The road to Jaipur was under
construction over its entire length.
Most
trucks had a request to
sound your horn because otherwise the driver didn't care what was
behind.
Hanuman the monkey god
stood along
the road.
As we neared Jaipur we
could see the
scenery change.
There was no question
that we were
entering a desert region.
The Hawa Mahal is 5
storeys high but
only one room thick.
It was built to allow
the ladies
of Sawai Pratap Singh's harem to watch the street scenes and
processions without being noticed.
Right across the street
was this
snake charmer with his cobra.
Neither seemed to mind
when I held it.
Amber Fort is an
imposing feature
outside of Jaipur.
As we arrived we saw
this line of
elephants waiting to carry tourists up the cobblestone road to the
fort.
We watched as they
walked to the
loading platform facing the road to the fort.
Our elephant faced the
other way,
maybe he wanted to go home.
The mahout's name was
Kaycee, the
elephant was Pinkie.
The gates on the road
are too narrow
for our line of elephant to go through while others are descending.
With them crowding into
the gate from
both directions we were amazed to see a man and boy a motorcycle come
popping out from between them.
From the fort you can
see the Kesar
Kyara Bagh with its gardens by Sager lake that provided water to the
fort.
This gateway separates
two sections
of the fort.
The elephant headed god
Ganesh
welcomes us from his vantage point above the entrance.
Other views in the fort.
Sheesh Mahal is a hall
in the fort
covered with thousands of mirrors.
We were told that the
light of a
single candle would shine like stars from the curved mirrors in the
ceiling and walls.
In the City Palace
Museum we saw the
Welcome Palace with its remarkable carved stone walls and entrance.
This silver urn, one of
a pair, was
used to transport Ganges water to London for Madho Singh II's visit in
1901.
Our guide told us that
they are the
largest silver vessels in the world.
Another stop was a shop
where we got
to print fabric using wooden block stamps.
Don said "Hands of a
surgeon.", which
he is, as he
hammered the block with his fist.
And yet another
demonstration of rug
making.
Another form of
transportation we
used was the
bicycle rickshaw.
If you have the
opportunity to try
this make sure that the "motor" is in good condition.
A milk distributor and
other sights
along the streets
Lakshimi Narayan Temple
Albert Hall combines
elements of
European and Indian architecture.
The astronomical
observatory Jantar
Mantar is one of several in India.
They were built during
the early
1700's by Sawaii Jai Singh
This one has the largest
sundial in
the world with a gnomon that is 90 feet high as well as others of a
variety of designs.
The hemispheres in the
next two
pictures have a representation of the sky turned upside down.
A small brass disk casts
a shadow on
the marble crescents showing moment by moment the azimuth and elevation
of the sun.
The image of the disk
can be seen on
the white surface above the shadow of the man's hand.
An array of star dials
were built to
plot the positions of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Each is inclined
appropriately for
the elevation of the ecliptic when its particular sign is highest in
the sky.
A young magician put on
a show on the
bus.
Jaipur is known for the
minerals that
are found in the area.
Here are sapphire, ruby,
and emerald,
each about the size of a walnut.