India Part 3: Sightseeing

I set out Thursday with a guide to tour around Jaipur, which is located in the state of Rajasthan. The color pink is associated with hospitality in Rajasthan, and all buildings in Jaipur are washed in a pink shade. Planned by a young Bengali architect, Jaipur was founded in 1727, laid out in a grid system with straight avenues, roads and streets. The only planned city of its time, Jaipur is encircled by a formidable wall.



















Hawa Mahal (Temple of the Winds):



















From here I proceeded to the Amber Palace & Shila Mata Temple. The Amber Palace is a comples of palaces, halls, pavilions, gardens, and temples. It took about two centuries to build and is constructed almost entirely of marble and sandstone. The palace emerges dramatically from Maotha Lake (since it is summer currently the water level is much lower than during winter) and is accessible by a steep path.



















Elephants bathing in the lake:



















I decided to ascent to the temple via Elephant. They are pretty fun to ride - definately a unique experience. My driver offered to take a photo of me wearing his turban. Although I didn't really want to put on his sweaty turban, I didn't want to offend him. And so....



















During the winter, this garden would have the water coming up to the edge:



















Made it to the top :)




















Nobody other than the king was supposed to view the Queen. This screen allowed the Queen to look upon the citizens and speak to them, without them being able to view her. The pain used on this building was made using a special process. I don't remember exactly what it is, but it creates such a durable paint, that what you see is the original paint used when the building was constructed centuries ago.



















From there I proceeded to Jantar Mantar, a midievil stone observatory. Built between 1727 and 1734 the Jantar Mantar incorporates multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale, have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public.





































From here it was off to the Jaipur palace. I was concerned at whether I would be able to make it in past the formidable security:




















While I was in India, I was somewhat of a spectacle many places that I went. Americans are not common in this part of India, especially at this time of year. I was the tallest person that I saw while I was there. Over the course of my trip, many people came up to me and wanted to take a picture with me, as if I were a celebrity. Here are some friends I made at the Jantar Mantar.



















After a full day of sightseeing, I met up with Ajit and Anirudh, two of shot's friends, for what would promise to be another great adventure.



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