A mere mention of the word Rajasthan conjures up images of kings and kingdoms, elaborate architecture, chivalry, bright colors, folklore and festivities. Jaipur, the Capital City has a story of its own. I felt the hotel I stayed in also had one, Jaipur makes you imagine and takes you away from reality.
We were in Jaipur that evening and 2 more days. On arrival, we booked the cab from the airport to our hotel. All I could notice how well organized the city is, how broad the roads were and of course how beautiful it looked.
After Rajasthani dinner at the Handi Restaurant that night we headed back for some rest, and had an early morning planned.
And so we left for the Birla Temple. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, the Birla temple is a proud architectural landmark of Jaipur. It is completely built in pure white marble.
Next stop was Albert Hall Museum near the city center is home to an industrial arts exhibit. This museum displays artifacts and information on the history of traditional arts and crafts around Jaipur and Rajasthan. Its goal is to support local traditions and customs, and the people of Jaipur are very proud of this museum.
Third stop of the day was, The City palace Jaipur City Palace is situated right in the heart of the city. The City Palace of Jaipur is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthani & Mughal architecture. It is a complex of palaces out of which only few are open to the public as royal family still resides in a part of the Palace.It also house two museums which display the artifacts and paintings from the royal family of Jaipur.
Right next to the city place was the Jantar Mantar observatory. This age old observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking the location of various stars, ascertaining the declination of planets, and determining celestial altitudes.
After which it was time for, Nahargarh Fort is one of three forts at Jaipur and situated on top of Aravalli Hills. Nahargarh means an abode of tigers. It has a beautiful arched entrance decorated with rich floral designs. Inside the palace, there is a longish courtyard, with three suites each on the three sides, making a total of nine identical suites inside the palace, for 9 queens and the king, complete with separate kitchens, servant quarters storage and toilets for each queen.
Must mention,the very famous jump in Rang de Basanti was shot in the Queen bath of Nahargarh. These two fact has stood out me. The beautiful view of Jaipur city from the roof top of this palace is an added attraction.
After that, our next stop was Jaigarh Fort. This fort, also known as the Hill of Eagles is located further away from the city next to Naharagh Fort.
The palace houses the largest cannon in the world referred to as the Jaivana. It is located on top of a hill in the Aravalli range and offers a splendid view. It also overlooks the Amer Fort, to which we next headed after spending some time at the Jaigarh Palace.
Amer fort visit was on our last day of 8 days in Rajasthan.
The Amer fort is at a distance of 11km from Jaipur. On the way to Amer, is Jal Mahal, a palace half submerged in water. We were excited to click few photos of the Jal Mahal bathed in a blue and golden light, floating in the lake.
Amer transported us back to 16-17th centuries. The dramatic stories about the royals gave us an insight into their lives as well as those times.
There are many courtyards, a beautiful garden and other sub-structures within the complex but I find Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) the most impressive. This is a room covered in tiny mirrors and the total effect is mesmerizing. We were awed by some stories, some others were just out right amusing.
Jaipur felt eternally serene- Jaipur the bright, colorful, intensely alive city that it is.
Until next time!!
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