his hand out for money.

Perhaps, I missed out on the palace complex, but at least, I strolled the top of the wall for its entire length to the exit, enjoying unprecedented views of Amber Fort and nature below.

After leaving Jaigarh Fort, we drove to Royal Gaitore, also known as Gatore Ki Chhatriyan, (entry fee is Rs.30), located in the walled city area called Brahmpuri. The word “Gaitore” is believed to be a mispronounced form of the Hindu phrase “Gaye ka Thor” which means “resting place of the departed souls”. The founder of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, has chosen and designated this place as a royal cremation ground of Kachwaha Rajputs and from 1733, cremations of every king and member of royal family were done here (except for Maharaja Sawai Ishwari Singh, who committed suicide and was cremated in the City Palace in Jaipur).

Unlike the creepy burning ghats of Varanasi, Gaitore is a beautiful valley of cenotaphs (chhatri) made of marble or sandstone decorated with Rajasthani carvings and dedicated to the legendary kings of Jaipur. The cenotaphs are done in a perfect blend of Islamic and Hindu temple architecture, in a form of elevated domed pavilions.

Gaitore has cenotaphs of Sawai Ram Singh, Sawai Madho Singh and many others, however, the one of the Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II stands out. Its dome, supported by 20 carved pillars, made of pure white marble and decorated with stunning peacock carvings and designs. It is said, that each cenotaphs is built to reflect the style and taste of the specific king and the culture prevalent in his time, however, without help of a guide (regretfully, I optioned not to take one), it was impossible to identify which cenotaph belong to which king, as the plaques were missing.

I found this place to be relaxing, beautiful and surprisingly undiscovered by other travelers. It was comical to see the maintenance workers who threw their brooms away the moment I set a foot in Gaitore. I guess it was more profitable for them to follow me and beg for money than to work. I was getting used to being used.

The last place I visited in Jaipur was Galtaji (free entrance, Rs.50 per camera). It is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site, believed to be a place where a saint Galav lived, practiced meditation and did penance. Built within a mountain pass, Galtaji has been a retreat for ascetics belonging to Vaishnavite Ramanandi sect since early 1500s, however, its present temples were built by Diwan Rao Kriparam, a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II, in the 18th century.

Sunil dropped me off by the entrance and even after 20 days in India, I wasn’t prepared to face the amount and diversity of animals walking along with me to the entrance of this site. I saw cows, donkeys, fighting monkeys, cats, snakes in baskets, roaming pigs and weird women who would get their breast out to feed their children only upon my appearance.

Temples at Galtaji is a main temple, built in pink stone and featuring a number of beautiful pavilions with rounded roofs, carved pillars and painted walls. It looked beautiful from the outside but I didn’t walk in because I got distracted by a priest of the Temple of Ganesha, who lured me to check out his temple, located across the street.

A Temple of Ganesha consisted of multiple courtyards and corridors connecting all rooms together. Escorted by the priest, I was allowed to enter a small chamber in the back of the last courtyard, which was a Ganesha’s worship place. I was blessed by a priest, involuntarily parted with a hefty donation and walked back out to the street.

Because the area is surrounded by natural springs, there are seven holy water reservoirs or khuds in Galtaji, in which pilgrims can bathe or wash their clothes. The holiest of khuds is the Galta Kung which never dries out and is considered auspicious to bathe in.  I found the views of the water tanks to be the most spectacular and unlike anything else I have seen in India.

By taking a staircase located on the right of the Galta Kund, I proceeded to the top of the hill, intending to visit the Ramgopalji or Monkey Temple (which turned out to be a small unassuming room) and the Temple of Balaji or Sun Temple dedicated to Surya, the Sun God in Hinduism. It was a 15- minute steep climb up the stairs, but when I got there, I witnessed a bloody battle between, what it appeared to be, two different groups of monkeys. Over 50-60 monkeys ripped and tore each other up right in the middle of the path leading to the Sun Temple. After waiting for 10 minutes and listening to the wildest screams accompanying the massacre, I decided not to cross the path and abrupt the visit.  Temple of Sun was less than 100 meters away but I was not brave enough to enter the monkey cataclysm.

All the way back to the parking lot, I was followed by a couple of young men. It is a strange and scary feeling to know that somebody intentionally stalks you and sadly, it happened all over India.

Sunil dropped me by Johari Bazaar in Old City, so I could check out authentic Rajasthani jewelry. Not being able to trust the sales people at the bazaar’s stores, I purchased a beautiful pair of traditional gold jhumka earrings with rubies at the hotel’s jewelry store instead.

Because I have filed a complaint in regard to $1,300 stolen from our room at ITC Mughal in Agra, its sister-hotel ITC Rajputana offered me a free dinner at Peshawri, $40 worth. It didn’t, by any mean, cover the lost money, but it offered a great finale for my last evening in Jaipur.

I truly enjoyed the Pink City, its magnificent and unparalleled sites and my stay at the hotel. This time around, I locked all my valuables in a safe!

Pictures.

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