This citadel was built in 1592 by Man Singh on the remains of an 11th century fort and was the home of the Maharajas until 1727 when the new Jaipur was laid out, the first planned urban city in India. It sits high on a hill and can be approached on foot or by riding an elephant, if you are prepared to queue.
Designed to have cooling winds from the lake float through the carved screens, Turkish baths, toilets and gardens it was a most comfortable place to be. Twelve individual apartments were built within to house the Maharaja's wives, cleverly arranged so that he could enter any one of them undetected. There are some beautiful frescoes but the standout feature is the Hall of Mirrors, so named because of the thousands of small mirrors used in the decoration, seen here one small section:
In the evening we went on an elephant safari outside the city on a private estate. We were expecting it to be a typical touristy outing but the ride at sunset was tranquil and was followed by drinks by the fire and some of the best Indian food we have eaten, a nice surprise.
Today's ride to Agra included a stop at Fatehpur Sikri, built by Mughal Akbar in 1571 as the new capital of the state of Uttah Pradesh. It was abandoned after 12 years due to a severe drought and the treasures were plundered but the Hindu Islamic architecture and the red sandstone, a change from marble, make a visit worthwhile. The Debating Chamber:
And so on to Agra, grubby even by Indian standards. This is the land of contrasts as we have seen many times as we have left our magnificent palace hotels to confront piles of rubbish outside the front gates and join the heaving masses in the streets. But this has to be the starkest of all; driving through the mayhem of the roughest areas we have seen, then walking past the hawkers and pickpockets to get through the gates to see this, the jewel of them all.
Designed to have cooling winds from the lake float through the carved screens, Turkish baths, toilets and gardens it was a most comfortable place to be. Twelve individual apartments were built within to house the Maharaja's wives, cleverly arranged so that he could enter any one of them undetected. There are some beautiful frescoes but the standout feature is the Hall of Mirrors, so named because of the thousands of small mirrors used in the decoration, seen here one small section:
In the evening we went on an elephant safari outside the city on a private estate. We were expecting it to be a typical touristy outing but the ride at sunset was tranquil and was followed by drinks by the fire and some of the best Indian food we have eaten, a nice surprise.
Today's ride to Agra included a stop at Fatehpur Sikri, built by Mughal Akbar in 1571 as the new capital of the state of Uttah Pradesh. It was abandoned after 12 years due to a severe drought and the treasures were plundered but the Hindu Islamic architecture and the red sandstone, a change from marble, make a visit worthwhile. The Debating Chamber:
And so on to Agra, grubby even by Indian standards. This is the land of contrasts as we have seen many times as we have left our magnificent palace hotels to confront piles of rubbish outside the front gates and join the heaving masses in the streets. But this has to be the starkest of all; driving through the mayhem of the roughest areas we have seen, then walking past the hawkers and pickpockets to get through the gates to see this, the jewel of them all.
Wonderful to read esp. thanks to your insightful commentary. thanks, Doug
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