We traveled 245 kilometres to ring in the new year in Delhi. I spent the first hour of our stay in the city cleaning human feces from the tread of my shoes, so drinks were in order.
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The city of Jaipur is the capital of the state of Rajasthan, and named after its founder Maharaja Jai Singh II who moved his capital here from nearby Amer in the 18th century due to population growth. It is known as the "Pink City", as all the buildings within the walls of the old town are painted a dusky rose pink - the story goes that Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh ordered that all the buildings should be painted in this colour to welcome the visiting Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII) to the city in 1876, and the buildings have remained the same colour ever since. We found the colour to be closer to apricot orange in most cases.
We caught a glimpse of life in Jaipur from our auto-rickshaws and passed by the old Summer Palace on the lake as we headed to Jaipur's main attraction, the Amber Fort. Amer Fort, or Amber Fort, is actually located in Amer, a tiny town just outside of Jaipur and is located high on a hill. Amer Fort is known for its artistic Hindu style elements and its large ramparts overlooking Maorta Lake from a series of gates and cobbled paths. Constructed of red sandstone and marble, the opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the Diwan-i-Aam, or "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-i-Khas, or "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal ("mirror palace"), and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. Hence, the Amer Fort is also popularly known as the Amber Palace. Our final tour stop was the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory. The remainder of the day was spent back at the hotel.
We drove 230 kilometres to Jaipur, stopping en route at Fatehpur Sikri (the old capital of the Mughal Empire). Fatehpur Sikri is the site of the perfectly preserved but deserted capital built by Akbar, the third Emperor of the Mughal Empire. In 1569, Akbar founded the new city to honour the Sufi holy man Salim Chishti, who had previously blessed him and foretold the birth of Akbar’s only son. Akbar proclaimed the city as the new Mughal capital in 1571, only for it to be abandoned in 1585 due to the drying up of the only water source. After briefly declaring Lahore as the new capital, it was once again returned to the nearby city of Agra. There is little left of the wider orignal city, but much of the magnificent imperial complex, protective walls and wonderful old mosque remain almost intact, a testament to the might and power of Akbar and the Mughal Empire. The site is unique as it features custom-built palaces and temples for each of Akbar the Great's three wives. They vary greatly as one wife was Hindu, one Muslim, and one Christian. To break up the long drive, we made a very interesting "surprise" visit to one of India's largest stepwells. We watched a local artisan make bangles and ate thali twice today. We finally made it to the Bissau Palace Hotel, the former home of a maharaja. We learned the importance of room assignment as most people received nice accommodation, while we were in a dirty room with dripping plumbing. The common spaces were all beautifully appointed.
After watching the sunrise from the Taj Mahal, we headed to our local coordinator's home for a rooftop breakfast that, according to Lisa, included the "best chai in India". The next auto-rickshaw stop was a marble work factory and sales shop before heading to Agra Fort.
We spent most of the day driving the 400 kilometres to Agra. Once in Agra, we visited the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah, known as "The Baby Taj", and often regarded as a draft for the more famous landmark. As the sun went down, we went to have our first look at the Taj Mahal...
Khajuraho was once the capital of the Chandelas of Jejakabhukti between the 10th-13th centuries CE, a small Rajput kingdom. Rajput kingdoms were small local dynasties that dominated political life across northern and central India between the 6th Century BCE and the 20th Century CE. The Chandelas of Jejakabhukti ruled over much of the modern-day region of Bundelkhand, and built the magnificent Hindu and Jain temples in Khajuraho in around 1000 CE. Considered "one of the seven wonders of India", the temples, which were built in quite a remote and inaccessible location, have been almost perfectly preserved. Set in peaceful, well-kept gardens, the temples are magnificently decorated and covered in ornate carvings that depict many aspects of life, including very graphic representations of all sorts of erotic acts. The inclusion of this theme is not unique to Khajuraho, but this location has the most extensive collection in good condition. In the afternoon we drove to Orchha, where we "upgraded" from camping to staying in the Hotel Shivan Palace, which came to be known by all passengers as "Shit Palace". Most of us basically camped indoors as we used our sleeping bags, etc. since everything in the room was filthy. Our room had no pillows, no sheets, no towels, and no garbage can, but when we saw those provided for others, we considered ourselves fortunate and did not ask for any. The water and wifi was turned off, the room stank of musty mildew, and there was a used Band-Aid on the wall. Surprisingly, the small town of Orchha features a fortified castle, a temple, a square, tourist shopping, and many restaurant options.
I thought that spending Christmas at the "Erotic" temples would be fun, but others decided to postpone that visit until the following day. We rose early for a scheduled sunrise walk, but no one else showed up... including our local guide! Everyone else had too much to drink the night before and it was hours before we saw a soul, and breakfast was served late as well. A kind employee took us on a make-shift shortened version of the walk to see the area. We then spent a quiet day together watching the river, reading our books, and in my case, sipping a Kingfisher. Even within the confines of our lodge complex, we encountered many wild monkeys and boars, a few deer, and some more birds.
Some of our fellow travelers decorated the interior of the truck with streamers and I provided the Christmas tunes from my mp3 for our on-board beer fueled Christmas Eve party. Once we finally did arrive, we sat down to a nice dinner together.
Set on the banks of the river Ganges, Varanasi is the holiest place in the Hindu religion. Hindu pilgrims travel here from all over the world to wash away their sins in the blessed river water of the Ganges, and to cremate their loved ones who have passed away. In Hindu mythology, to die in the city of Varanasi will result in instant "moksha", a release from the cycle of death and reincarnation. Varanasi is also the birthplace of Buddhism, as the Buddha is said to have given his first ever sermon at the nearby site of Sarnath in 528 BCE. In Varanasi, the Ganges has thousands of times more fecal coliform than is safe for contact with human flesh. Despite this, we witnessed people bathing, washing their clothes, and collecting water from the same river that they use to dump sewage, ashes, and bodies. We were taken to see the topographical map in the Mother India Temple and then to see several silk workshops.
Last night I slept fully clothed to avoid contact with the filthy, damp linens in our disgusting room in the Hotel President in Gorokphur. Today was primarily a travel day that saw us spend ten hours on the truck as we made our way to Varanasi. The Indian "goods carrier" trucks are a kaleidoscope of colour as they are intricately painted and decorated. In addition to vehicles, traffic includes all manner of animals. We witnessed a funeral pyre being carried and many other aspects of Indian life at the side of the road as we drove through northern Indian villages.
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