Golden Triangle of India

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Monday, 15 December 2015 - Drove early to Jaipur, marveled at the red and pink sandstone Hawa Mahal facade, explored the Step Well and Bihari Ji Ka Mandir Temple with its stone elephants and detailed carvings, hiked to Hanuman Sugar Lake for views of Amer Fort, toured Amer Fort and its Sheesh Mahal with mirrored walls and inlaid stone, admired Jaigarh Fort from below, visited Jantar Mantar with its massive astrological instruments including the world's largest sundial, explored the City Palace and Chandra Mahal with Peacock Gate, Sukh Nivas, and Shobha Nivas, and wandered Jaipur's vibrant markets sampling local produce and street sights.

india2015 — Up early at 0530 for a 4-hour drive to Jaipur. Since there was no one on the road, the drive took only 3 hours. As we drove into downtown, the first thing we noticed was Hawa Mahal. It is just a facade - no building behind.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) named because it was essentially a high screen wall built so the women of the royal household could observe street festivals while unseen from the outside. Constructed of red and pink sandstone, the palace sits on the edge of the City Palace, and extends to the women's chambers.

india2015 — After checking in with the hotel - which was a palace - we linked up with the city guide. It was 0830 and the drive/guide wanted to know if I needed breakfast - nope out to see India. This was to be a pattern - no stopping for lunch.

We drove to Amer and the first stop was a Step Well.

india2015 — We walked across the street from the Step Well to a Hindu temple. Wonderful stone carvings from the street all the way into the temple.

The Bihari Ji Ka Mandir Temple, built during the reign of Mirza Raja Jai Singh I (1611-1667), is typical of seventeenth-century temple architecture in the region.

india2015 — A couple of the statues on the temple - liked the little puppy looking up at the women.

india2015 — A ring of stone elephants wrapped the entire temple

india2015 — A short drive and hike to the Hanuman Sugar Lake which is a reservoir with a good view of the Amber Fort high on the surrounding mountains. You can climb to the fort from here - but it is a long climb.

This cow and several others were enjoying a walk around the lake. In the background is a small temple.

india2015 — At the top of the hills around Amer is the Jaigarh Fort - and a wall snakes through the hills around the city. Below the Jaigarh Fort is the Amer Fort, which is really a place built like a fort.

This picture of the Amer Fort is from across the Maota Lake that provides water to the palace. Constructed of red sandstone and marble the opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard.

india2015 — Over the foyer headed into the Amer Palace is a beautiful medallion which reflects the sun from the door.

india2015 — In the king's private quarters is an open hall which is covered in glass and mirrors.

The mirrors are of convex shape and designed with colored foil and paint which would glitter bright under candlelight at the time it was in use. Also known as Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace), the mirror mosaics and colored glasses would glitter in flickering candlelight. Sheesh Mahal was built by king Man Singh in 16th century and completed in 1727.

india2015 — A closer look at the mirrored art on the walls.

india2015 — The interior of the Sheesh Mahal is as beautiful with inlaid stone in marble and sandstone. There is no paint - that is all inlay work.

india2015 — A view of Jaigarh Fort from Amer Fort. We did not venture up to Jaigarh Fort. There are a few ways to get there - one is a tunnel used by the palace to escape to the higher fort if the palace is threatened.

india2015 — The palace sports a floating garden in Maota Lake

india2015 — An old door leading into the place

india2015 — Next stop Jantar Mantar - which has some alluring astrological instruments - super sized. Here is the world's largest sundial accurate to two seconds.

india2015 — This instrument cast a shadow to tell the sign of the zodiac. The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon, and planets.

india2015 — Another instrument used to calculate the day of the year.

india2015 — The City Palace is in the center of town.

Chandra Mahal is the tallest building in the City Palace complex. It is a seven-storey building and each floor has been given a specific name Most of the palace is the residence of the descendents of the former rulers of Jaipur. Only the first floor is allowed for visitors.

india2015 — An elephant at the entrance to the Chandra Mahal

india2015 — High up on a wall a statue surrounded by lei

india2015 — You enter the palace through the Peacock Gate

There are four small gates allowing access to the interior of the palace. They are adorned with themes representing the four seasons and Hindu gods. The gates are the Peacock Gate representing autumn and dedicated Lord Vishnu.

india2015 — Green Gate

The Green Gate, also called the Leheriya (meaning: "waves") gate, is green suggestive of spring and dedicated to Lord Ganesha.

india2015 — We must have paid a special fee as we were allowed to enter the palace beyond the first floor. The fist floor we stopped at was all blue.

Sukh Nivas or the "Hall of Rest", is painted in Wedgewood blue fully decorated with white lining. Sukh Niwas was the drawing and dining room of the Maharaja.

india2015 — Up one floor to a room similar to the Amer Palace - a mirrored room.

"Shobha Nivas" is on the fourth floor of the Chandra Mahal. It is also known as "Hall of Beauty". The walls of the Shobha Nivas are decorated with mirror walls with blue tiles ornamented with mica and gold leaf.

india2015 — Detail of the Hall of Beauty.

india2015 — Near the top was this lavish room with a throne

india2015 — We traveled a few blocks and then began a walk which would take us around the market and shops of Jaipur.

Through a small ally we discover the produce market.

india2015 — All kinds of produce for sale here is a stack of pomegranates

Since lunch was not in the schedule the guide purchased several fruits to munch on as we walked.

india2015 — More produce

india2015 — The eggplants were small - the size of your fist.

india2015 — A monkey watches the action on the street

india2015 — The colors were so vibrant - these are dolls hanging outside a shop.

india2015 — This pitcher was in a niche just off the main road/sidewalk. While making the picture several pured water from the pitcher into a cup and had a drink.

india2015 — The wedding season was in high gear. The month of December was a "good" time to get married so there was a good supply of marriage paraphernalia. These are leis.

india2015 — Here is a young bride choosing a dress material while the elders watch.

india2015 — More colors - bracelets or "bangles"

india2015 — Some spice which is yellow - I did not ask what it was.

india2015 — Simple necklaces for sale outside a shop.

india2015 — Traffic was self-managing chaos. I only saw one accident the entire trip but should have seen several a day based on the congestion and lack of discipline. All manner of vehicles with and without engines, moved about.

When we crossed a road (no visible crosswalks) the guide said not to look at the oncoming traffic and just step out and walk. We did look for a break but it was hard not to watch the vehicles hurling/honking toward us. We just walked across.

india2015 — Not until back in Georgia did I learn that India was the leading the world in peanut production.

india2015 — All kinds of peanuts being sold in the market

india2015 — We then drove to Royal Gaitor up in the Jaipur hills. This is a mausoleum for the rulers for Jaipur.

india2015 — The compound consists of two main courtyards, each crammed full of imposing memorials. This is the first (and more modern) courtyard dominated by the grandiose twentieth-century cenotaph of Madho Singh II (1922), a ruler of famously gargantuan appetites, whose four wives and fifty-odd concubines bore him "around 125" children.

india2015 — Marble relief of fighting elephants

india2015 — These arches are in the second, older, courtyard home to the elaborate tomb of Jai Singh II (1743), the founder of Jaipur, and the first ruler to be interred at the Royal Gaitor.

india2015 — Jal Mahal (Water Palace) is located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. The palace, built in red sandstone, is five stories of which four floors remain underwater when the lake is full and only the top floor is exposed

india2015 — As the sun dropped we still had time so the guide suggested one more site - the Monkey Temple and Galtaji.

Galtaji is an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site in the town of Khania-Balaji, about 6 miles from Jaipur. The site consists of a series of temples built in to a narrow crevice in the ring of hills that surrounds Jaipur. A natural spring emerges high on the hill and flows downward, filling a series with sacred water tanks in which pilgrims bathe.

india2015 — The main temple is the Temple of Galtaji, built in pink stone. The temple features a number of pavilions with rounded roofs, carved pillars, and painted walls.

india2015 — At the gate to the temple was a place where Hindu idols can be dropped off when they are damaged. There are two small rooms with many broken idols.

india2015 — The monkeys at the temple are Rhesus Macaques - here is a little one with bougainvillea in the background.

india2015 — Someone came with a bushel of bananas and spilled them out on the ground. Monkeys came from all over. Here a little monkey on mom race to get a banana.

india2015 — A monkey peels a banana and enjoys a little dinner.

india2015 — The little guy seems like he is interested in the cameraman.

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