I remember lying sprawled on the checkered floor of our living room, chin in hand, as a kid awestruck by the sight in front of my eyes. A popular travel show called 'Surabhi' was playing on the television & the destination of the day was Rajasthan. That day i put a trip to Rajasthan right on the top of my ' things to do when i grow up' list.
Almost one and a half decade later there was a hop in my steps as i descended the air stair putting my first step onto the land of Kings - Rajasthan. Padharo maro desh (a Rajasthani folk song) was playing all this while in the background, of course in my head.
The butterflies were having a fest in my tummy. I was quite apprehensive as this was my first full blown solo backpacking trip. I was to make it across Jaipur, Jaisalmer & Udaipur entirely on my own, staying in hostels as far as possible, taking the public transport & managing on a pretty tight budget.
The winter air was crisp. I clung onto my jacket as i made my way to my hotel in a shared taxi. And here started my incredible trip to Rajasthan full with warm-hearted people (that is an adjective you will come across quite a lot in my travel blogs), palatial beauty, rich heritage, varied landscapes, myriad colours, mouthwatering food & marvelous culture.
I kicked off the day with a mouthwatering plate of ghee laden litti chokha from the famous Agarwal caterers of Jaipur.
With good food comes good spirit. So it was in very good spirits that i stepped out to make my way to my first stop in the city, the iconic Hawa Mahal, the 'palace of the winds'.
Hawa Mahal is located at the heart of the pink city. The pink city houses one of the oldest bazaars of Jaipur & is a frenzy of man and machine. The roads are lined with shopping complexes in various shades of pink, dating back to the last century.
Although the crown of the Hawa Mahal is prominent in the sky. It might be a bit confusing to find your way to the entrance which is from the side of the city palace. But help is always at hand. The shopkeepers will happily point you in the right direction.
The entrance is from the backside of the complex. Hence i made my way to the front of the facade to soak in its gigantic grandeur before making my way in.
The five storey honeycomb structure stood soaring above me & nostalgia hit me real hard. The glorious architecture & heritage of Rajasthan was right before my eyes. The palace stood tall with its red sandstone & hundreds of latticed jharokhas painted in white. The clear blue sky made for the perfect backdrop which no camera could do justice to.
The red and pink sandstone beauty was built by Rajput Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799. It was constructed specially for the royal ladies. The idea was that, royal ladies could watch the everyday hustle bustle & festivities in the streets through the windows without being visible to public.
The palace has nine hundred & fifty three small windows (did not actually count them) with intricate latticework, built to keep cool air circulating inside the palace. And it does serve its purpose even to this day as i was to realise soon.
Here are some interesting engineering facts about Hawa Mahal :
A. It is said that it is the tallest building in the world without a foundation ( who said you can't build a great building on a weak foundation. Turns out you do not need one at all! )
B. The palace even though looks enormous, it's walls are less than a foot thick ( I am guessing this also helped the ladies with the eavesdropping.)
The sprawling interiors of the palace has ornately painted doors and windows. Its architecture is a confluence of Mughal & Rajput elements as is with most of the structures around the city.
The intricate floral motifs, light dancing on rainbow coloured glass panels, the doors in hues of yellow,red & blue, the fountains in the central courtyard, the beautiful turrets & the hundreds of little jharokas felt like a fairy tale setting.
The five storied building has no stairs but steep ramps which can get crowded at times. I made my way up to get a glimpse of the street from the jharokas just like the royal ladies did. They couldn't have asked for a better vantage point. The entire street & the bazaar is visible from any of these tiny windows.
The palace has amazing views on offer. The city palace & Jantar Mantar is visible from here.
I made my way to the topmost vantage point and was greeted by a gust of cool wind in the afternoon sun. A puppet show was being performed at one corner of the roof. As i stood there soaking all my senses in the feast, i could picture the ghoonghat (veil) clad ladies walking about the palace having their peep at the outside world.
My next stop for the day was Nahargarh Fort. The fort is a good fifteen km from Hawa Mahal Palace.
The topography changes drastically as you drive towards Nahargarh. The chaos of the pink city is replaced by rugged bareness of the Aravalli hills. Cool breeze kept me company as i made my way up the serpentine road to the top of the hill where the fort stands.
The fort was buit in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the king of Jaipur. The fort has walls running along the aravallis upto Jaigarh fort.
The fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as Nahargarh, meaning 'abode of tigers'. Every fort has a legend & the one behind this one says that the fort came to be known as Nahargarh after the spirit of a Rathore prince, Nahar Singh. Legend says that when the construction of the fort was ongoing very morning the workers would find the previous day’s work destroyed. To pacify Nahar's spirit a temple in his memory was built within the fort & voila the work resumed without obstacles.
Madhavendra Bhawan built by Sawai Madho Singh is a part of the fort. This two-storey structure has suites for the king and his twelve queens. The king's suite is at the head while surrounding it are the queens suites. Each of the queens apartment is similar and each of these has a lobby, bedrooms, toilets, kitchen and store. Looks like Sawai Madho Singh knew a thing or two about preserving household bliss.
The fort grounds have also witnessed many movie shoots. The most famous of which has to be the song 'Masti ki Pathshala' from the Bollywood movie, Rang De Basanti. The iconic scene in which Amir Khan and Sharman Joshi took a jump while drinking beer, was shot here. Unfortunately few lads took inspiration from the scene, tried an enactment & ended up breaking some bones. As a result the well has been fenced off.
The views from Nahargarh fort are breathtaking. The town looks like little white stacks of matchboxes against the rugged brown of the mighty Aravalli. This is a perfect place to sit back, relax & bid the sun goodbye.
Where did I Stay
I stayed at the FabHotel Royal CM Bani Park located in Bani Park. It is at a convenient location. Easily accessible yet away from the hustle bustle. The room & the services are really good coming at a price of 1450 INR. The place was neat & clean & had a yummy complimentary breakfast.
How did I Transport Myself
I took the local rickshaw/tuk tuk to & from the Pink City. I took a guided tour to Nahargarh from the Pink City. You will be approached by many such near the Hawa Mahal. Be careful to pick a licensed guide. The guide drops you off at the City Palace entrance, from where you can catch a rickshaw back to your hotel ( Keep your bargaining skills sharp).
Entrance Tickets
The admission price to Hawa Mahal is 50 rupees for Indians and 200 rupees for foreigners. A composite ticket is available for those who are planning to do a lot of sightseeing. It's valid for two days and also includes Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Vidyadhar Garden, and Sisodia Rani Garden. This ticket costs 300 rupees for Indians and 1,000 rupees for foreigners.
What to Wear
The weather in Jaipur at mid March is pleasant. Pack light & comfortable clothes preferably cottons. Floral prints will be a great way to compliment the beautiful floral motifs around the city.