We spent three nights and two full days in Mumbai, India's most cosmopolitan city. Combine India's version of LA with a hefty dose of traffic, busy streets, lively bazaars, briefcase-clutching businessmen and some impressive colonial architecture, and there you have Mumbai. The city is a mad mixture of horrific poverty standing side-by-side with prolific consumerism; this is the financial capital of the sub-continent and it has the shopping centres, bars and restaurants to match - but more than half the inhabitants live in the slums. It can be a bit of a shock to the system and an assault on the senses, but then, so is all of India. Victoria Terminus Railway Station India Gate & the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel The colonial architecture of the former Bombay Marine Drive along Chowpatty Beach
Today we visited the ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves of Ellora - a set of small temples and monasteries in the rock face dating from the 6th to 11th centuries. The incredible site features over 100 caves, of which 34 are open to the public. They were excavated out of the vertical basalt cliff in the Charanandri hills, 29 kilometres northwest of the city of Aurangabad and about 300 kilometres from Mumbai. These consist of 12 Buddhist (caves 1–12), 17 Hindu (caves 13–29) and 5 Jain (caves 30–34) caves. Each group presents the respective deities and mythologies prevalent in 1st millennium CE, as well as the monasteries of that religion. Built in such close proximity to one another, the caves illustrate the religious harmony prevalent in ancient India. The sheer size of the Kailasanatha Temple is overwhelming; it covers twice the area of the Parthenon in Athens and is one-and-a-half times as high. It was carved out of solid rock from the top down, and it is estimated that it entailed removing 200,000 tonnes of rock. "Cave 16" of Ellora features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailasa Temple chariot shaped monument dedicated to Shiva. The Kailasa temple excavation also presents the gods, goddesses and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu epics. The Kailasanatha Temple, known as Cave 16, is spectacular; it is both beautiful in its detail, and impressive in its scale. Photos do not do this site justice, so I've also provided a link to an interesting youtube video about this site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Jl4HNDixc We were so impressed with our tour of the Ellora Caves that we decided to return on our own after lunch to explore the site in more depth. We climbed up above Kailasanatha Temple for another impressive perspective and then walked to see some of the less visited caves that are slightly further afield. This was my favourite place in all of India.
We packed up early to drive to Ajanta for our guided tour of the caves. Hidden in a rocky escarpment, the phenomenal caves at Ajanta were discovered in 1819 by a British hunting party that stumbled upon them. Their isolation has contributed to the fine state of preservation we find them in today. In all there are 29 caves nestling in the curve of a stunning deep gorge, all dating from around 200 BCE to 650 CE. The caves are beautifully decorated with paintings and sculptures telling the story of Buddha and illustrating tales from Buddhist fables and jatakas. The frescos are amazingly colourful and considered by many as amongst the finest examples of Buddhist art in India.
Mandu was founded as a fortress and retreat in the 10th century by Paramala Dynasty, a Rajput kingdom that ruled over much of the modern-day Malwa region of central Inda. It was conquered by the Muslim rulers of Delhi in 1304. After the victory of the Mughals in the early 16th Century in Delhi, the Afghan cheiftain of Mandu, Baz Bahadur, fled Mandu instead of facing the Mughal army. It was taken by the Maratha Dynasty in 1732, and was mostly abondoned when they moved their capital to the city of Dhar. An extensive deserted hilltop fort on the edge of the Vindhya hill ranges, Mandu was once known as "the city of joy". Today the atmosphere is more one of mystery and misery. We walked just down the road to tour the "Ship Palace" (Jahaz Mahal) and the rest of the Royal Enclave. During the monsoon season the fort is transformed and surrounded by water, making it resemble a ship. It's interesting to wander around and explore the old buildings, in particular the Royal Enclave, which includes some charming palaces built by the Sultan for the ladies of his harem. You can also see the Hindola Mahal, or "Swinging Palace", which takes its name from its sloping sided walls that supposedly look like a swing. Next we walked to Jama Masjid Mosque and the tomb of Hoshang Shah. We drove to Karwand Dam to camp for the night overlooking a lake.
We spent most of today travelling to Mandu via the backroads of rural
Rajasthan, making it to our first rest stop by sunrise. We are camping in tents on the grounds of a lousy hotel just down the road from the "Ship Palace". We now have a local cook preparing all of our meals, though. Udaipur is arguably the most romantic city in all of Rajasthan - an evocative and magical place on the shores of Lake Pichola. The city boasts several royal palaces, one of which is the floating Lake Palace, made famous in the James Bond film "Octopussy". This palace is now home to a luxury hotel and it's possible to take a short boat trip out onto the lake to see it. Hotel Tiger is perfectly situated and affords great views of the lake. We began our day by enjoying breakfast and admiring the views The City Palace is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, towering over the rest of the city. Its many balconies, towers and cupolas offer fine views over the lake. The flamboyant "Palace of Mirrors" is home to the "Mor Chowk" with its beautiful mosaics of peacocks - a sacred bird not only to the people of Udaipur but also to all Rajasthanis. We spent most of the day exploring the streets of Udaipur, visiting local temples, and shopping. Udaipur is known for its art and we bought a small painting from Gothwal Art, as well as a t-shirt, some prayer beads, and a made-to-order bolster. It was really cool that when the shop owner learned that we were from Canada, he immediately associated our country with the work of Craig Kielberger and Me to We, proudly telling us about his order for 54 custom outfits for a We Charity event in India. A sunset cruise on Pichola Lake provided a different perspective of the City Palace, and a much closer look at Jag Mandir Palace (now a restaurant and temple) and Jag Niwas (the Lake Palace that is now an expensive hotel).
Ranakpur Jain Temple and its 1444 ornately carved pillars are amazing.
We made a quick photo stop at the Jaswant Thada cenotaph and lake before reaching Mehrangarh Fort & Palace where we really appreciated the excellent audioguide tour of this amazing place. Jodhpur, situated on the edge of the Thar Desert, is affectionately known as the "Blue City" of Rajasthan due to its many indigo coloured houses in the old town. These are best seen from the ramparts of the mighty Mehrangarh Fortress, which looms above the bustling city. Built in the late 15th century, the colossal fort of Mehrangarh is the largest in the whole of Rajasthan, and has never been taken by force. The fort complex itself is huge and spreads over the hill looking over Jaipur - it houses the Maharaja's Palace as well as a number of temples, extensive gardens and some of the most well-stocked museums and galleries in all of India. From the fort, we walked downhill sightseeing and shopping along the way to the clocktower and through the Sardar Bazaar and market. We even ate the tasty omelettes prepared by the famous "Omelette Man of Jodhpur" (seriously, google him... or visit his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Omlette-Shop-Jodhpur/212360012197383 We enjoyed wandering around the Mandore Gardens and discovering the hidden treasures of this city park. It has a ruined fort, a temple complex, vendors... Lisa entertained the crowds by buying a kurta, and we watched a wedding celebration, in the same place!
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