Palace of the Winds, Amber Fort & Water Palace, Jaipur

5th February 2018 – Jaipur

Sadly Gill had a bad night and decided to rest this morning. So, Tamsin and I headed for breakfast. After a very pleasant meal of porridge, poached eggs and a chickpea chapatti with coriander sauce we met our guide for Jaipur Mr. Karan. Mr. Singh our driver met us out front and we set off. We asked to take photos of one of the city gates so we stopped at the side of the road.  Karan explained that the city had 7 gates, (7 being a Hindi lucky number), and was had a grid system for the streets as it was a new city founded in the late 18^th century after the Maharaja decided to move his seat of power.

Just around the corner from here is the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds. This palace is built in the form of a high wall to screen royal ladies as they watched street festivities. This extends to the zenana, or women's chambers behind. On the way back to the car Chris had his photo taken beside a snake charmer. Apparently the charmer will catch snakes for you, especially Cobras. These have the venom milked and are then kept for about 14 days before being released back into the forest. During that time they are starved as it prevents them making any more venom and is used to perform for the charmer.

Not giving up the day job for this!

We set off for the Amber Fort, or as it is sometimes called, Amer Fort. Located in Amer town, at a distance of 11 km. from Jaipur, the ‘Amer Fort’ is one of the most impressive forts of Rajasthan and is visited by many tourists every year. Overlooking Maota Lake, the fort is a masterpiece of the Rajputana architecture. Built by Raja Man Singh I in 16^th century, the fort is a brilliant specimen boasting a unique blend of Hindu and Rajput elements. From the ornamented pillars and delicate mosaic work of the ‘Diwaan-e-Khaas’, splendid ivory and sandalwood work of the ‘Sukh Niwas’, elegant frescoes and fascinating latticed work of the ‘Ganesh Pol’ or a spell binding work of glass in the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ – Amer Fort is incomparable as far as the artistic skills of the artisans and designers of the Rajput era are concerned. Besides the artistic brilliance, the fort also offers you breath-taking views of the surrounding hills and cities. We stopped for photographs just outside with the sun against the walls of both the Amber Fort and the Jaigarh Fort above it.

The Main Gate into Amber Fort.

As we climbed up to the entrance of the fort we stopped at a stepped well. These wells are used to collect rain water as Rajasthan is a dry place and the water is only used for drinking and cooking. This one is not used and looks pretty rank. However the multiple steps allow for many people to have easy access at any one time.

Ganesh Gate

Leaving Mr. Singh behind us we walked up the steps into the main courtyard. Here people who have chosen to use the Elephants to climb to the entrance are dropped off. It’s an impressive sight even if it’s not to the Elephants advantage. Apparently they do 5 trips in the morning and are then finished for the day to avoid the harsh sun on their skins. However, their captive quarters are not all that they could be and we were encouraged not to support this activity.

One of the gardens of Amber Fort.

The main courtyard is impressive and you could imagine the Maharaja drilling his army here. We took photos of what would have been officer quarters and administrative buildings to the first level. At this level there is an area that the Maharaja would have listened to requests, sorted out disputes and make decrees. Overlooking this there is a lattice fronted viewing area where his wives could watch and at times make suggestions on his rulings by sending a note. The pillars of this covered area are a mixture of marble, sandstone and a mix of sandstone pillars covered in a render of marble dust, limestone, crushed shells, yoghurt and milk. Apparently the render keeps the surface feeling cool throughout the hot summers.

To get to the next level of the palace you pass through the Ganesh Pol, or the Ganesh Gate, named after the Hindu god Lord Ganesh, who removes all obstacles in life, is the entry into the private palaces of the Maharajas. It is a three-level structure with many frescoes that was also built at the orders of the Mirza Raja Jai Singh (1621–1627). The colours of the frescoes are made using the waste left after polishing precious and semi precious stones such as lapis lazuli, garnet etc.. Above this entrance is the lattice fronted viewing area mentioned beforehand.

The Maharjas bedroom - not too shabby?

On the next level there are several sections. One is the garden. To the right of this the Maharaja would sit being entertained. The area was kept cool using a system of water flowing through a rill in the room from behind into the gardens. This water was also perfumed with rose water. The water was then used to water the gardens. The Maharaja could look across the gardens to his sleeping quarters. This is called the Jai Mandir, which is exquisitely embellished with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings. The mirrors are of convex shape and designed with coloured foil and paint which would glitter bright under candlelight at the time it was in use. Also known as Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), the mirror mosaics and coloured glasses were a "glittering jewel box in flickering candle light". The walls around the hall hold carved marble relief panels which are considered to those seen at the Taj Mahal in Agra. From here you take the steps up to the final level. This is where the wives sat to watch the proceedings below and would write their notes to the Maharaja whenever they thought of a better, or fairer, solution to a problem. Also at this level there is another area that the Maharaja used to relax and be entertained. This is also has a form of cooling. There is a copper pipe that runs along the top of the door frame that has small holes in it to create a spray. This helped cool the air and was also used to wet grass to produce a fragrant smell.

My Maharani looking down on the proceedings!

You need a head for heights.

Going back down the steps you walk through a gateway into another courtyard. This is where the Zenana (or Seraglio) housed the Royal family women, including concubines or mistresses lived. This courtyard has many living rooms where the Maharanis (Queens) resided and who were visited by the Maharaja at his choice without being found out as to which maharani he was visiting, as all the rooms open into a common corridor.

The Maharanis and the Raja's consorts lived in this part of the palace in Zanani Deorhi, which also housed their female attendants. Some of the Maharanis took a deep interest in many of the villages around and assisted in funding to build temples, or works that helped the locals.

From here we walked back down the hill using the road that the Elephants had used earlier. Towards the bottom we veered off to the left to be met by Mr. Singh. As we drove back into Jaipur we passed some of the Elephants returning after the morning activities.

Jal Mahal

We stopped at Lake Man Sagar to look at the Jal Mahal or Water Palace.  The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber. This was subject to another renovation in 2000 and it was planned that it would be opened up a hotel. The work to renovate the structure has been completed as unfortunately, according to Karan, the development into a hotel has been in a legal dispute for some time. It’s a stunning location and I hope they can resolve the issues. We took some photos and made the mistake of looking down at raw sewage on which the fish were feeding – note to self, do NOT eat the fish curry tonight!

Getting back to the hotel was fun as the way forward was blocked by a religious meeting. Mr. Singh reversed up the road and we then went the wrong way up the highway before turning off into a smaller street. To get through Karan had to get out and move some parked motorcycles – what fun driving in India is!?