Jaipur City

Hawa Mahal

We hired a car and driver to take us around Jaipur city for a half day to see the sights. On our list were the Jantar Mantar, City Palace and Hawa Mahal. Our driver also took us to see the cenotaphs of the Jaipur Maharanis & the Jal Mahal. And though he tried and tried, he didn't take us to see stores that sold anything from gems to leather.

The Jantar Mantar is architectural astronomy instrument. The big sundial (Samrat Yantra) is 90 ft high and can tell the time to the second using the correction tables in the observatory. How they could be sure of it, I don't know - but that's what they say. Other instruments are used to measure the declination of various celestial objects.

Samrat Yantra: The wall is at a 27 degree slope, the same as Jaipur's Lattitude. The shadow moves about a millimeter each second.

This bowl is a mirror image of the heaven & allowed a person to move around inside making measurements.

Another Sun-dial

The city of Jaipur was built to design in 1727. It is called the Pink City because most of the buildings in the old city are .... exactly - pink. The City palace was next on our list. It still houses the "royal" family of Jaipur. I use quotes because the Indian government did away with royal powers & titles soon after independence. It is an opulent palace as can be seen in some of the details.

Detail of arch in the Mubarak Mahal

Detail of Singh Pol

Pietra Dura detail - marble inlaid with semi-precious stones. (Singh Gate)

Diwani Khas where the Maharaja met his royal visitors. (Palaces also have a Diwani Aam where the king met commoners)

These are gates in the Pitam Nivas chowk, a beautiful courtyard in the palace.

The Peacock Gate

Green Gate

The door to the Lotus Gate

Lotus Gate

Hawal Mahal (or Palace of Winds/breeze) has long been the image that is most associated with Jaipur. The front is just a room deep (even less on the upper levels), but a big rambling mansion behind.

The many windows allowed the ladies of the royal family to look out on the parades without being seen!

Courtyard & view from behind

You can see how narrow the upper floors are.

We came across this ornate room

And this was the inside

View of the city (excuse the crazy perspective)

The little windows from the inside.

The cenotaphs of the Maharanis was a surprise. Beautiful monuments with delicate carvings.

The Jal Mahal (Water Palace) was a drive by viewing. There is no public access. I had read about plans to turn it into a hotel, but they seem to be going nowhere.