Jaipur - the Pink City

We enjoyed our tour of the Old Pink City, almost fully encircled by the original battlements and accessed through the restored gateways (although three are only accessible by royalty). It’s an interesting if not partially bewildering experience. Many of the pink buildings are in a serious state of disarray and most of the streets are dirty and litter bound. Animals have priority and the resident monkeys are said to be aggressive and "not to be tangled with." Elephants block streets as they amble about their business and they, alongside cows, and tuk-tuks contribute to the grid locking of this town. A town, which is renowned for the soundness of its plans with streets divided into rectangular blocks each, on conception of the design, having been attributed a specialist function. I guess no one would have predicted the chaos that seems to abound in the 21st century

We stopped off to view the Water Palace. Surprisingly this palace is set in the middle of a large lake! I don’t think you can access the palace but we could imagine the emperor being brought here and then being rowed out to his weekend retreat. There were some good views across the water, with water buffalo grazing and a variety of birds to be spotted. On the main road the elephants trudged back to Jaipur having completed the "tourist run" at the Amber Fort.

In Jaipur we stopped off at a small, but interesting temple, tucked up a back street. These are some of the advantages of having a local guide and seeing sites off the usual tourist trail. Here a couple had just got married and they were passing through the streets meeting up and receiving gifts from friends in the neighbourhood. It was clear that this was a relaxed and laid back ceremony but with very clear expectations for the couple and on-lookers alike.

I guess we’ll never forget the moment when our taxi driver was pulled over by a local traffic cop. It’s hard to break traffic rules when it seems that the only rule is that there are no rules! But after 15 minutes or so (we were just beginning to panic that we’d miss out train back to Delhi) he returned. In effect the official had attempted to extract a "bribe" from our driver. He did not play ball so was "let off."

Quick Tips:

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But whilst in Jaipur I would strongly recommend that you opt for the best form of transport to the Amber Fort. Get to the base early and grab yourself an elephant ride up the winding street to the summit. The rides start at 8 am and finish by 10:30am, but if you want to assure yourself minimal queuing you’ll need to be at the Amber Fort no later than 7:30am. I reckon we stood in line for no longer than 15 minutes, but the queue was certainly growing rapidly by 8:30, and we were sure the late arrivals would have a frustrating wait. We sat "side saddle" on the elephant, it was quite strange, and as the elephant lurched its way forward we felt ourselves slip out of the seat. Once we settled it was a great experience, and if we blotted out the scores of other elephants making up the never-ending production line we could imagine this as the only way that the emperor and his royal court would have travelled. There are some great views from this vantage point, but the movement of the elephant makes photography difficult!

This must be a unique set of erections built in a small tranquil spot in the city. We’d spotted an odd triangular building, similar to a massive child’s slide, from the top of the Wind Palace and had been mildly intrigued as to its functionality. I couldn’t even begin to guess.

Our guide proudly escorted us to Jantar Mantar or Jai Singh’s observatory. Jai Singh, who had an absolute obsession with astronomy and established a total of five observatories in his lifetime, started work on this observatory in 1728. Four have survived and Jaipur is allegedly by far the most comprehensive (it was restored to its former glory in 1901.

Sawai Jai Singh was the founder ruler of Jaipur and other than ruling, soldiering he had a keen interest in architecture and the movement of the planets. He ordered numerous weighty astronomy books to be translated into his native language and dispatched scholars from his court to meet up with astronomical experts throughout the world. Then he began to develop his architectural and astronomical masterpieces. Indeed they are so precisely built that they are still in use to this day and we were told that the giant sundial was effective to 2 seconds (better than my modern watch, but not as transportable).

Although we were looking at technically elaborate equipment you could be forgiven in thinking that you’d found your way into the centre of an exhibition of modern sculpture. The lines of the creation are organic and flow beautifully through the park. Indeed so technical were some of the explanations of the purpose of the structures that I preferred just to admire the artistic nature of the creation. But it’s not just about telling the time because the set of stone instruments help track the movement of the stars (in both the southern and northern hemi-spheres) and forecast eclipses. Radically Jai Singh’s research moved him away from the traditional use of brass in instrumentation to the controversial use of stone His belief was proved to be sound because these instruments are reputedly error free.

Having built this fine set of structure Jai Singh set about recording all his findings and these mighty tomes are still safely stored at the City Museum. It was unfortunate that the sun was not shining on the day of our visit so we did struggle to see the shadows cast on the instrumentation, but our guide did his best to point out the features and pointed out the dimmest of shadow on the giant sundial. We spent a good hour wandering around this enclosure. Were intrigued that the "stairway to heaven" sundial was not constructed until several smaller working models had been fully tried and tested. There’s a wooden model on display and of course the baby sundial is only a few metres away from the "big daddy."

There is a stunning view of the wind palace and the experience is strongly recommended. A unique piece of history.

When we accessed to building via a rear serene courtyard we were soon appreciating what a magnificent building we were about to explore. There is a minimal entrance fee (5 rupees if my memory serves me well), but the purchase of a permit to use your camera boosts the charge by another 30 rupees (still well under £1 for two people). The climb to the top is by way of a very gradual slope – after all royalty did not walk but were pushed in elaborate "wheelchairs" – and the views of the surrounding countryside are super from the top. It was here that we first saw the strange buildings of the Jantar Mantar. There’s an array of interesting buildings and "hidey-holes" and it did not take too much imagination to visualise the ladies of the court milling around this incredible building.

The central sandstone building is a mass of arches, domes, windows, and elaborately carved wooden screens, and from a distance this tiered building resembles a church organ with its intricate sound pipes. The red sandstone is sandwiched between sunny yellow constructs and some of the domes are augmented by this bright contrast. Covered passage ways, with a perfect view from the inside cleverly disguise the presence of those within (that was of course the intention) and on a hot summer’s day the building would offer shade and "air-conditioning" to the inhabitants.

On each floor there are screened views of the main Jaipur street and it would be through these shutters that the royal females would be able to spy on the "common folk" and keep themselves up to date on the latest fashions and the activity of the town. Because of the strict rule laid down for the "royal ladies" it was the only way that they could view the life of the ruler’s subjects and enjoy any of the many regal processions that were led through the City. Turrets are strategically placed around the upper floors and when we "grabbed a seat" in one of them the sensation of solitude was immense. Because although we were still very much in the Hawa Mahal, the elevation in the turret construction gave a real sense of being "a few steps removed" from the rest of the building. Certainly we had an uninterrupted view of the town.

Another "secret" spot gave a classic view over the rooftops as well as a superbly intimate view over the Siredeori Bazaar and the busy main streets of Jaipur. A great building to explore, but you won't need more than an hour.

The City Palace is still highly revered and immediately next-door are the seven stories of the Chandra Mahal, the current royal residence. Indeed when we visited the guide, with great pride pointed out the royal car that was parked in the grounds. Smartly dressed guards stand at the entrance and they will happily pose for photographs with you. What a surprise - they stretch out their hands for a tip!

There’s loads to see here and we only had 90 minutes to complete our tour. We did it, but it was a bit of a rush. In the centre of the inner courtyard is the Diwan-I-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences), which is decked out with beautiful chandeliers and good quality marble. A couple of palace attendants were on "shooing" duty – attempting to keep birds out of the hall and from settling on the chandeliers. At the entrance to this building are, at over 1½ metres, the two largest silver articles in the world. They were used by Maharaja Singh when he visited England for the King's coronation. Being a devote Hindu he would only use the holy water from the River Ganges.

The Diwan-I-Am (Hall of Public Audiences) is a magnificent building in its own right but it houses a fascinating collection of artwork, tapestries, and original manuscripts. The Original carpeting is still intact (although now stored in gigantic wall mounted rolls. There’s a painting of the massively built Sawai Singh – he weighed in at over 250kg and was almost 1½m wide (almost as wide as he was tall!). Indeed on the first floor of the "welcome palace" (a tapestry of European and Islam architectural design) we found one of his items of clothing. Indeed he was huge. If you’re into fabric and design this is the place for you and as an added bonus you’ll get a great view of the Palace from the balcony. Don’t be tempted to sneak a photograph – we saw one tourist being hauled out of the building as he’d taken a crafty photo of one of the exhibits.

In the queen's apartment is the armory museum, a display of ferocious weaponry with the whimsical touch of the "welcome" display being created out of some formidable looking knives. The "added value" of this museum is the fantastic mirrored ceiling. Just imagine the impact of this room with candles flickering at night or the reflection of the daytime sunlight.

Finally we were entranced by the courtyard leading to the present day Palace. Having strolled down a dark narrow corridor we entered this large airy quadrangle with four very special gates. They depict the four season in beautifully intricate design. But the one that is the most stunning is a "peacock design" - this almost beggars description. It is truly wonderful and has been perfectly preserved over the years. You'll surely want a photograph or two of this (as long as you have remembered to purchase your photographic permit!).

Guides are available and I would think it’s well worth the effort as there’s a maze of buildings and a qualified guide (at around 200 rupees) will allow you to get the best out of the trip. There are some superb views from the top of the fort and the fortification walls weave their way, in a way that resembles the Great Wall of China, across the landscape. It is clear that the Maharajah was a stickler for detail and the well-preserved buildings are a testament to the high standards set by this ruler.

Although the layout was pretty much standard to other palaces that we’d see (i.e. Hall of Public Audiences, Hall of Private Audiences, the royal view gallery for the female members of the court etc.), there was nothing standard about the buildings themselves. The Diwan-I-Am (Hall of Public Audiences) was a magnificent columned building with superbly lavish stone carvings. The entrance to the private quarters, accessed by a short staircase, was beautifully preserved and there was evidence of the original wall frescoes in the corridor (no attempt has been made to "touch up" the artwork, so what you see is all original).

The "secret" viewing gallery was unusually on two levels with the lower one, with the best views, being reserved for the royal wives and the upper level for the female members of the royal court.

There’s loads to see here with brightly painted and well-manicured elephants, street entertainers, incredible architecture and superb views of the surrounding countryside. A must see in my view.