Aur khaa, Sherji!

A Sawai Palace for a Sawai Aadmi

2006-12-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

Mubarak Mahal:

Main entrance:

World's largest pot. When the Maharaja visited England, he brought two of these pots full of Ganga jal [potable water from the River Ganga].

Part of the armory

Current residence of the Sawai rulers of Jaipur

Amber Fort

2006-12-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Just like how Udaipur has its roots in Chittaurgarh, Jaipur has its roots in Amber. The only difference is that while the Maharanas of Chittaur fought tooth and nail for their land, the Sawai rulers of Jaipur, like Man Singh, found pleasure in looting those same Rajput lands in the name of Delhi.

They kept this ill-gotten treasure in Jaigarh fort, near Amber palace's until Indira Gandhi reacquired it in the 1970s. Legend says that sixteen trucks full of Gold ran through the main street of Jaipur.

As you can see, the fort is a popular destination for schoolkids

Jaipur from the fort

The Royal Garden

The Sheesh Mahal of Amber Fort

Lord Krishna in Stainglass

Flower/Scorpion motif

Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai doing filming inside the fort

Hawa Mahal

2006-12-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Princesses of Jaipur used to waste their time here in the Hawa Mahal [Palace of the Winds] looking out at the bazaar. It would be very beautiful if only the Indian government paid for its upkeep-

From the backside-

A stairway to nowhere?

2006-12-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

???!

Actually, this is part of Jantar Mantar, an observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh II in Jaipur. Its full of surreal architecture which are meant to capture shadows of the sun to measure time and create astrological charts.

Bol rahi hai Kana Kana se Qurbani Rajasthan ki...

2006-12-05T11:08:00.000-08:00

Is mitti ko tilak karo, ye dharti hai balidaan ki!

I wanted to go to Rajasthan just to see Chittaurgarh, the Indian Masada. Here, the great Rajput kings that every proud Hindu child knows and admires held court. Here, Padmuni entranced the despot Alauddin Khilji, and here the one-armed, one-eyed Maharana Sanga forgave Sultan Mahmud of Mandu for his transgressions. Here, on this very soil, lies the remains of thousands of proud forgotten Rajputs who committed Jauhar than become drones and prisoners of the Mughal Empire.

Chittaurgarh, India's largest fort

Supposedly, the Fort is the inspiration for King Louis's monkey kingdom in Walt Disney's interpretation of the Jungle Book.

Vijay Stambha, the Tower of Victory, commemorating the victories of Rana Kumbha

Here, Meerabai composed devotional poems in honor of Lord Krishna

A nearby temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu

A pool whose water's origins remains unknown to this day.

Jain Kirti Stambha

Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai...

...Aaj phir marne ka irada hai [Guide was filmed here]

Udaipur, City of Lakes

2006-12-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

By far, the most disappointing city in Rajasthan was Udaipur. It was founded by the descendents of Maharana Sangha who lost the will to fight and decided instead to scurry away and give tribute to the Mughals from their faraway lake city. Nonetheless, it is beautiful, especially the Monsoon Palace that overlooks the Aravilli Hills that Maharana Pratap sought refuge in.

Udaipur, City of Lakes, at a distance.

City Palace

Sheesh Mahal, City Palace.

Something or another at the City Palace

Mayur at the Sheesh Mahal [Peacock at the Mirror Palace]

Maharana Sanga, an all-Indian hero

Jagniwas, the Lake Palace, on Lake Pichhola

Jagmandir, where Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan [of Taj Mahal fame] took refuge for some months

An elephant at Jagmandir salutes the City Palace off at a distance

A Crumbling Balcony at the Monsoon Palace, overlooking the Aravilli Hills

Sunset on the Aravilli Hills

A Sea of Blue in the Desert

2006-12-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

By far, Jodhpur is the most impressive city in Rajasthan. The Blue City and the fort that guards it are truly marvels of India. Known internationally as the Blue City, nearly 70% of Jodhpur houses are tinted with indigo paint, which keeps houses cool.

A view of the Blue City from Mehrangarh Fort

Jodhpur blending into the defences of Mehrangarh

Mehrangarh Fort, of which Kipling said was "the work of angles, fairies, and giants"

Its hard to imagine that this fort was built over 500 years ago, given that its over 450 feet above the rest of the city.

Maharani's quarters

Diwan-e-Khaas [King's Court]

A Relaxing Moment in the Courtyard of the King

An Oasis

2006-12-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

According to ome archeologists, the Sarasvati River used to run through Rajasthan, but dried up sometime in the late Vedic era. In its wake lies a dozen oases and the seasonal Ghaggar-Hakra River. We can only imagine how this land once flourished during the age of Rishis and Devas.

On the banks of this oasis:

Asli Registhan

2006-12-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Rajasthan is famous for the Thar Registan [The Great Indian Desert], one of the driest places of Earth. Outside Jaisalmer, I rode a camel throughout this Registan to see this alien land.

Dhollia puckers up and says hi:

Dhollia and me:

The view from the top:

The road ahead:

Akhon ke phool [click to enlarge]:

Hey you kids! Get off my lawn!

Sunset in India, Sunrise in America:

The Vainglorious Havelis of Jaisalmer

2006-12-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Unlike the havelis at Mandawa, Jaisalmer's havelis are intricately carved in sandstone with little murals. They are testament to the large mercantile empire that Jaisalmer controlled in the 1500s. Some of these havelis, priced at millions of current US dollars, took decades to sculpt. Some of the descendents of the trading families still live in them.

Click to see sculpting details

Patwon ki Haveli, the largest haveli in Jaisalmer

...today inhabited only by thousands of bats

View of Jaisalmer Fort from Nathmalji ki Haveli

The city that is a fort

2006-12-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Jaisalmer Fort has been continuously inhabited since the time of the Crusades. Falling once to Allaudin Khilji, it is remembered in the folk memory of India as the fort of the Aadhaa Jauhar, in which the Princesses and Queens took their own lives rather than be dehumanized as part of Khilji's harem.

Not surprisingly, it is India's second largest fort, appearing as a crown upon the rest of the city of Jaisalmer.

The rather unassuming Akh Pol [Cactus Gate] is the main entry to the Fort

The Surya Pol [Sun Gate] is positioned in such a way that enemy elephants cannot gain the momentum to breach it.

The Maharaja still celebrates Diwali on these premises

A quarter of Jaisalmer's population still lives inside the fort in small galis [alleys]

The rest lives outside the walls in an equally medieval Jaisalmer.

The last time the fort was in active use was in 1965, when Pakistani forces crept from the horizon to make an ill-conceived siege of the fort. They of course failed miserably.

Gadisar Lake, Jaisalmer

2006-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Gadisar is a manmade reservoir in Jaisalmer built in the 1700s.

This main gate that leads to the lake was unknowingly built by prostitutes, and so, noble people never pass under it, but rather use a rather humble steppath to the right, under the tree.

This ghat [steppes] is painstakingly modelled after the one at Benares.

The Maharaja's personal island:

Outside, some little boys with gigantic turbans do some breakdancing, desi-style!

Here they are, giving thanks for the rather generous Rs. 100 ($2) note

Junagadh Fort

2006-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Junagadh is a beautiful fort in Bikaner, on the Indo-Pak border. By far the most recent, built in the 1800s, it is testament to the shrewd diplomacy of Bikaji's descendents, who forsook Rajput honor and independence to become vassals to the British and Mughals. Regardless of what it
represents, few can disagree that it is quite charming.

Outside Views:

Anglo-Sassanid Style in columns, lamps, and arches

Diwan-e-Khaas [King's Court]

Badal Mahal [Cloud Palace]

Sheesh mahal [Mirror Palace]

Somewhere, Mahatma Gandhi has a huge headache

2006-12-05T07:16:00.000-08:00

A LOT has changed in India over the past five years. Driving through some areas of Delhi, its hard to imagine that this city of flyovers and mega-malls is actually in a developing country. But most of all, I think what's completely new is the fast food...McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dominos, Ben and Jerrys...its all there!

Here's a fuzzy snapshot of McDonalds. There you can find Ronald McDonald wearing a turban.

Vegetarian
Paneer Salsa Wrap
McCurry Pie Shahi Paneer
McVeggie Burger
Veg Surprise
McAloo Tikki Burger
Veg Pizza Puff

Non Vegetarian
Chicken Maharaja mac
Chicken Mexican Wrap
McCurry Pan Shahi Chicken
Filet-o-Fish
McChicken Burger
Chicken McGrill Burger

And here's Sethu Mausi and Kunnu Didi enjoying some Pizza Hut.

Vegetarian
veggie taka tak,
teekha paneer makhani,
peshawari channa paneer,

Non Vegetarian
chicken tikka makhani,
tandoori chicken chutneywala, and
shahi shammi kebab.

Lemme tell you, chutney and paneer on pizza may sound gross, but its far better than you think.

Lazy days in India

2006-12-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Mubarak Mahal, Jaipur at sunset.

Dhollia, Sehra, and Phool ready to nap on a lazy Rajasthan evening.

Train's running late at Dhampur Railway Station, as usual.

The neighborhood in our ancestral village.

Our family and our fields.

"Bada Hua To Kya Hua, Jaise Ped Khajoor Panthi Ko Chaya Nahin, Phal Laage Atidoor."

Camels!

2006-12-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Some of the camels in Jaisalmer. I rode the leftmost one.

I have never seen so many camels before in my life...or ever hope to see again.

Watch out! Crazy camel on the loose

Oont gaarhi driver in Jhunjhunu giving me some bad looks

Havelis, big and small, in Mandawa

2006-12-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

On the way to Bikaner, we stopped briefly at Mandawa, in the Shekhawat region of Rajasthan. Its a small place not really known for much today but over a hundred years ago, it was the center of opium cultivation and trade. With this money from illicit drugs, the people of the town built magnificent havelis (houses), with intricate paintings that shine as brightly today as they did on the palette so many eons ego.

My favorite:

[people just don't see how special these houses are. Plastered on these priceless paintings are tawdry posters for "AMERICAN" English Learning Institute--30 days to get 'call center' quality Angrezi. sigh]

First stop in Rajasthan

2006-12-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

One of the first places we saw was the Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke. From the outside, it may not look any different from any other temple in India, but one step into the building reveals a eye-popping secret-this unassuming temple is actually swarming with thousands of rats roaming free, eating gifts of milk and sweets, and squeaking with delight as they play carelessly through the grounds.

According to legend, Karni Mata, locally believed to be an avatar of Durga Mata, went to Yamaraja to resurrect her dead nephew. Yamaraja refused to do so, citing the inevitability of death. Frustrated, she, as God herself, resurrected her nephew and stated that none of her descendents would meet Yamaraja. Rather, they would be reborn as rats in her temple. Upon their own death, they would once more become human in a chain that will last until moksha.

Personally, I'm not liable to believe the tale, but I have to say that these rats must have done something great in their previous lives to live in such enviable luxury today!

Warning: pictures not for the squeamish!

Padharo mhare website!

2006-12-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone! There's nothing quite here right now but in the upcoming days, there will be. In the meantime, enjoy the pic that sums it all up...