Destination Features

Softly humming the tune of Padharo Mare Desh, I dreamt of a desert of golden sands. A caravan of camels walked across it and stopped at a well surrounded by women working at pulling up water to the pace of their song, singing still they piled pots on their heads to return home hips now swaying to the music. Men dressed in white but with colourful turbans set out to work. The women dressed in all possible bright colours went about their day’s work occasionally telling off children running amok. The evening saw people gather around a fire to sing songs and dance. The warmth of the fire blending with the chill of the desert wind…

The trilling of the phone snapped me out of my dream. It was Prashanth calling to say its time to leave. Yippee… so finally we were to be off, off to the colourful state of Rajasthan.

I would be traveling with Prashanth and Deepa; good old friends from Bangalore. We’ve known each other for a while now and ridden together too. We planned to see as much as we could of Rajasthan.

Jaipur the pink city, I found to be crowded and touristy. It was difficult finding a place to stay that suited the budget and my liking. A tired me finally found a guest house that was passably clean. The locals seemed too friendly and helpful to be true. I had been warned about them getting friendly and then conning you and I was on my guard.

I did hear some stories of how they pull this off from some victims. It all starts with an offer to help with your current problem. This problem is resolved at no cost. What follows is an invitation for a cup of tea or coffee. By this time you’re on friendly terms and start to trust the guy. During tea he talks about his other business of jewels and antiques and invites you to just take a look. Fascinated you say why not and go along. You’re enthralled by the pieces you see but when asked if you want to buy a piece, you claim to not have the money. Your new found friend convinces you and says you can take the piece and pay later. You of course feel embarrassed and keep something as a deposit to be returned later once the payment has been made. Only after you leave the country will you most probably realize that the piece is fake or that you’re not allowed to take it out of India. Too late to do anything as your friend has disappeared too. I realized this modus operandi is quite common, as I did get asked out to a lot of teas and coffees.

Jaipur doesn’t have so much to see but there is quite a bit of shopping to be done here. We walked about in the market looking about and enjoying the variety and colour. Bargaining here is the name of the game. Also in the same area are the Jaipur Palace, the Hawa Mahal and the Jantar Mantar, all at walk able distances.

The Jaipur Palace is where the royal family resides hence only parts of it are open to public display. Some things about this palace caught my eye and I realized just how organized the tourism industry is in this state. There was an armory room here that had ‘welcome’ and ‘good-bye’ displayed with arms used to create each letter. Everything is well displayed and the collection is extensive. On display outside the Diwan-i-Khas are two ‘Gangajalis’ supposed to be the worlds largest silver urns in which it is said the King Sawai Madho Singh had carried Ganga water on his visit to England in 1902. There is also a section for artisans. Here you can watch them go about creating their master pieces and then buy them if you’d like to. There were some paintings that had me holding my breath, such exquisite work and such beauty. I couldn’t help but wonder that if the painting was so beautiful what the original would be like.

The Jantar Mantar is something else… It was a good thing I had read a bit about it and spent time at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Each instrument has such precise use and measures with extreme precision. The mathematicians and scientists of that day had thought of all possibilities and issues, had made miniatures to be studied for faults and corrections before creating the actual masterpieces. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II had sent out his scholars far and wide to study before putting together the five Jantar Mantars. The first being at Delhi, followed by Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura; the Jaipur observatory is the largest and most important. I wondered if we completely understood today the workings of each implement here as there is so much possible here. Instruments measure local time, the sun declination, meridian, altitude and even determine eclipses. With every movement of the sun tracked this would have been a rocking observatory.

The Jantar Mantar left me wanting to cool off my mind; it was over worked and had over heated. What better place to go to then, than the Palace of Winds – The Hawa Mahal. A short walk from the Jantar Mantar the Hawa Mahal lies hidden behind some Govt. Offices. It isn’t considered very important by the locals but I found it quite interesting. Its called the Hawa Mahal as its largely made up of windows (about 152) and the temperatures are much lower on the inside. The windows are intricately carved but only on the outside, the inside is plain flat.

The Hawa Mahal was mainly constructed for the ladies of the court to enable them to observe festivals and proceedings in the market without being seen (back then the royals had a purdah system). The windows here had a commanding view through small peep holes that don’t stress the eyes at all but ensure that you can’t be observed from the bazaar below.

Jaipur is also known as the pink city though it didn’t really look pink to me, it was more a shade of burn orange. The colour is restricted to the old city and it is compulsory for all buildings here to be of this colour. Jaipur was first coloured ‘pink’ to welcome Prince Albert in 1863. After which the King decreed that it should remain so and today it’s a law that draws loads of tourists.

Excursions from Jaipur

Sam Dunes
It was late in the evening when we reached Sam about 30km beyond Jaisalmer. After crossing Jaisalmer we rode in the desert with sand dunes on either side. Sam is a settlement of only tents and a night here costs about Rs.800 per head at an average tent and includes food, a short camel ride into the desert for the sun rise and a short desert safari skirting the Desert National Park.

The evening was a pleasant one as it wasn’t winter yet and was past summer. We watched some of the cultural song and dance items organized here for the benefit of the people staying at the tents before retiring for the night. This is true roughing it out with beetles and insects crawling on the floor and a bed sheet sprinkled with the locally found thorns.

Early the next day we welcomed the sun as it arose from behind the dunes and spread its warmth over this land. Here temperatures dropped below zero in winter and went upto 55deg in peak summer. Its incredible how people have lived here for ages.

The desert safari is a remarkable experience on a camel with leaves you a few hours later moving to and fro even on solid ground. There is much to see from the vantage point on top of the camel. We saw chinkara, a fox, the great Indian bustard and quite a few varieties of birds. Our escorts had a lot of information too on the local and Indo-Pak history. If your going on a camel ride I do recommend making sure you’re saddle is soft enough else you’ll have a tough time later sitting down anywhere with a sore butt like I did.

Pushkar
The sleepy town of Pushkar is about 100 km away from Jaipur. This little town surrounding a lake that gives it its name wakes up each year for a week before dozing off again. Pushkar is known across the world for its fair, ask people and they’ll tell you it’s the worlds largest cattle fair. Yes it is, but not many people know of the other attractions here. Even the locals don’t care much for their assets and it is this one week that brings in money to last the people who reside here for the rest of the year.

The Pushkar fair culminates on Kartik Purnima with people crowding to take a holy dip in the lake. Pushkar has one of the few Brahma temples in the world and he is worshipped at this time. In older days this would have been just a temple town coming to life for the puja until someone struck onto the idea of doing business too. Why not bring your cattle with you since you are coming all the way and get business done too.

The first couple of days of the fair sees people trickle in with their camels, cows and horses. The amusements and shows get put up and stalls are set up. Come day three and the fair is in full swing. You can see camps with camels stretching to the horizon. There are special sections for all other forms of cattle. Cows have their own section and so do horses.  

People have come not only to sell but to buy too, so there are a lot of people walking about. Tourists come from all over to document this event and are busy trying to see everything at once and capture it on film. There is a festive feel to everything including prices so come prepared to pay fives times what you would have paid otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, its not overly expensive as we got clean and comfortable double rooms for Rs.500 but just imagine – that’s fives times the price paid during the rest of the year.

We walked about the fair grounds a fair bit during our stay of three days, saw different varieties of cows and bulls on sale. The horses had me looking on with admiration. They are just such beautiful animals, shining black coats with rippling muscle, gentle and yet fierce. There were different strains here too from Arabians to Thoroughbreds. Different colours and sizes came with different prices. There was one horse going for a price in lakhs.

Walking among the camels I felt dwarfed and insecure. These animals were not harmful as such I guess but their sheer size had me on my guard; this didn’t stop me from admiring them though. All of them mostly looked the same to me but for the shades of colour being slightly different. I wondered how it would be possible to find your camel if it were lost in this vast sea of camels where all of them look so alike. Speaking to some locals we realized that what we had until then though was beautification was also a form of identification. Each camel trader had his own design that was unique and drawn or branded on the camel.

Its amazing how knowledgeable and innovative people are, especially rural folk. They find solutions that are so simple. Really, with all our education I wonder if we can think as clearly as them. The more I travel and meet people the more I feel that maybe education is a bane. It clouds our mind and falsely makes us feel superior. Schools teach you how to make a living but they don’t teach you to live. They help you get into the rat race for materialistic pleasures but don’t show you the path to simple joys of life. Our schools don’t teach us to learn from our environment, situation, elders, history, culture, etc. We learning from text books will never teach us something as simple as drawing lines to create a free form design. We educated folk most probably would rush to work on adobe or CorelDraw to create a truly unique and colourful design which we will then proceed to copyright, spending lots of money in the process. Rural folk on the other hand would just draw what they feel like that morning and if someone else has the same design then they’ll just change theirs with an extra line or dot.

Pushkar is to be seen at sunset when the lights around the lake come on and reflect in the lake. This of course is best observed from a height so we climbed up a little hill to the temple of Savitri. It’s a steep climb and I stopped often to catch my breath and gaze at the town and its surrounding. The height gives you a commanding view of the town and fair grounds. You can really appreciate the size and immensity of the gathering from up here. The sun sets behind the hill painting the sky in hues of orange and red. The lights come on in the town and camp fires are lit on the grounds. It is simply beautiful.

Ajmer
Stealing away from the colours and music of Pushkar for a few hours we headed to Ajmer on the second day.

Ajmer has some nice places to see with interesting stories attached to them. The Adhai-din-ka-jhonpra is called so because the mosque here was erected in two and a half days on the orders of Mohammed Ghauri. It was originally a Sanskrit college within a temple enclosure which was partially destroyed hence today it is an excellent example of Indo-Islamic architecture. Magazine is the inner most part of the Taragarh fort (at night this fort looks like its dressed by stars) used at some time for the ‘Rajaputana Arsenal’ and hence earned the name Magazine. Ajmer has quite a bit of history attached as it has seen many different rulers.

However we went with an intention of paying our respects at Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s Dargah. Popularly known as Garib Nawaz or ‘protector of the poor’. Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti was a famous Sufi saint and this is his final resting place. The dargah here is famous across India not only with Muslims but Hindus too. It is one of the few sacred places for Muslims that sees almost equal number of Hindu devotees. Locals of Ajmer irrespective of caste or religion start their day with a visit to the dargah, only after which do shops open or does business start.

We reached just after the evening prayer and the crowd was huge. Between getting pushed and crushed we made our way into the main chamber. Viewing lasted just a few seconds as there were lots of people waiting. Outside this chamber in the courtyard sat qawwalli singers singing praises of God and the Khwaja. The music here is something to listen to, melodious and simple it fills the heart and mind with a sense of peace and calm.

In the courtyard there are also two huge ‘degs’ (cauldrons) donated originally by Mughal Emperors which are used during the six day Urs (death anniversary). The smaller one has a capacity of about 2000kgs and the larger about 4000 kgs.

Dressed as I was in western clothing and looking quite boyish something I noticed at the Dargah was that as soon as men either in front or behind me noticed that I was a woman I was given space. Men didn’t push against me or try to take undue advantage of the crowded situation. It may have been in respect for the piousness of the place however it was nice to see men at their best behaviour.

Ranthambhore National Park
After three days of basking in the Pushkar’s colour and music we headed out towards Ranthambhor; the National Park near Sawai Madhopur. There is supposed to be the highest likelihood of spotting a tiger here due to its large numbers.

The route was a long one almost 330km. The roads are long straight ones running through fields or barren land with sparse vegetation and the sun beating down. There isn’t much to see here in flora but the roads are brilliant in quality. It is a joy to ride on roads that feel like satin ribbon under the wheels stretching ahead in up and downs, curves, bends and straights until the eye can see.

Reaching the outskirts of the park in the afternoon we checked into a hotel and soon headed out to see the Ranthambhor fort. The road to the fort runs through the park; not the tiger concentrated areas but we did see some deer, peacocks and mongoose. On the safari the next day I couldn’t help but question if there was a barrier to stop the tigers from stumbling onto the road to the fort. Maybe there is a barrier but then how did the deer get through?

The fort closes at sunset and we were advised to leave before darkness in an ominous voice that left me wondering if it was ghosts or tigers that wandered about after dark. The fort is beautiful with lots of history to it. Huge groups of black faced langurs sit about ready to jump in.

Jaipur is all about forts, palaces, gardens and colours. So a visit to Jaipur in all liklihood is punctuated by visiting various places of tourist attractions. They are many. If you plan to explore Jaipur the way it should be - just a day won't be enough. If you are in Jaipur just for a day, you will only be able to scratch the surface. Many stories and the jewels of architecture lie hidden in the corners of the city. For to understand and enjoy them required time and devotion.

Here are some exciting places(Well known and not so known) that you must check out. 

City Palace: The City Palace is a unique blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. A part of the palace has been converted into a museum, in another part the Jaipur royal family lives. The Mubarak Mahal, or the palace of welcome was used as a reception centre for the visiting dignitaries. Built by Sawai Madho Singh, it has been now converted into a museum that houses a wide array of royal costumes, Pashmina Shawls, Benaras silk saris, carpets, Sanganeri prints and folk embroidery.

The voluminous clothes worn by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh I are also showcased in the museum. The Maharani's Palace on the other hand is now an armory museum where weapons –swords, muskets, amours, pistols, rifles, canons etc(both jeweled and non-jeweled) dating back  to the 14-15th centuries are on display.  Rajput and Mughal miniature paintings, handwritten original manuscripts of Hindu scriptures notably the Ramayana, Persian manuscripts etc are displayed in the erstwhile Diwan-I-Aam.  

However, it is due to the two huge gigantic silver vessels that the City Palace is really famous for. Made on the order of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, a devout Hindu for keeping the holy waters of the River Ganga, these vessels were taken by him to England. The Guinness Book of Records accounts it has the biggest silver objects in the world. 

Located within the precincts of the City Palace is the Govind Devji Temple. The patron deity of the Royal Family, the image of Govind Devji was installed in the sanctum. The image is unveiled seven times daily for the aarties and the offerings (prasads) are offered in the silver wares.  The Lakshmi-Narayan Temple or the Birla Mandir situated just below the Moti Dungari and built entirely of white marble with three domes is yet another important temple in the city.

Hawa Mahal: The Hawa Mahal is one of the most easily recalled landmarks of Jaipur and also one of the finest examples of the Rajput architecture. Built by Sawai Pratap Singh, this five-storey building overlooking the busy bazaar has 953 honeycombed sandstone windows known as 'jharokhas' through which ladies of the royal household used to watch everyday life and processions in the city from their veiled comfort.

Gaitore: The final resting place of the Maharajas of Jaipur, it is located just off the Jaipur - Amber Road. All the cenotaphs of the Maharajas are made in the typical Rajasthani style but it is the chhatri of Sawai Jai Singh II which really stands out due to its beautiful carvings.
Albert Hall: Designed by Sir Swinton Jacob and built in the Indo Sarcenic style of architecture, Albert Hall houses an exquisite collection of sculptures, paintings, decorative wares, natural history specimen, and Egyptian mummy and the celebrated Persian carpet. And just opposite to it is one of the oldest zoos in the country.

Jaigarh Fort: One of the three main forts of Jaipur, the Jaigarh Fort is famous for its royal treasury and its enormous cannon- The Jaivan, reportedly to be the largest cannon in the world. Many stories are associated behind the cannon. It is said that this cannon was made to keep the Mughals at bay and that the sound from the cannon was so loud that the many people in the nearby villages went deaf just from hearing its noise.

The story did help the Rajputs in the sense that the fear of the cannon kept their enemies at bay.  There is another story, the story of treasure buried in the water bodies of the fort. So strong was the rumor that the government sealed the fort for seven years, ransacked the fort, and emptied the reservoirs of water but in the end found nothing. The fort built between the 15th and the 18th century is 15 km from Jaipur, amidst rock-strewn, thorn-scrub covered hills and has an armory, a museum and a few temples and palaces.

Nahargarh Fort: Built in 1734 and extended in 1868 to bolster the defense of Amer, the Nahargarh Fort overlooking the city of Jaipur lies much in ruins. It was used by members of the royal family for excursion in summers and is a favorite picnic spot even now.
Amer Palace: Built over a period of two centuries, the Amer Fort still retains much of its majestic splendour in its palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens and temples. 11 kilometers from Jaipur, this formidable fort was once the royal residence of the Kachhawa rulers long before water shortage led to a shift of the capital to Jaipur.  Set among picturesque and rugged hills, the fort’s walls are said one of the strongest walls in the country and there are also stories of secret passages that lie below the fort and which were used by members of royal family whenever they were under attack.

The fort represents a unique amalgamation of Hindu and Mughal architecture. The Diwan-e-Aam, Sukh Niwas, Jas Mandir, Zenana Mahal are some of the important palaces and halls. There are also a few temples like the Shila Devi Temple, Jagat Shiromani Temple, a Krishna Temple associated with Meerabai, an ancient temple of Narsinghji located within the fort complex.  An interesting feature of the fort is the elephant ride from the Surajpol, the main gate to the Jaleb chowk- the main courtyard from where one can walk up the stairway that leads to the palace.

The Maharani-ki-chattri, near the Ramgarh road crossing on the Amber Raod; The Island Palace, Jal Mahal built by Sawai Jai SinghI, is a fascinating spot at the centre of the Man Sagar Lake; The  Jantar Mantar, one of the five observatories in India built by Sawai Jai Singh; Ram Niwas Garden, Moti Dungri, Statue Circle, BM Birla Planetarium and the Dolls Museum  are the other attractions of Jaipur.
Nearby Areas from Jaipur

Sanganer (12 km): Located on the Tonk road, Sanganer is known for its exquisite Jain temples. Second only to the renowned Dilwara Temples in terms of its fine carvings, Sanganer’s most famous Jain temple is the ancient Shri Digamber Jain Temple, which is dedicated to Adinath.  An idol of Parshwanath surrounded by lotuses, creepers and elephants is also there. Besides temples, the village is also an important centre hand-printed textiles, screen-printed fabric and handmade paper.

Jaisinghpura Khor (12 km off the Amer Raod): A formidable fort, a Jain temple and a step-well amid lush surroundings.

Ramgarh Lake (32 km. north east): Ramgarh Lake makes an idyllic picnic spot with its beautiful landscape, a huge artificial lake, a temple dedicated to Jamwa Mata and the ruins of an old fort.

Bagru (35 km): Located on the Ajmer Raod, Bagru is well known for its hand printed handloom industry- the Bagru prints, which are notable for their floral prints & earthy hues.

Samod (40 km, North West of Jaipur and 264 km from Delhi): An ideal spot for outings, Samod is famous for its fort which has now been converted into a heritage hotel. One of the finest examples of the Rajput haveli architecture, its Durbar Hall and the zanana is one of the most beautifully painted chambers with glass & minakari work.

Madhogarh-Tunga (40 km): On the Bassi-Lalsot Agra Road, the fort is located amidst beautiful mango orchards.

Bairath (86 km on the Shahpura-Alwar Road): Bairath is the place where remains of a circular Buddhist temple have been found. Bairath also has relics dating to the Mauryan, Mughal and Rajput periods. A mint constructed by Akbar, a beautiful Mughal garden and a remarkable monument with painted chhatris and walls built by Jahangir are other attractions in Bairath.

Sambhar (94 km west): The largest inland salt lake of India is known for the holy Devayani Tank, the palace and the Naliasar.

Tonk (96 km): Tonk is famous for its Suneri Kothi or the Golden Bungalow.  Though it looks fairly ordinary from the outside, it has some stunning interiors. Tonk is also well known for its leather and felt industry and one can pick up a good bargain from the markets. A library dedicated to Arabic and Persian manuscripts is also located here.

Abhaneri (95 kms from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Agra Road):  A 7th -8th century A.D. temple of Harshad Mata and the step-well known as “Chand Baori", are of interest as also two Jain temples said to be  built at a later period.

Kaurali (182 kms southwest of Jaipur): Popularly known for its Krishna Temples and a fort that is about 600 years old, Kaurali wears a festive look during the month of Chaitra (Mar-Apr) when the annual fair of Kaila Devi, (Mahalakshmi or the goddess of wealth) is held near the temple of Kaila Devi. The temple is located on the banks of the Kalisil River in the Trikut hills, 2 Kms to the north-west of Kaila village. A temple dedicated to Bhairon and Hanuman is also located here.

The nearest rail-head to Kaurali is Hindaun at a distance of about 48 Kms. Shri Mahavirji is another rail-head. The site is approachable by well maintained roads from Karauli, Hindaun and Mahavirji. During the fair, the State Transport and private operators provide bus services keeping in mind the huge inflow of pilgrims.

Sariska National Park (107 kms from Jaipur and 200 km from Delhi): The best time to visit Sariska National Park is from October to April. During this period there are high probability catching a glimpse of large number of animals and birds including Leopard, Wild Dog, Jungle Cat, Civets Hyena, Jackal, Sambar, Chital, Nilgai, Chausingha, Wild Boar, Langur, Rhesus Monkeys Peafowl, Grey Partridge, Bush Quail, Sand Grouse, Tree Pie, Golden backed Woodpecker, crested Serpent Eagle and The Great Indian horned Owl.

Gardens in Jaipur
The Kanak Vrindavan, Ghat ki Guni, Sisodia Rani ka Bagh & Vidyadhar Gardens are some of the important gardens of Jaipur. With their beautiful landscapes, multi-level gardens with fountains, watercourses and painted pavilions, they make an ideal picnic spot.

Shopping in Jaipur
Rajasthali, Johari Bazaar, MI road, Nehru Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar are the famous shopping spots where you can buy gems, semi precious stones, jewelry, kundan and minakri work (enamel work on gold), blue pottery, enamel and brass ware, jaipuri jootis, woolens carpets and cotton rugs as well as beautiful cotton fabric including sanganeri prints, tie-dye, and fine kota doria saries. The markets are generally closed on Sundays.

Jaipur - Being touristy and crowded most of the year accommodation is on the higher side. Basic rooms cost Rs250 and above. Rajasthan by itself due to its flourishing tourist trade is an expensive state.

Pushkar - During the fair rates go up for everything. A basic room costs Rs.200 and above. Depending on the crowd turnout this price may include an attached bathroom. If you visit Pushkar during the rest of the year comfortable rooms can be got for Rs.150.

Ajmer - A basic room costs Rs.250 and above

Ranthambore - A basic room costs Rs.200 and above with attached toilets

Jodhpur – A basic room costs Rs.200 and above with attached toilets

Sam Dunes - A night at an average tent cost Rs.800 including food, a short camel ride to watch the sun rise and a camel safari to the Desert National Park.

Jaisalmer - An average room costs Rs.200 and above with attached toilets.

Mt. Abu - The cost of a room with attached toilet is Rs.200 and above.

Try out the Dal Bhati here in the rural setting for the authentic taste. The Bhati are made out of a variety of grain and baked in a fire.

How to reach Jaipur

Jaipur is 262 km from Delhi and is well connected by road, rail and air transport.

There are regular fights to Jaipur from major cities in India.  

The National Highway No.8 links Delhi to Ahmedabad and No.11, linking Bikaner to Agra passes through Jaipur. If you want to travel in royal splendor, then a trip on the Palace on Wheels is recommended.

Best time to go to Jaipur
September- March