| Jaipur:
A Land Of Color, Culture And Bonhomie |
| Travel
To India |
| By Manju Dubey |
| When I was
a child India was nothing but a land of fairy tales, of Kings & Queens,
palaces and intrigues. Well often times when you travel across India you
tend to come across remnants of diversity in culture. But once you move
across from Delhi towards Rajasthan you can see the majesty of the Rajas
who ruled this desert kingdom. Rajasthan - the first thought that comes
to mind is the splash of color and vivacity of the people who live there.
Can you ever begin to imagine a desert, which is alive? I could not … until
my nieces came over to India to visit us. Anyway it so happened that my
nieces’ decided to spend their Christmas vacation with us in Delhi. |
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Well for the
past five years India has undergone a total change in the urban areas,
but etched in the minds of NRI’s(non-resident Indian) is nothing
but the same old dirt, filth and garbage strewn all around. Can you imagine
that that’s what they miss after years of living overseas!!!
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My nieces landed
on the night of 21st December 2004! My children were waiting for them anxiously
at home. All with a sense of pride that their NRI cousins decided to stay
with them first. Between the day they landed and our trip to Jaipur we
had a day to waste in Delhi. So the next day I took them to all the modern
shopping malls that have sprung up in the suburbs. Instead of being impressed
they said they wanted to visit real India. |
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| Well, off
we went to Jaipur. Going to Jaipur from Delhi by road is fun. The roads
are good and you can see the typical Indian countryside, especially in
winter when the fields are ablaze with flowering mustard plants. You can
also see the majesty of the Aravalli ranges, which accompany us all the
way to Jaipur. From Delhi, Jaipur is almost a five-hour drive. On the way
you can find some clean eateries providing Indian and continental delicacies.
When I am traveling
within India I almost always take Chinese food, which is very Indian in
taste!!
The entrance
to the old part of Jaipur City is very impressive. There are those
tall impressive doorways or Gates of the Palaces. Every building or shop
- private or otherwise - dons an earthy color. I don’t know why its called
Pink City but the color is certainly not pink… for instance the HAWA MAHAL. |
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| We had
our bookings at The Rajputana hotel. It’s a 5* deluxe hotel. We took
a room and shared the double bed. My nieces were all gaga over the fact
that India can boast of such luxury as a bathtub and hot water. Instead
of wasting time at the hotel we dumped our luggage and went out shopping.
Shopping should always be done from standard shops rather than wayside
stalls. The prices in Jaipur are almost half from Delhi. What you buy for
2200 Rs. in Delhi you may get for as little as 650Rs. in Jaipur. The stuff
to buy there are the local bandhej work on skirts, lehengas and saris.
Jaipur is very famous for its mirror work, Kurtis and Lehengas. This true
and authentic stuff can be bought at Rajasthali the Govt. handicrafts store
or emporium. There are rows of shops that have ethnic wear, artificial
jewelry or jewelry made of semi-precious stones.
The girls
were so excited with their visit to the bazaar that they just wouldn’t
leave. But we had to eat too. At the hotel Reception it was suggested
that we visit a place called CHOKHI DHANI. No trip to Jaipur can ever be
complete without a visit to this place. It’s a typical rural Indian setting
with a distinct Rajasthani flavor. You have it all: fire–breathers, dancers
in colorful attire, artificial village, camel rides or rides in horse drawn
carriages. A traditional Indian cuisine is also included but it is advisable
to eat at the hotel instead. |
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| Due to
time constraints we had to tour the palaces within and around Jaipur in
one day. So we had a heavy breakfast and started out around 10 in the
morning. The first stop was Amber Fort. It is nearly 300 years old; the
view from within Amber Fort is breathtaking. The flooring is so smooth
almost like marble with exquisite patterns etched out on the floor and
walls (murals). The ladies apartments overlooked the huge courtyard.
The King’s living quarters were separate from those of his queens. You
can almost imagine the ladies peeping from exquisitely carved Jharokas
(windows) onto the courtyard.
Next stop
was the Nahargarh Fort built by Jai Singh II.
It is famous for its armory and its battlements. The largest canon ever
built is also here. Legend has it that the canon was fired only once and
all the soldiers near it died. The fort displays the military hardware
and the expertise of that era(1693-1743). To round out the tour the last
visit was the City Place, which houses a museum, and living quarters of
the present-day Maharaja Capt. Bhawani Singh. |
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| The famous
and the most beautiful Queen of modern day India Maharani Gayatri Devi
also resides here. Her biography A Princess Remembers gives an insight
into the life and times of Indian monarchies.
So with
all our memories and imagination about the life and times of the royalty
of Jaipur we left for Delhi early the next morning. A tour to Rajasthan
cannot be completed in a day you need at least a fortnight. The places
worth visiting are Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur. The Royalty
in Rajasthan is still adored by its people.
A trip to India
can never be complete without a visit to Rajasthan a place which is so
vibrant, colorful, like living history.
The following
is the first article Manju wrote for the magazine:
To contact Manju
Click Here |
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