Pink historic city brimming with Mughal royalty - Hill Forts of Rajasthan 247; The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur 1338; Jaipur City, Rajasthan 1605; Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan 00340
What and Why
Jaipur (Hindi: जयपुर), known as the pink city as it exhibits its red-sandstone colour scheme of the city, is one of the most touristy cities in India. The historic city, as personally attested, is perhaps the most pleasant Indian city as it hosts a large array of landmarks and attractions, but most importantly without the usual Indian chaos and dirtiness. Jaipur is also part of the Golden Triangle together with Agra (आगरा) and Delhi (दिल्ली). The city now contains three UNESCO WHS and hence its importance cannot be understated.
The city is also the backdrop of one of my favourite movies The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Toponymy
Jaipur was founded in 1727 CE by Jai Singh II (जय सिंह द्वितीय), the king of Amer (आमेर) who ruled during the early 18th century CE when he moved the capital from Amer to Jaipur. Pur (Devanagari:पुर) means city and is used as a suffix in many cities in South Asia.
See
Jaipur was planned based on the principles of the Hindu traditional texts Vāstu-Śastras (Sanskrit: वास्तुशास्त्र) and Śhilpa Śāstras (Sanskrit: शिल्प शास्त्र), literally meaning the science of housing and science of arts and crafts. As in other walled cities, the city is largely quadrilateral in shape with different blocks distributed and divided orderly by wide boulevards, and hence the out-of-Indian-ordinary orderly setting.
Amer Fort (आमेर दुर्ग)
Amer, the city, derives its name from the Ambikeshwar Mahadev Temple (Devanagari: अचलेश्वर महादेव मन्दिर), built atop a hill nearby. The occasional confusion between Amer and Amber comes from its Devanagari pronunication. Ambikashwara is a local name for the destroyer god Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव, Śiva). The fort is a massive construction of Mughal architecture sitting on top of the hill. Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the fortress is extremely decorated and attractive and is the main tourist destination of Jaipur and looks especially beautiful during dusk as it is built along the hill ridge.
Similar to other fortress of the same series in Rajasthan (राजस्थान), the hillside fortification was the residence of the Rajput Maharajas and their families. The fort is connected to the Jaigarh Fort (जयगढ़ दुर्ग) via a subterranean passage and now they are considered one complex. This passage was meant as an escape route in times of war.
The Palace is divided into many separate sections each with its own entry gate and courtyard. The main entrance is through the Suraj Pol (सूरज पोल), meaning sun gate as it is facing east, which leads to the first main courtyard. This was the place where armies would hold victory parades.
A pavilion overseeing the hill.
The building next to the entrance gate is called the Jai Mandir (जय मंदिर, Jai temple) or Sheesh Mahal (शीश महल, mirror palace) is extremely embellished with glass panels and mirrored ceilings that looks like a big jewellery box. A must see.
There is a very beautiful garden located between the Jai Mandir that looks very much Islamic or Mughal, in particular the octagonal fountain in the middle.
Jal Mahal (जल महल)
Jal Mahal (जल महल), meaning the water palace is a Rajput palace built on the seabed in the middle of the lake outside Amer Fort. Four storeys are underwater and one can usually see the top storey only. Unfortunately this is not open to the public.
Panna Meena Ka Kund (पन्ना मीणा का कुंड)
Panna Meena Ka Kund (पन्ना मीणा का कुंड) is a geometric stepwell near Amer Fort. Local legends say that no one would be able to use the same stairs to get down and come up back.
Jantar Mantar (जन्तर मन्तर)
The Jantar Mantar (जन्तर मन्तर) is a collection of astronomical instruments built by Jai Singh II, who himself became an astronomy fetish when he had to choose an auspicious date for the Mughal emperor Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Shah's (Persian: محمدشاه گورکانی, né روشن اختر (Persian), Roshan Akhtar) journey. He then started to build a large number of observatories around the empire to raise awareness on astronomy. The one in Jaipur, completed in mid-18th century CE, was based in his capital and was easily the most accurate. The name comes from the Sanskrit words yantra (Sanskrit: यन्त्र) and mantranas (Sanskrit: मन्त्रण) literally meaning machine to calculate. The site is not very big but to me it was really fascinating!
The instruments all feature quite sophisticated coordinate systems based on the Vedas (Sanskrit: वेद), which are all very cool for me as a mathematician. Specifically they feature the three main classical celestial coordinate systems: the horizon-zenith local system, the equatorial system, and the ecliptic system, an eye-candy for a mathematics freak like me. Below shows the most delicate of them all Jai Prakash Yantra (मैं प्रकाश यंत्र) which two hemispherical bowl-based sundial that map inverted image of sky and allows the observer to move inside the instrument, measures altitudes, azimuths, hour angles and orbits.
The Giant Sundial, known as the Vrihat Samrat Yantra (Sanskrit: अलभ्यम् सम्राट्यन्त्र, supreme instrument) is one of the world's largest sundials, standing 27 m. Its shadow moves visibly at 1 mm per second around the dial-arc every minute, which was quite fun to watch for our group.
This is called the Digamsha Yantra (Sanskrit: अलभ्यम्), which is to measure the sunrise and sunset.
City Palace (सिटी पैलेस)
The City Palace (सिटी पैलेस) is located next to the Jantar Mantar and was the palatial residence of Jai Singh II. The palace is massive and contains huge courtyard for parades.
There are two huge sterling silver vessels of 1.6 m height and each with capacity of 4,000 litres and weighing 340 kg on display in the palace. They were made from 14,000 melted silver coins and is the Guinness World Record holder of this kind. The urns are called gangajalis (Ganges water urn).
Albert Hall (अल्बर्ट हॉल संग्रहालय)
Albert Hall (अल्बर्ट हॉल संग्रहालय), named after King Edward VII (né Edward Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), is the oldest museum of the entire state. The musuem, which is the central museum of the city is constructed based on Indo-Saracenic architecture and looks very distinctive. Outside the museum there are large flocks of birds. The museum has a rich collection of artifacts.
The hall is located inside Ram Niwas Garden (राम निवास बाग), which based on the plan is situated right at the centre of the city.
Hawa Mahal (हवामहल)
Hawa Mahal (हवामहल) is probably the iconic representation of Jaipur, especially with distinctive beehive trypophobic lattice-facade. The building was original a palace for the royal ladies, and the intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe the street lives below without being seen, since they had to obey the strict rules of appearing in public with full-face coverings.
Built-in red and pink coloured sandstone, in keeping with the décor of the other monuments in the city, the building is a full testimony to the epithet of 'pink city'. The building is a mix of Mughal-Rajput architecture.
Buy and Do
Kalbelia (कालबेलिया)
I was in Jaipur during another academic visit and I was entertained with a local folk dance called Kalbelia (कालबेलिया) by the university, as above. Kalbelia is a local nomadic tribe in the state Rajasthan (राजस्थान) where Jaipur is, and the Kalbelia snake charm dance, performed as a celebration, is an integral part of Kalbelia culture which the locals take great pride in.
The dance is very energetic and lively and resembles a bit like can-can. The female dancers, usually heavily tattooed, are dressed in flowing embroidered black and red dresses who dance and swirl, which is supposed to replicate the movements of a snake, as Kalbelia were famous for being snake-charmers. As the performance progresses, the rhythm becomes faster and faster and so does the dance, until it reaches a fervent pace.
Kalbelia songs are based on stories taken from local stories and mythology, but what is remarkable is that Kalbelia performances are usually celebrated for spontaneous improvisation during performances. Together with these improvisation, documentations have become difficult and these songs and dances are handed down generations orally only without any proper scripts. Another important ICH candy treated during my diplomatic works.
Eat and Drink
Northern India generally features Mughlai cuisine as described in the earlier blog in Delhi. We had a very good dinner in Mughal Rasoi (मुगल रसोई) serving very good Mughal food. Served with a good traditional Indian music as well.
Stay
In a once-a-lifetime experience, we stayed and ate at the Rambagh Palace (रामबाग महल), which is one of the many former royal hunting houses. The palace was built in the mid-19th century CE. In fact this is one of the luxuries of India as many of these former palaces are now converted into grand (very grand) hotels. The other palace which I have stayed in was Leela (लीला), although we must have probably stayed in the royal servants' room...
Getting There and Around
Jaipur is a very pleasant and clean city to walk around and thanks to its good urban planning, it is one of those rare Indian cities that I will recommend walking around. Apart from Amer Fort, which is perhaps 20 minute-drive away, all the other landmarks can be connected by foot easily or short distance only. Jaipur has its own train station and airport, which is not far from the city centre. Jaipur also has its own metro, although it does not pass through any of the landmarks.
The city deserves at least two or three days.
There is now a composite entrance fees to all monuments at INR 1000₹.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The serial site, situated in the state of Rajastahan, includes six majestic forts in Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur; Jhalawar; Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The ecclectic architecture of the forts, some up to 20 kilometres in circumference, bears testimony to the power of the Rajput princely states that flourished in the region from the 8th to the 18th centuries. Enclosed within defensive walls are major urban centres, palaces, trading centres and other buildings including temples that often predate the fortifications within which developed an elaborate courtly culture that supported learning, music and the arts. Some of the urban centres enclosed in the fortifications have survived, as have many of the site's temples and other sacred buildings. The forts use the natural defenses offered by the landscape: hills, deserts, rivers, and dense forests. They also feature extensive water harvesting structures, largely still in use today.
The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century. It includes a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. They are monumental examples in masonry of known instruments but which in many cases have specific characteristics of their own. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations. This is the most significant, most comprehensive, and the best preserved of India's historic observatories. It is an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period.
The walled city of Jaipur, in India’s north-western state of Rajasthan was founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II. Unlike other cities in the region located in hilly terrain, Jaipur was established on the plain and built according to a grid plan interpreted in the light of Vedic architecture. The streets feature continuous colonnaded businesses that intersect in the centre, creating large public squares called chaupars. Markets, shops, residences and temples built along the main streets have uniform facades. The city's urban planning shows an exchange of ideas from ancient Hindu and early modern Mughal as well as Western cultures. The grid plan is a model that prevails in the West, while the organization of the different city sectors (chowkris) refers to traditional Hindu concepts. Designed to be a commercial capital, the city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions to this day.
Songs and dances are an expression of the Kalbelia community’s traditional way of life. Once professional snake handlers, Kalbelia today evoke their former occupation in music and dance that is evolving in new and creative ways. Today, women in flowing black skirts dance and swirl, replicating the movements of a serpent, while men accompany them on the khanjaripercussion instrument and the poongi, a woodwind instrument traditionally played to capture snakes. The dancers wear traditional tattoo designs, jewellery and garments richly embroidered with small mirrors and silver thread. Kalbelia songs disseminate mythological knowledge through stories, while special traditional dances are performed during Holi, the festival of colours. The songs also demonstrate the poetic acumen of the Kalbelia, who are reputed to compose lyrics spontaneously and improvise songs during performances. Transmitted from generation to generation, the songs and dances form part of an oral tradition for which no texts or training manuals exist. Song and dance are a matter of pride for the Kalbelia community, and a marker of their identity at a time when their traditional travelling lifestyle and role in rural society are diminishing. They demonstrate their community’s attempt to revitalize its cultural heritage and adapt it to changing socioeconomic conditions.
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