Bollywood alive

Saturday, 29 November, 2014

We are at Gurgaon (and happy to be here without mishaps; I am still not used with the Indian style of traffic.)   Tonight  we are o visit The Kingdom of Dreams and see a live Bollywood show.  The park is an Indian version of Las Vegas, or perhaps Disneyland, and the show is very colorful and noisy. A bit too noisy for our group who decide after the first act that they have had enough.  I would have stayed,the red velvet sets were comfortable and the actors were really energetic.
I am looking forward to  my 'safari' at Ranthambore  park.

Sunday,  30 Novemebr, 2014; train trip to Ranthambore.
 I expected a luxurious train. True, the public  transport I have seen - buses and taxis- wee dirty and damaged but since our hotels have been so elegant I thought  the trains for tourist would be ...different. They weren't, altough they were supposed to be first class. Just as well that I didn't have to sp
end the night  travelling. So,  when I was taken to my destination I was delighted. My home for the next two days is a little  self contained house in a large garden planted with rose bushes in a green, perfectly maintained lawn. Bliss.

Monday,  1 December, Tuesday, 2 December, 2014; Ranthambore National Park

I expected a 'safari'  South African safari, and it was similar, in the sense that we travelled in a jeep, in the forest, and were not allowed to dismount.  Ranthambore though is  more than a reserve, it is the ancient hunting ground of the Maharaja and so there is an ancient fort, beautiful palaces and superb lakes. Pity the  visit to the fort was not included, but we did see the remnants of the entrance gate.

The GATE

 

The monkeys and the deer are good friends

 

 

Sleeping Beauty  castle (Indian)

As for the animals. there were plenty of lovely antelopes, lots of monkeys ( I like how they make friends with the deer), a live cheetah (maybe, it was hidden behind trees),

a paw print of the lion (so we were told), and a picture of a lion on the entrance gate.

Friday, 28 November, 2014; Amer Fort, City palace museum, Jantar Mantar 'the calculation instrument'

The tour has taken us to buildings each more beautiful and more impressive.  Amber Fort is the most magnificent.  First the position; the views of lake Maota and the the surrounding gardens and buildings are so beautiful that they take your attention away from the main fort, which, to do it justice, requires a  visit much longer than  a few hours.  There are four sections each with its gate  and courtyard an a variety of buildings interesting for style and details. We walk around the buildings trying to follow the intricate planning, - admire the views and then concentrate on the detailed decorations. There is the by now familiar filigree but more magnificent as decorated with mirrors, the exquisite Hindu flower  decorations.  I would like to come again and again,visit each courtyard and each buildings, look close at the delicate carvings  and admire the cool gardens. at a time when there are fewer people around.  

We are all busily taking pictures but phography can be distracting; one forgets to look.

The view of Jag Mandir  surrounded by water (above)  is exquisite, and I  suspect that no matter how luxurious the interior, it will never match it.

hollowed out hemisphere

 the giant sundial

After this the museum, situated in a former Royal residence, is rather boring. Unless one is really interested in old weaponry, fake horses, and souvenirs.  But then we  are taken to  Jantar Matar, 'the largest stone end marble crafted observatory in the world'.  It is  a giant sundial designed to measure  the time as well as the position of the stars and planets.  It may not rival the modern astronomical observatories but it is remarkable for accuracy and inventiveness.

Friday, 28 November 2014, Jaipur

This is The Pink City and it is true, it seems to be bathed in pink. We drive and stop in front of the pinkiest, the Palace of the Winds.  it is a beautiful sight but our resourceful guide takes us to a  friendly neighbour  who lives across and so we get a  better view from above.  (The neighbour's house is interesting in its own right;  it is very narrow but cover several flight of stairs which lead into different directions.) There is a terrace on top from where we can admire the palace at leisure;  It looks very ornate, with elements from Hindu and Muslim architecture. The geometrical filigree work  covering the windows  goes well with the Hindu style  fluted columns and flower designs.  I would have liked to see the rooms behind the secret windows They are kept cool with fountains in the centre of each room.

There is a surprise in front of the building; a cobra in a basket raising its head to music.
Apparently we are lucky to see this because snake charmers are accused of animal cruelty and have replaced the live cobras with puppets.

Abhaneri village; Chand Baori stepwell

It is one of the most extraordinary sights.  Impossible to guess its purpose . It looks like an immense, very deep hole , its walls lined with geometric steps  arranged in perfect symmetry; they are shaped  as if by machine. I wouldn't guess that it was built before 1000 AD.  The aim was to conserve water. It was used as a community gathering place for locals during intense heat.  The royals had a special pavilion reserved and there were lots of god  images to watch over the people.

Thursday, 27 November 2014

Fatehpur Sikri

This is the ancient Mughal capital. It is in  perfect condition  - apparently as a result of Lord's Curzon efforts -yet there is a ghostly feeling about it.  Possibly because for some reason it had to be abandoned after 14 years.  We are made to notice the combined features of Hindu and Islamic features which indeed result in an harmonious whole. This is a 'ceremonial' capital so  the buildings are not dwarfed by huge fortifications.

 Panch Mahal; the ladies' place, overlooking the Pachisi Court; were they playing the game?

 Diwan-I-Khas, hall for private audience.  Typical for mixture of architectural styles

 Ceiling detail

Jodh Bai  palace, the largest and most important part of the royal harem. exquisite example of combined Hindu and Islamic architecture

Ceiling  detail

 

Agra Fort

Afternoon

The entrance to the fort is very imposing, unfortunately  partly obscured by milling crowds. Though called 'fort' it is more a walled city built for defence.  We walked around, over, under and above, but I did not manage to have a clear picture of the plan. We learn that the fort was initially built for defence but then became more of an imperial walled city. This happened during the reign of Shah Jahan, of the Taj Mahal fame. The building are a mixture of styles, interesting for a student of  Indian architecture we, the tourists, were more attracted by the building as a dwelling for royalty. The  drawbridge for protection from invaders is still there but there living and sleeping room, ingeniously air-conditioned, a mosque for men and another for women, even a 'play room' -not for children but for the Sultan and his ladies, and of course a rose petal scented pool, for the ladies.

It is early afternoon, the perfect time to walk along the ramparts and admire the magnificent views. Even the Taj Mahal can be seen in full.

Wednesday, 26 November, 2014

Agra.
At 6.30 in the morning there is dark outside. We queue outside the entrance gate and wait for sunrise, so that we can admire Taj Mahal in all its beauty. It has been described as an architectural jewel and I can see why; unlike the other Indian buildings we have seen and admired Taj Mahal is compact, so that even from a short distance it can be seen  and  admired as as a complete structure.  Each part is complete in itself and together they seem inseparable. We walk around, undisturbed, take photos, and more photos, at sunrise and after,  this view and that, the perfect geometric decorations, ....and then walk out to return to dusty, noisy India.