first leg of the incredible india trip – part III

day 4 (jaipur)

the 2 nights stay at the jai mahal palace was the grandest among all accommodations we’d booked throughout the entire trip. jai mahal palace built in the 17th century, was the residence of the former prime minister of the statue of jaipur. the room is spacious and large enough for a small round table with chairs, one seat-er couch, king-sized bed and tv console (LCD TV), and there is a separate bathtub and shower area.

the first day in jaipur was spent within the hotel grounds – strolling through the 18-acres moghul garden, checking out the hotel pool and jai mahal palace buildings. the hotel ground is peaceful despite the close proximity to the hustle and bustle of the busy roads. i especially like the giant-sized chess board pieces, and the large lawn and gardens within the hotel vicinity.

unfortunately the room package i’d booked did not include breakfast, and we had fruits and instant noodles every morning before our excursion. mango fruit stall holders were a common sight when we were there, and most will not hesitate to pose for the camera. don’t expect to get smiles from them…

jaipur, also known as the pink city, is the capital city of rajasthan where in the 1700’s was the capital of the royalties. one of the popular tourist attractions and major landmarks witnin the pink city is the city palace. built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign, the palace complex covers a huge area, which is divided into a series of gardens, courtyards and buildings. it now serves as a museum which houses a remarkable collection of textiles, paintings, manuscripts, and extraordinary weapons.

the entrance fee for a tourist is Rs. 150 and we gave it a miss, since we were more interested in the amber fort and would rather spend more time at the must-see fort.

amber fort is located in amber, 11 km from jaipur. amber used to be the capital of the kachhwaha clan, till jaipur was made the official capital in 1727. the construction of amber fort was started by Man Singh I in the year 1592, but was finished by his descendant Jai Singh I. the white marble and red sandstone fort sits atop a rugged hills, facing the maota lake. due to the relatively dry weather in rajasthan, the lake is now close to an empty basin.

do not be fooled by the looks of the exterior as the interior is warm and soothing, which is influenced by both hindu and muslim style of ornamentation.

we spent about an hour and a half in the fort before heading back to the pink city for our shopping expedition.

along our journey back from amber to jaipur, we stopped for picture shot – jal mahal palace (water palace). it was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799, in the middle of the man sagar lake as a pleasure spot for duck shooting parties. the first four floors of the palace have been submerged under the water and only the top floor is visible.

our last stop for the day was hawa mahal (palace of winds), which forms part of the city palace and extends the women’s chambers. it was built originally to allow the women of the royal household to observe the everyday life of the city, without being seen.

we had been warned against roaming around the streets at night and followed the advice dutifully, till our last night in jaipur. sick of our instant noodles and fruits, we opted for a meal outside the hotel. our last meal in jaipur and also my holiday in india before starting my 2 weeks work in bangalore – tandoori platter, saag paneer, vegetarian biryani, romali roti and chicken curry.

with a well-fed stomach, we had a good night’s rest before our long journey back to delhi for our domestic flight back to bangalore, putting an end to my first vacation in india.