Back on the bus, we play the Price is Right, then head back down the mountain toward Jaipur, on the way stopping quickly to take pictures of the Jal Mahal, or water palace. Originally by Sawai Pratap Singh as a summer resort and duck hunting lodge, his grandson, Maharaja Jai Singh II renovated and enlarged it to become a palace in the 18th century. It looks like it only has one floor, but in fact there are 4 floors submerged under the lake water. The structure itself holds back millions of gallons of water with specially designed lime mortar to prevent seepage. The palace wasn’t kept in good shape over the years, and the government brokered deals with individual companies that want to develop the lakefront to help renovate and improve the condition of the Jal Mahal. has been renovating and spent years and It is an excellent example of Rajput architecture, which is common in Rajasthan. We aren’t visiting, which is made possible via ferry, but at least we get a chance to see it sitting rather royally in the middle of the lake.
And now its time for shopping! Real shopping. Jaipur is known for it’s hand knotted rugs, so we are going to a rug factory for a tour. This and the marble factory are the only 2 sales pushes on the tour, so we really can’t complain. Our tour guide at the factory is what Maggi calls “A Dandy.” And she hits it right on the nose! He’s a cross between snake oil salesman and P.T. Barnum, not to say he’s not knowledgeable and entertaining – he’s just, well, a Dandy. We start out in a little outside alcove watching this older fellow block print an elephant design. The technique of overlaying blocks of different colors is a dying breed, and this guy doesn’t want to give it up. (The Dandy also says its because he wants to get out of the house and keep his wife happy.) It is fascinating work, and such eye for detail, I’d never be able to line everything up so well. What’s even cooler is when the stamping is done, they throw it right into this water solution which permanently sets the ink and changes the color. Fascinating.
Next we watch rugs being woven on traditional looms. Then we see how they are trimmed, by hand, to make an even pile and make the design stand out. Then finally we see how they actually burn off any hanging threads or imperfections on the back of the rug also help it stay in place and not slip. Pretty cool demonstrations actually.
Next comes the sales pitch. We are led upstairs to the showroom, where we are fed (Nice! Food – we’ll take a little snack and drinks to go with it, including rum and coke – thanks!) and given the pitch. They actually have some lovely rugs in a variety of materials from wool to camel to silk – all at varying levels of pricing as well. And pretty reasonable actually. There are some gorgeous rugs that we would buy in a heartbeat – if we had more wood floors, that is! But we don’t, so we aren’t in the market. Maggi and Richard are though, since they’ve just completed renovation on the hoffice, and what better time and place? They end up selecting two beautiful camel hair rugs in traditional patterns for the dining room and living room. Very exciting! We can’t wait to see them in the house, they are going to look great!
While everyone is shopping (a few people in addition to Maggi and Richard are buying), we wander outside to snap some pictures of the statuary placed around the entrance, with Sunny riding elephants and horses. We also get another tiger sighting! LOL. As we are meandering around by the bus, the block printing guy motions Ed to come over to his little work area, sort of on the sly, and offers him the Elephant he made during the demonstration. Ed slips him some rupees, and I quickly hide the the thing in my backpack, because it seemed like maybe he was doing this behind the Dandy’s back. We’re all hush hush and excited that we got the sample, when we notice he’s doing the same thing to everyone who comes out of the rug factory. Sheesh! India, man, everyone has their hand out! But still, it is a really cool looking piece of printed material, and even better, Parvinder bought one and didn’t want his, so he gave it to us. So we have two we can frame when we get home.
Purchases complete, our next stop is the City Palace, the home of the past and present Royal families. The Palace, built by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1732 when he moved the capital from Amer, is located in the old city and is so large that it comprises 15% of the old city area. Two large courtyards with surrounding buildings and residences make up the interior of the palace, of which we have free roam. Bhanu sets us free with a time to meet, pointing out the restaurant and coffee shop where we can purchase snacks. Our first priority is food (and drink – but that part will have to wait!). We decide against the restaurant as we aren’t all that hungry since we just had heavy snacks at the rug factory, and end up with little sandwiches and chicken rolls from the coffee place. They are nice and light (if you ignore the bread), and it’s a lovely day for us to sit on benches in the courtyard, eating our sandwiches staring at the Diwan-i-Khas (hall of private audiences) which is being fitted out for some obviously over the top wedding.
Once we finish the food, we head off to the museum, located in one of the public areas of the palace. Here we find a photo history of Jaipur, and the English rule, plus many relics from former ruling empires, including a golden throne used by the maharaja when he was in public. Circling around the courtyard, we find the Pritam Chowk (courtyard of the beloved) which provides access to the Chandra Mahal, where the royal family resides. It too is being set up for the wedding, with a stage, and what will eventually be the bar area. In the meantime, though, if we manage to maneuver our way around the workers, we can get a good look at the four doors in the courtyard, each decorated to reflect a season. That is, if we can also maneuver our way around the Asian couple taking up all the space in many of the doorways with their posing pictures. Sigh. You aren’t a celebrity now, and you won’t be one later, so move it out of the doorways chickadee!
Anyway, rant over, there is the Peacock door, for autumn, beautifully designed in blues, greens and gold with peacocks preening overhead; the Lotus gate for summer with repeating flower and petal patterns; the Green gate with a design like waves that is for spring; and finally the Rose gate with flower patterns in vibrant reds and blues to depict winter. The detail and design are so intricate and incredible – after a while it just becomes overwhelming to think of all the work, manhours and money that has gone into all these palaces and forts and temples. Wow.
Crossing the Diwan-i-Khas courtyard, we stop to inspect the silver urns on the side of the hall, which hold the Guinness World Record as the largest sterling silver vessels. They are each 5 feet tall, weight 750 pounds and have a capacity of 4000 liters – and they were made, without soldering, from 14,000 melted silver coins.The guys can’t believe this, particularly because there are handles attached to each of the urns.. But eventually they decide the handles are screwed in place, not soldered, so there will be no need to challenge to the world record today.
Continuing our touring, we pass through the Rajendra gate (pol),a 2 story structure of red sandstone, currently being outfitted with flowers for the upcoming nuptials. We round the corner, heading upstairs for the Arms museum, located in the Maharani palace, and number 1 on the list for Richard to visit. Here there are a dizzying array of scary looking weapons – the tiger claws in particular, metal claws that are used similar to brass knuckles, to slice your opponent. Oh, and what I will call the eviscerators – a nasty looking blade with a switch in the handle that when pulled, yanks the blade apart, like a pair of scissors, and protrudes another sharper saber in the middle. Ew, Ick.
Scary, nasty, but fascinating nonetheless. As we are walking through, an Indian gentleman who is standing on the side of one of the displays says “look up.” So we do, and find a beautiful ceiling covered in frescoes with jewels and mirrors. He starts chatting with us, but we sort of move away, only because we are no expecting him to hold out his hand and ask for a tip! Turns out he never does, and we thank him for the free heads up advice, because we would never think to look up at the ceiling! On our way out, we notice that above the door, they have spelled out “Goodby” with weapons – and when we turn – we see on the opposing wall above an arched door, “Hello” in weapons as well. A completely memorable marketing tactic – even without a photo, I remember it clearly and thinking how clever it was for them to create that messaging.
Emerging into the sunshine, we all stop at the restroom before walking over to the Mubarak Mahal, the “Welcome Palace” where an interesting textile museum is now located. There are costumes and clothing from the royals, including the polo uniform worn by Raja Man Singh II. It is worth the 10 minutes or so it takes to wander through, and then we are outside again, waiting for our appointed meeting time – watching as visitors take a horse and buggy ride around the courtyard and chit chatting with our other group members.
Bhanu comes to claim us, and we walk across the street from the palace to see the Jantar Mantar. This is one of 5 open air astronomical observatories created by the astronomer king, Jai Singh II, in the early 1700’s. He was obsessed with astronomy and managed to create some of the most sophisticated instruments of his time. Besides the accuracy, and the intelligence it took to create them, the size of the instruments is incredible. They are massive and walking through the entire complex is incredibly overwhelming. How did he come up with all this in the 1700’s? We see the giant sundial, the instrument used to track the sun and the polar stars, then seek out our horoscope sign instruments and generally just walk around in awe of the scientific accomplishment Jantar Mantar is. I’m sorry we missed the one in Delhi, but the Jaipur observatory is supposed to be the biggest and the best, so this visit mollifies me.
This is the end of our “official” tour, and Bhanu has given us the option to return to the hotel, or take a pre-arrange electric rickshaw to the market. We of course choose the rickshaw, and are whisked away through the city in our own private little ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment