Jaipur

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Hawl Mahal The Palace of the Winds


 


Behind the facade                             

Built in 1799 the palace is 5 storey's high, the top three being only one room deep.  It's pyramidal shape resembles the crown of Lord Krishna to whom it is dedicated

It quickly became the favoured summer retreat of the royal household.  The multi windowed facade bringing cooling breezes into the rooms and courtyard.  There are only ramps between the upper floors to facilitate the passage of palanquins  

The queens and princesses encumbered with heavy saris and jewelry were not expected to climb stairs in the sweltering heat of summer.   Nor are we, nobody offered to carry us but walking the ramps is preferable to stairs

 


                         Room with a view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Window embrasure behind the pink facade, from where the purdahed ladies of the household could observe the activity on the street below

Happy to share the ancient art of Mehndi, painting on the skin with henna paste 

It is usually done on the palms and feet where the skin contains higher levels of keratin ensuring a good dark colour.  Once applied it will last from two weeks to two months depending on the quality and type of henna used

It is usually done for special occasions such as weddings.  Sometimes grooms also get their feet painted

  

The Paan Maker

 

 

 

 

Two young women we met introduced us to  sweet paan, a palate cleanser with a sweet filling of coconut, fruit preserves, spices, maraschino cherry, wrapped in betel pepper leaf.   I can't say I enjoyed it much but it could have been worse it could have been  the aphrodisiac  'Bed Breaker' Paan

According to our driver this is the most famous Samosa stand in the city. This being India the owner could well be his uncle but they were very good.  We also paid several visits to the "Pink Cities Famous Old Lassiwala" opposite the Palace of the Winds, carrying away delicious yoghurt in tapered clay pots which kept it cool
The Samosa Maker
   

                    Megh Niwas Hotel
Our refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Owned and operated by Colonel and Mrs. Singh with whom we would stay in Pushkar

                                                           The City Palace
A mixture of Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. From the time of Jai Singh to early last century.   The Maharaja still maintains a home here and those areas are off limits. Fanny didn't want to go inside so I only had 30min to see as much as I could

 

 

So much to see and so little time,  I choose to visit the royal costume collection which turned out to be a very good choice 

 

Palace guards all have a distinctively different way of tying their turbans. 
"Turbans enjoy an important place in the life of Rajasthani's

Worn through the ages by royalty and peasantry alike the turban was a snap shot of the wearer.  It could tell the caste he belonged to, his religion and where he came from.  There are innumerable styles of wearing a turban, each displaying the wearer's taste and skill"

 
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