Ganesh Pol, Amber Fort Jaipur

Diamond staircase, Bikaner

Maharana Pratap Singh

Doli - Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur

'Doli'  is a closed carriage in which the bride leaves for her husband's place. In the old days this carriage used to be carried by 4 people. The Royal barat used to be made up of thousands of people, horses, elephants, camels and what not. The Royal Dolis were very ornate, with gold brocades as above and even gold Doli's in some cases

Kesar Kyari, Amber Fort, Jaipur

The Amber Fort near Jaipur stands tall on a hill, surrounded by the waters of the Maotha Lake, which was artificially designed, I am sure not just as a source of water but also as a protective measure. In the center of this Lake is built the Kesar Kyari literally meaning the garden of saffron. It is said, in the days of the old saffron was planted in this garden, with its fragrance wafting up to the Zennana mahal in the fort.

Sheesh Mahal, Amber Fort, Jaipur

Sheesh Mahal is the hall of mirrors at Amber Fort in Jaipur. Entire walls, the complete ceiling has intricately carvings with tiny mirros embedded in it.  

Here is a shot of the ceiling taken from the entrance of the Sheesh Mahal. Unfortunately the inner sanctum of the mahal is closed to visitors. Attribute the restrictions to the curious nature of visitors, some of whom have tried to prise out some of the mirrors for keepsake. I will always always keep on wondering what it would be like to stand at the center of that hall and look up at the majestic ceiling reflecting me thousands of times.

A wall up close of the carvings. The same patterns are reproduced over and over again along the wall with amazing accuracy. What a skill the artists of those days would have mastered to be soo perfect. 

Zharoka

Zharokha at the Zennana quarters in the Amber fort. The royal women could look at the court proceedings in complete Privacy.

Diwan-I-Khas,City palace Jaipur

 

 

Diwan-I-Khas is the hall where the Maharaja's held a private audience. It was a matter of much honor to be invited and heard by the Maharaja in the Diwan-I-Khas. The meetings in Diwan-I-Khas were presided over by the maharaja and his special coutiers. The junta was not part of the proceedings here. Their appeals, complaints, concerns were addressed in the meetings held in the Diwan-I-Aam.

Jain Temple, Ranakpur

Ranakpur is known for the famous Jain Temple.It is about 80 Km from Udaipur and easily accessible by road. The Jain Temple is made from white marble with its high rising turrets visible from afar. It is said to have 1444 pillars; lore however goes that no one has been ever able to count the exact numbers of pillars. Each pillar is said to have an unique statue and every statue faces one or more other statues. The imposing entrance takes you into a really cool and calm place. Wonderful carving adorn every inch of the temple, the pillars, the walls even the ceiling.

This carving has been created from a single rock of marble. It is said that this carving has 108 snakes so entwined in their dance of life that one cannot find their tails. A similar carving is also part of the ceiling.

The typical ceiling dome has numerous geometrical patterns and different statues beautifully radiating from the center.

 

The experience in Ranakpur is one of its kind. Spend whatever time you may, it seems soo less. A must visit place while you are in Rajasthan. Oh and yes, as you leave the temple, take a moment, face the god and make a wish. The kalpataru carved in the ceiling will make it happen.

Fateh Sagar in Udaipur

 

Fateh Sagar is one of the oldest man made lakes. Maharaja Jai Singh had this dug in 1678. During the reign of Maharja Fateh Singh heavy rains destroyed the Fateh Sagar Dam and he had the reservoir rebuilt.

Clock Tower,Jodhpur

The Clock Tower located in Sadar Bazaar in Jodhpur watches over the city of Jodhpur. Jodhpur usually has houses which are not more than a couple of stories high and the 'Ghanta Ghar' as it is called, towers over the town. Small titbit shared by Paritosh : There is a famous Omelette Man near this tower, who has made omelettes all his life. Read more here

Canon, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur

One of the many cannons that overlooks the Jodhpur city from the Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur.

Heritage Inn Jaisalmer Rajasthan

Greatly built but one of the most horribly managed hotel I have seen in all of Rajasthan or anywhere for that matter.You can see the beauty of the place, but the people, god forbid. None of their staff has the basic manners that one would expect of people in the 'hospitality' industry. Oh well if you are a tourists with dollars in your pocket, you get a very different treatment, hey but if you are from home country you are a nonety. That's the message you will find from the actions, attitudes of this hotel's staff. Right from asking Indian patrons to vacate a table that they have occupied because they are expecting foreign tourists (Yes they tried that with me, ofcourse which I gave back to them with equal bang) to serving you navratna dal instead of the makhani that you have ordered(which was over as they claimed) without even bothering to tell you so, they are just capable of every rude thing that hospitality business should keep miles away from.

Mubarak Mahal, City Palace, Jaipur

Mubarak Mahal is seen in the courtyard while entering the City Palace from the Tripolia side. The Mubarak Mahal was built by Maharaja Madho Singh II somewhere late in the 19th century as the reception hall for the main palace. This is where it derieves its name Mubarak Mahal. The architecture is a combination of Islamic, Rajput and European styles. Today it houses a textile museum with various fine silks, shawls from the Rajputana time. However the biggest attraction is the attire of Madho Singh I who it is said was six and a half feet tall and weighed close to 250 KGs, yet had 108 wives !!!

Lemon and Chilli

 Many of the havelis in Rajasthan have scores of such intrinsically carved windows. The image also captures the superstitions that still prevail in the Indian society. The window has a lemon and some green chillies hanging at its head. It is said that this lemon chilli combination wards off evil spirits ! ..

Now were I to tell you that making this lemon and green chilly charm is a big business in India, would you believe me ? But truly, it is , every morning scores of people prepare these charms and sell them to businessmen who hang it at the entrance to their shops, to drivers who tie it to their vehicles for safety and good luck. WOW , in India you can start a business for almost anything !. Lemon and Chilli charms indeed !

Herd of Camels

What is a trip to Rajasthan if you don't  get to see a herd of camels :). And so did we ! .. We found this bunch miling around the edge of the road that connects Jodhpur and Jaiselmer.

GadiSagar Lake Jaiselmer

The GadiSagar Lake is a manmade rain water reservoir in Jaiselmer. Created by the first Raja Jaisal of Jaiselmer this was the only source of water for Jaiselmer in the old days. Beautifully carved yellow sand stone temples, chatris surrond the Gadi Sagar Lake. One can just imagine the romance of an evening on this charti surrounded by water and lighted by a hundred diyas.

 

Patwon ki Haveli

 

Located on a narrow lane in the main Jaisalmer city, Patwon ki haveli was constructed by Guman Chand Patwa and his five sons. Guman Chand was a famous trader of his times and dealt in gold, brocade and silver.

What you see in this image just a 5th part of the complete Haveli. The entire Haveli has 5 such sections, for each of Guman Chand's 5 sons. It is believed that it took about a 50 years to complete the construction of the entire haveli.

Desert insect

I clicked this little fellow in the Rajasthan Dessert.

Anoop Mahal, JunaGarh Fort Bikaner

Anup Mahal a part of JunaGarh Fort in Bikaner was built by Maharaja Anup Singh. This was the Maharaja's Darbar Hall. The ceiling is made of wood, with gold varished work. RED is the color that stikes one as soon as one steps into Anup Mahal. The Red upholstry of the Raja's Throne, the red carpet in the persian design and loads of red on the walls and roof.