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Jaipur - Tradition and Splendor |
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Among all the states of erstwhile princely India, Rajputana is undoubtedly the one with the most martial record - warring factions locked in deadly warfare,
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thousands of royal ladies consigning themselves to flames preferring death to dishonor.
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In this land, towering forts were built as much for ostentation as for intimidating the enemy; and desperate battles were fought by rulers who were great patrons of the arts.
Today, Jaipur is the personification of the old order influence the new. An inherent feel for colour and design percolated ever stratum of society, and jewellery, crafts and architecture became objects of delight equally between prince and peasant.
This is a recurring theme not only in Jaipur, but also in the area surrounding it. On the Delhi-Jaipur highway when endless fields of wheat are punctuated by a lone cupola and when women tend their fields clad in searing colors, you known that you've reached Rajasthan, "the land of kings."
Jaipur would have been part of Thar Desert but for the protection afforded by the Aravali Hills that form a barrier on one side. These hills served another purpose as well - no enemy could approach Jaipur without being seen for many of the surrounding hills were - and still are - crested by the serrated outline of forts.
Not all the history books in the world can re-create the past as vividly as a visit to the hilltop forts of Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amber. For each of them embodies royal traditions of splendor and military one-upmanship. Vast courtyards separate public halls of audience from living quarters, and labyrinthine corridors effectively seal off the women's apartments from public gaze.
A few features are common to all three forts - outer walls have narrow slits in them, the better to see the enemy approaching from a distance, and if need be, to welcome them with a volley of bullets and quantities of boiling oil.
And in case, by some mischance an enemy managed to enter the doorway - a fearsome affair of metal spikes - somehow his army had to be kept away from the residential quarters. These were thus a bewildering welter of rooms, each with its secret nooks, hopelessly confusing all bus the residents themselves. That the architects did their work well is evident by the number of tourists today who have to cry out to be rescued by guides.
Fresco painting and mirror work ware two favourite ways of decorating interior spaces in Jaipur's forts and gracious residences. Frescoes depict preening peacocks, caparisoned elephants, preening beauties all painted in panels, or else just a floor to ceiling extravaganza of flowers and stylized motifs. Jaipur, on the periphery of the desert architecture which seeks to create a fantasy world of colour and richness in the midst of bleak surroundings. For the same reasons, halls were decorated with tiny mirrors - for mirrors reflect images like that very precious commodity - water. No modern day visitor to Amber Palace's Hall of Mirrors can be but enthralled by twinkling mirrors surrounded by white plaster molded into geometric forms. To the desert dweller, however, the obvious beauty has another deeper dimension - the hall appeared cool just like sitting by a lake in a more temperate climate.
Lattice window screens attract every; breath of air indoors and these, as well as the orientation of living quarters within the forts, ensured the maximum cooling properties from nature even in the hottest summer months.
From the vantage point of Nahargarh Fort, the city of Jaipur stretches out hundreds of feet below. At its heart is the walled city, a model of sophisticated town planning. Every building in this part of Jaipur is painted pink - not out of any royal whim, but because the colour was discovered to absorb the merciless rays of the desert sun.
Unlike many other cities in India where a visit to old city is no more than a pleasant interlude, Jaipur's walled city is the very personification of its colourful past. A walk through its broad streets is by far the best way of getting the feel of the place.
The most important crossroads in this part of town is Badi Chaupad where lies the Hawa Mahal. Mahal or palace does not quite accurately; convey; its real function for it was built as a screen behind which royal ladies could stand to watch festivities in the street below; a giant concrete curtain.
Today, many of the city's most interesting shops are around this area; Gaudy colour is the keynote here. Jaipur's famed tie and dye was traditionally formed by rows of tiny spots of light colors counter-pointing darker backgrounds. Today, in an attempt to swim with the tide, tie and dye has been given an exciting new look - vibrant swirls of colour running into each other at the edges. This is quite the latest fashion in Jaipur and a number of prospective brides are shopping at the row of neon lit shops at Badi Chaupad choosing sarees of chiffon or silk with dramatic colors that fit in so well with the desert.
Nearby, the flower seller's row is a line of searing yellow and orange marigolds touched by the rays of the evening sun. Amidst the cacophony of bicycle bells and speed crazy motorists, the "fancy bazaar" does a roaring trade: straggling lines of impossibly tiny stalls sell shimmering glass bangles, imitation jewellery and lengths of gold and silver tinsel all collectively known by the quaint name of "fancy items."
The charm of Jaipur's bazaars lies in the assortment of customers who come to shop in them. Stores selling hand block prints and cotton chintzes are patronized alike by trendy teenagers and colourful village women, a trifle taken aback that their traditional clothes have suddenly become fashionable.
In the silver market, excited tourists as well as locals from a nearby village examine chunky silver jewellery and exquisitely crafted pierced work bowls and collyrium containers.
Quite another facet of Jaipur lies in its stately; homes. Nobles and titled landlords had, in addition to their own fort or palace, a residence in town. A few of these have been converted into hotels, small and charming, somewhat faded replicas of what they must have been a hundred years ago. Unlike Jaipur's royal palace hotel, haveli hotels are managed by the owning family and a clutch of old retainers.
Because House has rather an unenviable location outside the busy Chandpol. However, when its young owner, Thakur Sanjay Singh talks about the past, the concrete cinema about the past, the concrete cinema hall outside dissolves before one's eyes as he tells of the lemon groves that stood in its place.
Neither is recreating the past inside Bassau House difficult - in the wood paneled lounge where the aroma of cigar smoke still lingers, parties were held for the elite of those times. Floor-boards creak, and a uniformed bearer enters with tea in a Spode tea service.
Quite unselfconsciously, Singh refers to his friends by their titles rather than by name. "Mr. & Mrs. Singh" as they should in reality be called but never are, have converted their house into a hotel but for which upkeep would have been difficult. In the velvet darkness of the Jaipur nigh the floodlit Nahargarh Fort is suspended above Bissau House like an amber moon. In that instant, Jaipur past and present seems fused into one. Then a television set in the neighborhood blares into life and that moment is lost.
GETTING THERE
By Air
There are direct Indian Airlines flights form Delhi, Mumbai, Jodhpur, Udaipur Ahmedabad.
By Rail
The Pink City Express leaves Delhi at 6 a.m. and reaches Jaipur at 11 a.m. Chetak Express, Jaipur-Delhi Services and another late evening train leave for Jaipur form Old Delhi Railway Station.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Unmetered taxis and autorickshaws are the main modes of travel. Cycle rickshaws also available.
SHOPPING
Jaipur is famous for semi-precious stones and the best place to buy them is off Johari Bazaar. Miniatures, handicrafts, clothes, jewellery of silver and lac are other items to be bought in Jaipur.
PLACES TO SEE
Old City, neat and broadly laid out avenues all painted pink. In the evenings the colour has a magical glow.
Hawa Mahal - Jaipur's landmark is not really a palace. It is a sand stone screen from behind which the ladies of the court could watch the proceedings on the road below without being seen.
City Palace - In the heart of the old city, a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Now a museum except for one section where the erstwhile royal family still lives.
Observatory. (Jantar Mantar) Built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1728 to satisfy his passion for astronomy.
Central Museum situated in the Ram Niwas Gardens has a large collection of costumes, woodwork, brassware, Jewllery and pottery.
Courtesy : Discover India
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