Around the World with Hardy(T)Around the World with Hardy(T)Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and has a lot to see. It was also the last stop in our trilogy of old Raj cities, and the home city of Padam, our excellent tour leader.
Our first stop was the Pink Palace
(Hawa Mahal) in the centre of the city. This was apparently built to allow
the womenfolk of Jaipur to watch the world go by whilst, heaven forbid,
not being seen themselves. An impressive building, but perhaps not the best
place in the world to get out and have a look around. Talk about being the
centre of attraction...
Most people in our party were unimpressed by the Jantar Mantar observatory,
but I found it to be a fascinating place. Jaipur's founder Maharajah Jai
Singh II was a reknowned astronomer and he constructed this observatory
in 1728. It comprises a series of pyramids, towers, sundials, etc, each
of which tell either the time, date, position of certain stars or planets
or other astronomical data. An important function of the observatory was
to tell people's horoscopes. A couple were only allowed to marry if their
horoscopes were compatible. Seems as good a reason as any...
Any visit to Jaipur
must include the trip out to the Amber Fort, some 10km out of town. The
most convenient way to complete the last few hundred yards is by elephants.
Unfortunately the elephants were in extremely poor shape - not surprisingly
since their drivers were beating them about the head with iron bars to get
them to carry their passengers up the steep path. If you're going to Amber,
I'd urge you to boycott this sad spectacle. Rant over.
Once inside the Fort you can't help but be impressed by both the grand scale and the attention to detail of the place. As in Jodhpur, I was a bit 'forted out' but, again, I could still appreciate the spectacular views over the immaculate palace gardens and over to the nearby hills.
Continued on Jaipur(2)...