Monday 2/12/2018 Chittor Fort
Chittor Fort is considered to be the largest fort in India and Asia.
Bol was so knowledgeable about every place that we stopped. He had a narrative with some of the most interesting information about each building. This was way better and more fun than paying a guide!
The fort is spread out in an area of 700 acres and is built in the shape of a large fish with a circumference of 13km. It is also built on top of very steep, rocky high ground so it is more difficult for the enemy to reach it.
When the fort was built in the 5th century, it had only one gate. Sisodia Rajputs renovated the fort and built six more gates finishing around the 15th century.
Entrance to the fort is up a long winding road passing through each of the 7 gates.
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The gates were made in such a way that they provide full security to the fort from invasion. They were built with heavy stones and pointed arches.
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The gates have very sharp spears so that the elephants cannot push their way into the gates. These also protected the gates from cannons.
Monkeys hanging out in the temple windows
Inside this entryway is a perpetually flowing body of water. Even in drought season, the water always flows.
This Mahal is a 3 story structure surrounded by a lake.
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According to legends, it is at this Palace where Alauddin was permitted to glimpse the mirror image of Rani Padmini, wife of Maharana Rattan Singh. It is widely believed that this glimpse of Padmini's beauty besotted him and convinced him to destroy Chittor in order to possess her.
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Maharana Rattan Singh was killed and Rani Padmini committed Jauhar instead of being captured.
Rani Padmini's beauty has been compared to that of Cleopatra and her life story is an eternal legend in the history of Chittor.
Vijay Stamgh is a 9 story tower made of red stone. It was raised in 1440 AD by Rana Kumbha to celebrate his triumph over Sultan Mohaned Khiji. It is said that the top floor of the tower is haunted and anyone who goes there will disappear.
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During the Jauhar, Rajput women committed suicide with their children and valuables in massive fire, to avoid capture and abuse in the face of inescapable military defeat and capture.
We stopped to drop off Bol and Chitra at their place and visited awhile with them and their mom and then back to Ajmer
Tuesday 2/13
Shannon and I got on the train headed to Jodpur. Shannon had booked our side trips and we checked in to an amazing hotel, The Ranbunka Palace. We got in late and just walked down the street for dinner to On the Rocks.
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This was a cute restaurant outside under the stars, surrounded by neem trees. It was a little chilly , so luckily there were heaters at all the tables that kept us warm.
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Wednesday 2/14
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We got up early and got an OLA to take us into town. Our first stop was the Toorji Stepwell. This was an amazing site.
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Stepwells are water storage areas built to make it easy for people to reach the ground water. They also serve as social areas for the towns.
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The builders dug deep trenches into the earth for dependable, year-round groundwater. They lined the walls of these trenches with blocks of stone, without mortar, and created stairs leading down to the water.
Shannon walked down to the bottom of the stepwell as I stayed up and took pictures.
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We had lunch at the café overlooking the stepwell.
Toorji Stepwell
Menu at the Café - thank goodness I don't smoke!
Jumping in the Stepwell
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace is one of the world's largest private residences, however a part of the palace is now also used as a hotel. You can expect to pay about $400 a room or you can upgrade to the Grand Royal Suite for $1925 a night.
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Named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, grandfather of the present owner Gaj Singh of the palace, it has 347 rooms and serves as the principal residence of the Jodhpur royal family.
Construction started in November 1929 and finished in 1943 to provide employment to thousands of people during the time of famine.
About 2,000 to 3,000 people were employed to build it. There was criticism in some quarters for embarking on an expensive project but it had served the main purpose of helping the citizens of Jodhpur to face the famine situation.
The entire palace complex built with sandstone and marble is set in an area of 26 acres of land that includes 15 acres of beautiful gardens.
Shannon and I thought it would be fun to go into the hotel restaurant for tea. We could, but minimum spend is 1000 rupees each – about $15 each. Ummm, for a cup of tea? – not today! Off to the next place.
More to come
Mandore Gardens
Just a quick walk in the gardens.
We saw this group coming into the gardens when we were leaving. Shannon commented on their colorful turbans. "Hey lets see if they will take a picture with us?"
Monkeys were everywhere.
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As we were leaving the park, we saw these monkeys playing in the trees. We stopped and watched - they were so funny, jumping from tree to tree.
Shopping with Shannon
It was so much fun!
Our walk through the streets of Jodpur.
Mehrangarh Fort
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Thursday 2/15
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Mehrangarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India. Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 410 feet above the city and is enclosed by imposing thick walls.
This fort has never been taken in a siege.
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Lucky for us, our OLA driver took us almost all the way up.
Inside the walls, there are several palaces known for their intricate carvings and expansive courtyards.
A winding road leads to and from the city below and the fort is entered by passing through a series of 7 gates.
The imprints of the impact of cannonballs fired by attacking armies of Jaipur can still be seen on the second gate.
"FUN" FACT
The hill on which Mehrangarh stands was known as ‘Bhaurcheeria’. In order to build the fort, Rao Jodha had to displace the only human occupant of the hill, a hermit called Cheeria Nathji.
Upset with the displacement, the hermit cursed Rao Jodha that the fort would suffer scarcity of water.
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To circumvent the curse, Rao Jodha buried a man alive in the foundations to hopefully appease the gods.
The man, Rajiya Bambi, was promised that the Rathores would take care of his family in return for his life. Rajiya’s descendants still live in Raj Bagh to this day.
Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajasthan in India and is also known as the blue city because the color gives an indigo aura to it with blue colored houses surrounding the Mehrangarh Fort.
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A blue pigment coating on a house used to indicate that a Brahmin—the priests of the Indian caste system—dwelled there, but over time the color became a badge of identity for non-Brahmins, too. It’s also said to have insect-repelling abilities.
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Time to leave the blue city and travel to the pink city.
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Jaipur - The Pink City
Arrived into Jaipur late and just had dinner at the hotel restaurant. Our hotel for the next 3 days is the Devraj Niwass hotel.
The city of Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, the Raja of Amer who ruled from 1699 to 1743. The construction of the city began in 1726 and took four years to complete the major roads, offices and palaces.
The city was divided into nine blocks, two of which contained the state buildings and palaces, with the remaining seven allotted to the public. Huge ramparts were built, pierced by seven fortified gates. Later, an eighth gate was added and then Patrika Gate was built to be the ninth gate.
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During the rule of Sawai Ram Singh I, the city was painted pink to welcome the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, in 1876. Many of the avenues remained painted in pink, giving Jaipur a distinctive appearance, hence the name, Pink City.
Any movement in and out of the city was routed through these gates. Initially, the city was protected by 8 gates in all four directions. These gates would close at dusk and open only after dawn. To alarm all citizens in the evening about the impending closure of gates, a small cannon would be fired in a similar fashion to the sounding of bells.
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This scheme of closing the gates at dusk was followed until sometime in the 1940’s. Thereafter, this practice was discontinued because new areas were being developed outside the walled city and the city extended much beyond these gates.
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Today, these gates are merely symbolic; part of city’s history, Nostalgia and built heritage. However, they are also an important element of Jaipur’s rich architectural legacy.
Friday 2/16
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Up and at um...oh my - the night was rough. Our room was just under the bar. There was yelling, glasses dropping, chairs sliding and so much noise until 2am. We should have switched rooms that morning but we got an early start and got back late.
Holy cow...the next night, was 10 times worse. Besides the noise upstairs, the neighbors decided to have a very loud party, lots of drinking, laughing and just loud partying. Time to switch rooms.
This morning we had an OLA driver take us up to the fort. He was very chatty and tried to hire us for the day. I would have done that but by the time we got to the fort, I had had enough of him, he talked too much and was way to pushy about where we should go that day. He kept insisting that he would wait for us even though we kept telling him not to!
When we came out of the fort, we kept our eyes out for him but luckily, we got another OLA to take us down the hill.
Amber Fort
Amber (pronounced Amer) Fort is set in the picturesque and rugged hills of Jaipur . It looks stunning, with its white marble and red sandstone.
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To add to it’s charm, Maotha Lake lays in the foreground of the fort and the mirror image of the fort, on the still waters of the lake, makes a beautiful illusion.
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The construction of the fort began in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I over the remnants of an earlier fortified structure.
It has been modified by successive rulers for the next 150 years.
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The fort is connected with Jaigarh Fort through a fortified tunnel. The tunnel was built for the royal family members and others to escape during the times of war, to take them to Jaigarh Fort, which was by far a safer place.
Too bad we didn’t know about this tunnel while we were at the fort. That would have made a great treasure hunt.
Amber fort was so fun. There were so many rooms within this fort. Every turn came upon more and more rooms.
It was a slow go and very steep. We finally made it to the garden only to be told that it was closed!!
We saw the garden from the balcony and decided to find our way down. We had to "sneak" out the side door and down the hill. It was very steep and finally figured out a way down.
Back into an OLA and on the way back into town, we just had to stop here.
Located in the middle of Man Sagar Lake is the spectacular Jal Mahal (water palace).
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At first glance, the palace that was constructed in 1745, appears to float on the waters of the lake.
Man Sagar Lake is an artificial lake that was formed when a dam was constructed over the river Dharbawati in the early 1600s.
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While boat rides to the palace were available a few years ago, they have now stopped making it a photos-only destination.
Constructed in red sandstone Jal Mahal is a five-storied building that blends Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Four floors of Jal Mahal remain underwater when the lake is full.
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Today, Jal Mahal has been converted into a luxury hotel and is managed by the Taj Group. Restored and refurbished, Jal Mahal Palace Hotel has 94 rooms and six suites as well as multiple restaurants.
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The only way to see Jal Mahal from the inside is to either stay there or book a table at one of these restaurants, however at this time it is not open at all to the public.
City Palace
Construction on the City Palace was completed in 1732 and it served as the seat of power for the Maharaja of Jaipur. Even to this day, a part of the City Palace is out of bounds for general public because it continues to serve as home to the royal family of Jaipur.
Baradari Cafe
Baradari Café inside the City Palace.
Saturday 2/17
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I woke up early and Shannon wanted to sleep in so I decided to go looking for some shopping areas.
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As I walked out onto the street to figure out where I wanted to go, the OLA driver from yesterday was there! Oh my goodness, Why!!!
He asked me if needed a ride. I said no but he kept insisting that he would take me anywhere I wanted to go.
NO, I just want to walk.
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I turned right and started walking. I came to an intersection and realized that I needed to cross the busy street. Here we go again!
There as an Indian man trying to cross also. Lightbulb...I will just tag onto him as he is crossing. It worked great until we got half way there and I missed the opening.
I could tell that he noticed me just behind his left shoulder. He got to the other side and looked back at me. His look said "what happened?" Oh crap, I just shrugged my shoulders - I missed my chance. The rest of the day, every time I needed to cross, I just tagged onto a local and it worked like a charm.
I just ended up taking a long walk and went back to get Shannon up for the day.
Albert Hall Museum
Albert Hall Museum is one of the oldest museums in Rajasthan.
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While it was being built, there were various suggestions about how to put the building to the best use. Needless to say, the building was considered as a venue for a town hall or as a venue for a school or an education institution. But Madho Singh approved the idea of turning it into a museum in 1880.
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Construction on the building was completed in 1887. Albert Hall Museum has a somewhat eclectic collection of things on display — from dioramas to tribal costumes, miniature paintings to carpets and, for good measure, even an Egyptian mummy!
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We had to go way down into the basement to view the mummy. No pics were allowed.
Cafe Palladio
We walked to this adorable café for tea. Dogs and peacocks were in the backyard with us.
Sujan Rajmahal Palace
This place was on Shannons must see list. Its only around $800 a night to stay. They only have 16 rooms and suites which were all full so we couldn't get a look inside the rooms but the concierage took us around to see the dining rooms. We had coffee and a light lunch. This palace is so beautiful.
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Internet Photo
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Yummy burger and fries!
Look at the oil and vinegar decanter on the table. I want one!
Patrika Gate-The Ninth Gate of Jaipur
The number nine holds great significance in our traditions and beliefs such as the Nine Gates, Nine Planets, Navratra (Nine Nights) etc.
The planner of Pink City, Vidyadhar Ji, paid special attention to the number 9 in the city’s architecture. Jaipur was founded on Nine square lots. The city has been planned on the basis of this number only.
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Every dimension of this gate relates to the number 9
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Nine pavilions each nine feet wide. Height of gate is 108 feet, width is 81 feet.
India has some of the most beautiful architecture everywhere. This is an example of such beauty.
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The colorful paintings and drawings on this gate make it a must see while in Jaipur.
Monkey Temple
Our last stop in Jaipur is the Monkey Temple. We got to the area and started our walk up the hill. Monkeys were everywhere and we saw these goats being walked down.
It took us about 40 minutes to walk up to the top. The view of the town was amazing, however we realized too late that this was not where we had planned on going. Somehow on the way up, we must have taken a wrong turn.
By this time it was getting dark and we had to make our way down. It was steep and a little treacherous.
Back to our hotel for a good, quiet night sleep! Up early for our train back to Gurgaon.
Click on India 3 to continue my journey.
Kingdom of Dreams
Garden of 5 senses
Delhi