Exploring Jaipur: Week 6 / Day 37 / Feb 16
Jaipur, India: I woke up feeling a bit icky this morning and thinking that my time confined in a closed space with a bunch of other people on the train yesterday did not do me any good. I would occasionally get sick after cross country flights when working for Amgen, and this feels pretty darn similar. Oh well.
I left the hotel I am staying at this morning intending to go see the main attractions in Jaipur – the Pink City, City Palace, and other places, saving further out attractions for tomorrow. However, as I was walking down the road in that direction a tuk-tuk driver pulled up and started to talk to me. After a few moments of conversation I tried to walk away (cars behind him were blowing their horns) and he asked where I needed to hurry off to. He wanted to talk to me more and offered to sit down over some tea to chat further. I decided what the heck, how much could this ride cost? (Ominous sounding foreshadowing – it actually turned out very well).
We drove a short ways in his tuk-tuk and down an alley to a roadside tea stand. I began to get out to pay, but he insisted on paying as I was his guest. This guy knew the best sales techniques better than I ever did at when I worked at Accenture. Within minutes he had established trust and made himself someone I could rely on. Ravi was good at his job. And, he also seemed like a genuinely nice guy.
After talking awhile about India, the US, and recent events in Kashmir (there was a terrorist attack that killed over 40 Indian Army soldiers), I was starting to get out to continue my walk to the city center. As we were saying our goodbyes I decided that he had done a good job and that I would instead ask him to take me to the further out attractions for the day instead. Having negotiated a basic rate we set out for all of the things I had hoped to see tomorrow and some others as well.
Shortly after we began our drive he pulled to the side and hopped out. When he returned he had a garland of roses and a couple of extras for me so I could “ride like a Maharaja” as he put it. Yes, I looked like an idiot. No, I did not care.
Our first stop was a location called the Royal Gaitor Tumbas that I had never heard of before. Because of his accent, I thought he kept on referring to the “Royal Ghetto” and my only thought was, “Well, that seems an odd combination!” Upon arrival (and seeing the proper spelling) I was able to discover that these are a collection of cenotaphs (monuments to the dead who are interred elsewhere) for the Royal Maharajas of Rajasthan. At first I thought the complex appeared rather small (maybe one or two buildings), but I soon realized that was not the case.
A combination of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles, the buildings constructed of white marble remain mostly intact.
A continuing theme throughout this area is the ability of the royal family to have struck deals as needed with new powers as they arrived. For this reason, many of the monuments and palaces survive to a degree not seen in Delhi or elsewhere. Looking up from the complex one sees a long fortification wall that extends in both directions.
Continuing deeper into the complex many more cenotaphs are encountered each more amazing than the one before. I spent most of my time at this location rounding each corner and then saying “Wow!” Insightful commentary, I know.
Each time I thought I had reached the end, I would see that I could then go on further and see more and get a good view back on the area below.
The detailed carvings within the marble structures varied, but were all amazing.
Leaving the complex I noticed a small group of monkeys on a nearby wall. Stopping to take their pictures, they did not seem scared of people at all.
That lack of fear was confirmed when this guy pulled on my pant leg.
Leaving this area we headed up to the Amer Fort. This fort was built by Raja Man Singh (the Kachwaha King of Amer) beginning in the late 16th century and expanded by his descendant Jai Singh I. The fort continued to undergo updates and improvements until the capital of the region was moved from Amer to Jaipur in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II. Located up in the hills near Jaipur, it is easy to see why the location would appeal to an army commander.
If you look carefully at the last picture, you can see a man just behind me playing a flute. Yep, the traditional snake charmer.
I was assured that the snake was fine as it was a non-venomous cobra. Later research online revealed that there is a non-venomous snake that kind of looks like a cobra (I do not think this was one of that species), but no such thing as a non-venomous cobra. Oops.
The Amer Fort is probably the most impressive palace / fort complex I have seen so far on this entire journey. Part of that owes to its sheer size and scale, and part to the ability of its rulers to maintain good relationships with other rulers / factions over the centuries. For the most part the fort is intact.
The initial square that one goes into upon entering the fort is enormous. Up a set of stairs one enters another area shown in the last picture above. In this same area is the court of public gathering or Diwan-i-Aam.
Located nearby is a second gathering area where the ruler would meet with his leaders to discuss matters in private. This area also had impressive views of the countryside.
Finally, there was also a set of baths nearby for even more private conversations between the ruler and either his leaders or visiting dignitaries. As one can see, the baths still afforded a view of goings on out in the courtyards.
Beyond these courtyards lay the private gardens and residence of the king and his wives.
The garden is laid out similar to other Mughal gardens seen elsewhere. Amongst the buildings up in this area, the most impressive is the Mirror Palace. Inlaid with multiple pieces of silvered glass, the palace would be lit with candles at night. The walls would then flicker and glow in the reflected candlelight.
Opposite the Mirror Palace and across the garden was the primary residence of the king.
Although accommodations were a bit spartan by today’s standards, there was an attempt at climate control as shown in the third picture. The green in the floor is glass laid over a channel that cascaded water through the residence and into the gardens.
Beyond this area was the living space for the queens, mistresses and concubines.
Shown in the last picture is one of the ramps interconnecting different levels and used to bear the queen’s palanquin. Also, in the next to last picture is a view down the corridor of the women’s complex. The purpose of this corridor was so the king could visit the desired room of a chosen mistress or concubine without being seen by the others walking through the courtyard.
Finally, on the way out of the fort I passed the tunnel that leads underground through 1.4 km to the higher, older fort on the hill.
Exiting the fort area I passed a pair of large iron pans of the type commonly found in Indian restaurants or homes.
However, they are usually a bit smaller than this. Of these two, one actually dates from the time of the rulers living in the fort while the other is a replica made for a movie shot at the fort.
On the way back down from the fort I stopped to buy some snacks (notice the balance being used to weigh the purchase) and look at the view.
In the gardens back at the bottom of the trail I saw some more monkeys (one of whom also grabbed my pant leg) and other animals lounging about.
Leaving the Fort Amer area we started to head back to Jaipur. Along the way we stopped at a stepwell. As the name implies, it is a well accessed by a series of steps.
Also, on the way we pulled over to look at the Jal Mahal (Water Palace). The palace and the lake were both built by Raja Man Singh.
The palace is actually five stories tall with four stories submerged in the man made lake.
We also stopped by a textile cooperative factory in the area to observe the work being performed.
What can be done with multiple stages of block printing is truly impressive.
They also had quilts made of patches from antique wedding dresses which had metal thread running throughout them.
Finally, returning to Jaipur, I decided to head in towards the city to take a brief look around. Wandering through the market area I saw a lot that will bear further exploration tomorrow.
I also came across this gentleman who agreed to let me take his picture if I would give him a copy.
When making this agreement I did not know that he had no email address, social media account, or other electronic communications. I originally thought to mail him a copy of the picture eventually. But, on the walk back to the hotel I passed a photoshop that agreed to print the pictures for me. Even though the photoshop was over a half mile away, the man working the counter looked at the pictures and said, “Oh, I know this guy. He lives right next door to me.”
On the way back to the hotel I passed some crowds waving Indian flags and chanting “<something>, Pakistan <something>, <something>” I assume in response to the recent attacks in Kashmir.
I asked a police officer what the crowd was saying, but his English was the level of my Hindi. However, given their tone of voice, I am guessing they were not saying, “Hey Pakistan, we’ve had our difference over the years, but I really hope we can get through this recent rough patch and reconcile!” I could be wrong about that, but I doubt it.
