Just a couple of days after we arrived to Jaipur, we met up with Kara's old Hindi teacher, Arvind, and his wife, Shweta. Shweta had an exam to take in Ajmer, a couple hours away. Arvind suggested dropping us off at Pushkar, a Hindu pilgrimage site, along the way. We had a very pleasant drive with them and it was fun catching up with Arvind after so many years. The ride was much better in a car-- a luxury that we have rarely afforded.
When we arrived at Pushkar, we were shocked to find that the holy lake, Pushkar's main "attraction" was empty. Due to unusually severe droughts in Rajasthan over the last 5 years, the lake had dried up into a field of dirt. This brought an interesting and different feeling to the town as one of the main reasons that most pilgrims come here is to make puja and take holy dips in the lake. The local municipalities have taken this opportunity to dredge the lake of silt in order to make the lake deeper when the water finally returns. They have also constructed many more holy tanks around the perimeter of the lake which ensures that Hindus have holy water in which to pray. There's not much to do in the town except look out to the "lake" and walk around the ghats. It has become a mecca for stoner travelers and long term India lovers over the years, leading to an influx of hash and other drugs. The local police are cracking down on this in an attempt to enforce the strict religious regulations that govern the town. Signs throughout the small city proclaim the edict against meat, smoking of any kind, drinking alcohol, and promiscuous behavior and dress.
Pushkar is also home to the only Brahma temple in the world. Brahma is the creator of the universe in Hinduism. One would think that he would have more than one temple dedicated solely to him in the world, but this one is it. Photos are not allowed inside the temple so we have put a photo of some nice monkeys instead.
Walking up to the Gayatri temple to get a view of the surrounding area. We only stayed in Pushkar for a couple of days before returning to Jaipur for the next week. Kara wasn't allowed to walk around because of her sprained ankle so she was annoyed and ready to go.
Amber Fort, Jaipur. Rajasthan means "land of the Rajputs" who were the rulers of feudal Rajasthan. The Rajputs were notorious for their bravery on the battlefield as well as their stubborn independence. The state was divided for centuries among rival clans with shifting alliances. Each Rajput dynasty claimed capitals in different sections of Rajasthan, none complete without their own massive forts. Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, with his capital initially standing at Amber, shown here, just 11 kilometers from Jaipur.
Rajput architecture is a beautiful blend of Mughal and Hindu classical styles. Seen here is a very Islamic looking Ganesh.
Looking out to the city from the fort.
Marble screens decorate the courtyards and serve as ventilation. The mosaic pattern is directly borrowed from Muslim architecture.
View of the ancient capital.
The food in Rajasthan is some of the best in India. It is spicy, it is interesting, and it is bountiful. Here Max chows down on a "thali" which is a selection of many different dishes. The bread in the middle, called chappati, is used to scoop and dip into the various mushy substances. Oh yeah, you eat with your hand in India. But only the right.
Bangles everywhere. Indian women love these thin colorful bracelets, and none more than Rajastanis. At the bangle market you can find a huge variety of colors, styles and sizes. Max found some tiny ones for his 16 month old niece. The bangles pictured above are made of metal and are the cheapest. Glass and ceramic bangles are more expensive.
Kara gets fitted up. These bangles were tightly fitted and required the shop keeper's special twisting technique.
Raj Mandir- the palatial movie house of Jaipur. People come from miles around to catch a flick here. Infact, the crowds were so thick, there was almost a riot in the ticket line. The theater employs some pretty intense security guards who shoved, hit, and whistled the masses into an orderly line.
Kara was able to join the special ladies line, which was much shorter but only slightly less rowdy than the men's.
The street food in India is incredibly varied, ubiquitous, filthy, cheap, and delicious. Jaipur is no exception. Here a small Rajasthani poses next to a giant basket of plate sized rice crackers.
The Jaipur Observatory. Maharaja Jai Singh II was an avid astronomer among other things. He dedicated a large section of his palace to an out door observatory. The instruments use shadows and sight lines to map the stars as well as tell time and season, and most of them still function to this day. The observatory looks like a giant modern art sculpture garden. Ironically, it is only open during the day time, but since many of the instruments are dedicated to tracking our closest star, the sun, there are plenty of opportunities to watch the instruments in action.
This piece of scientific equipment is both beautiful and functional. It is the largest sundial in the world and can tell time to the accuracy of two seconds.
City Palace, Jaipur. A series of spacious courtyards and regal halls. The royal family still lives here after many hundreds of years.
Max stands next to a statue of Vishnu with his wife Parvati and his consort, Garuda. Max loves Garuda, the eagle friend of Vishnu, a god he also likes.
View of the ancient capital.
The food in Rajasthan is some of the best in India. It is spicy, it is interesting, and it is bountiful. Here Max chows down on a "thali" which is a selection of many different dishes. The bread in the middle, called chappati, is used to scoop and dip into the various mushy substances. Oh yeah, you eat with your hand in India. But only the right.
Bangles everywhere. Indian women love these thin colorful bracelets, and none more than Rajastanis. At the bangle market you can find a huge variety of colors, styles and sizes. Max found some tiny ones for his 16 month old niece. The bangles pictured above are made of metal and are the cheapest. Glass and ceramic bangles are more expensive.
Raj Mandir- the palatial movie house of Jaipur. People come from miles around to catch a flick here. Infact, the crowds were so thick, there was almost a riot in the ticket line. The theater employs some pretty intense security guards who shoved, hit, and whistled the masses into an orderly line.
Kara was able to join the special ladies line, which was much shorter but only slightly less rowdy than the men's.
The street food in India is incredibly varied, ubiquitous, filthy, cheap, and delicious. Jaipur is no exception. Here a small Rajasthani poses next to a giant basket of plate sized rice crackers.
The Jaipur Observatory. Maharaja Jai Singh II was an avid astronomer among other things. He dedicated a large section of his palace to an out door observatory. The instruments use shadows and sight lines to map the stars as well as tell time and season, and most of them still function to this day. The observatory looks like a giant modern art sculpture garden. Ironically, it is only open during the day time, but since many of the instruments are dedicated to tracking our closest star, the sun, there are plenty of opportunities to watch the instruments in action.
This piece of scientific equipment is both beautiful and functional. It is the largest sundial in the world and can tell time to the accuracy of two seconds.
City Palace, Jaipur. A series of spacious courtyards and regal halls. The royal family still lives here after many hundreds of years.
Max stands next to a statue of Vishnu with his wife Parvati and his consort, Garuda. Max loves Garuda, the eagle friend of Vishnu, a god he also likes.
Turbans everywhere. This one was just lying around the City Palace. Kara wondered what happened to its head.
Polo! In India. Who would have thought? The City Palace Museum claims that the game of polo was actually an Indian invention played by the likes of the ancient Mughal emperor Akbar. Whoever invented it, its still an elitist sport played and watched by the rich of the city. We showed up at the polo match and were given V.I.P. seating, just because we were tourists.
Polo is actually really fun to watch and seems like a difficult sport to master.
Kara and Max say goodbye to Arvind and Shweta. We just found out that Shweta gave birth to a healthy baby boy about 2 months after we left. Congrats you guys!
After a week of sweating profusely we were ready for more. So we headed west, further into the desert to see more of Rajasthan.
Kara and Max
Polo! In India. Who would have thought? The City Palace Museum claims that the game of polo was actually an Indian invention played by the likes of the ancient Mughal emperor Akbar. Whoever invented it, its still an elitist sport played and watched by the rich of the city. We showed up at the polo match and were given V.I.P. seating, just because we were tourists.
Polo is actually really fun to watch and seems like a difficult sport to master.
Kara and Max say goodbye to Arvind and Shweta. We just found out that Shweta gave birth to a healthy baby boy about 2 months after we left. Congrats you guys!
After a week of sweating profusely we were ready for more. So we headed west, further into the desert to see more of Rajasthan.
Kara and Max
