A trip to the North
Indian states during the winter season is a complete pleasure ! Come lets
travel through Jaipur , Delhi and Agra exclusively for the next three weeks. These
prominent tourist destinations are mainly famous for their monuments which have
been built with amazing architecture and mindblowing interiors. This week’s
complete story is on a day out in Jaipur.
The journey started
from Chennai central in Rajdhani express to Jaipur. We a group of ten people
went on a trip to the North Indian states during the 2011 Christmas – New year
eve. On our way to Jaipur, in the train we met with a political problem, where
the people in big groups sat in the railway tracks and blocked the way. So the
route was changed, thereby the already one and a half day train journey was
elongated to two and a half days. So the very start of the trip was itself
quite thrilling but spending two and a half days in train during a trip was
sick too .One person I would like to mention here is the one who served us food
in the train. He was a very enterprising person who did his work with full
dedication and passion. That’s when I realised one thing, that good habit and
life lessons can be learnt from any random people whom you come across in your
life. When the train was about to reach Jaipur, he swiftly changed his uniform
into casual clothes with his hair perfectly tucked in and little powder applied on his face. He
totally resembled some old bollywood hero. So he is one person whom I can never
forget whenever I think of this trip.
Once we got down from the
train, we went in a cab to our place of stay and checked into our rooms. Within
an hour, we got ready in total winter clothing because the place was that cold
! Then we started our day with hot idly, pongal, sambhar and some chutnies. After
the breakfast we got into the cab and went on mountains to the Amber fort. The
moment we entered into the fort we were bragged to buy the puppet kind of raja
rani dolls which were really cute. They demanded a starting price of Rs.200
then they finally gave it for just Rs.50, worth its price. It still hangs in my
room window ! Renowned for its combination of Hindu and Mughal architecture,
the Amber fort is located about 11kms from main Jaipur city. The citadel was
the seat of the Kachhawa Rajputs who ruled Amer before the capital was moved to
the present day Jaipur. The intricate carvings, mirror and precious stone works
on the walls and ceilings of the fort are marvelous. The fort is connected with
Jaigarh fort through fortified tunnel which was built for the royal family
members and others during the time of war to escape.The most entertaining part
of this fort is the elephant ride.
On our way back to
the main city Jaipur, we saw the Jal mahal – a palace located in the middle of
the Mansagar lake. One of the main reason for us to stop there was for the
camel ride. I still feel bad for having taken the cameras along with me when I went
on the camel but still I don’t have a single picture that captured that moment..sigh…For lunch we
went to Darg restaurant, the very entrance of the place had people playing
traditional instrumental music and drums and the place of dine was so beautiful
with a centre circular grace and we were seated around the stage. That day’s
lunch was perfect which brought in the flavours of Jaipur with its music, dance
and yummy food. Then the whole of that evening we spent wandering along the
local streets and admiring its beauty ! Jaipur
has been popularized with the name “Pink city” because of the colour of the
stone exclusively used for the construction of all the structures. This pink
colour has a history. In 1876, the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria visited
India on a tour. Since pink denotes the colour of hospitality, Maharaja Ram Singh
of Jaipur painted the whole city pink in colour to welcome the guests. The
tradition has been sincerely followed by the residents who are now by law
compelled to maintain the pink colour. One always falls short of words while
describing the bounteous charm that the city captivates the visitor with its
culture, architecture, traditions, art , jewellery and textiles of Jaipur that have
always charmed the travellers. It is one city that even after modernisation still
holds to its roots and values.
There is something in
the atmosphere of Jaipur that brings joy and delight as soon as you set foot in
the city. The pink colour of the city brings out romantic charm that bounces every
heart. If you haven’t got a chance to experience the royalties of Jaipur then
plan your trip right away !
-N&N
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