Zindagi Everyday

I hate this viral fever. Every 1 or 2 months it hit my kid leaving her weak and fragile.She becomes so disturbed and fussy as its aftereffect. Reason for the regular occurrences of this fever are unknown. The doc says maintain hygiene and avoid congested places. I guess the virus is already in the air so no matter whatever precautions we take, it somehow reaches her. With her sickness, my exercise and experiments to give her medicines becomes active.

My kido is 1 year 11 months old. So now we decided to send her to playgroup. 

Kids these days are so technology friendly. Pari knows almost all the major functionalities of my phone. Nowadays she has developed interest towards its camera. Getting a chance on the phone, she navigates to camera and start clicking.She knows how to use the front camera. By the time i reach her, she had already clicked multiple shots (of her forehead :P ). And now her attack is totally on Whatsapp and Viber.
Along with pictures, she also know how to record her voice. She opens whatsapp and move to any open conversation, then starts recording her voice and SEND. Similarly she do with pictures also, click and send.
Later on when i check what has been done, its too late to revert. Meanwhile the person on the other side must be getting mad or laughing.....my role is to just apologise :P

On the Day 3 of our trip, we decided to visit Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort, and Nahargarh Fort. All these forts lies on the same road.
This was the last day of our trip so we had to cover maximum, but still we missed to visit Albert Hall (the museum)

We started our day with Visiting "Maharani Ki Factory" which claimed 100% on the products sold over there to be made of natural colours, and the local workers. There were many items to se eand purchase like rajasthani fabrics, clothes, traditional dresses for kids, famous Jaipuri quilts, fabrice made up with natural dye prepared with vegetables, handicraft works, stone(marble, kota works),gemstones, miniature paintings, showpieces, home decor items, block print stuffs, and many more. 
A warning to the people who purchase the clothing from there. Though they offer a guarantee from 2-5 years on the bill of the purchased item depending on the items, but do not believe them. The stuffs just release the colours as soon as dipped in water. The female salwar suit stuff though is good and have lots of variety.Dont miss to buy/see famous variety of 'Maharani ki Sari' and 'Bandhani saris'

After finishing the shopping from here, we proceeded towards Hawa Mahal.

Hawa Mahal:
Hawa Mahal means :Palace of Winds" or "Palace of the Breeze".
It was in 1799 that the Kachhwaha Rajput ruler, Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh who built Jaipur, constructed Hawa Mahal as a continuation of the Royal City Palace. Sawai Pratap Singh's devotion to Lord Krishna is evident in the palace's construction as it resembles the lord's crown. Though many reasons are cited behind the construction of the fort, Purdah system followed by the Rajputs is said to be one of the main causes. During those days, Rajput royal women did not appear in public or in front of strangers. However, they were keen to follow the day-to-day events and royal processions occurring on the streets. It is for their benefit that the Hawa Mahal was built, complete with small windows and screened balconies. This gave the women a sense of freedom, without appearing in public.
Considered as an embodiment of Rajputana architecture, the main highlight of Hawa Mahal is its pyramid shape and its 953 windows or 'Jharokhas' which are decorated with intricate designs.

Hawa Mahal, designed as a beehive castle with small windows, has a height of 50 feet from its base. This structure, erected on a thin shield or podium approximately fifty feet high, has walls less than a foot thick. Constructed of red and pink sandstones .Hawa Mahal is famous for its windows or 'Jharokhas' which enable free circulation of air within the structure. Its entrance is a door which leads to a spacious courtyard surrounded by two-storey buildings on three sides. Of the five storeys of the Mahal, the top three storeys have the thickness of a single room while the bottom storeys have courtyards. The interior of the Hawa Mahal is stark and plain with passages and pillars reaching to the top storey. The building does not have stairs to reach the upper floors; the storeys are connected by slopes. From Hawa Mahal, you have an excellent view of the city
Pictures:

A little closer look :)

We couldn't  go inside the Hawa Mahal as our mr. guide told us that there is all smell and bats there.And due to rain it has become worse. As we had little kid with us so we satisfied ourselves with outer view itself. What could be said , negligence of govt to maintain such a beautiful architecture.After spending millions on the repair and renovation again its like abandoned for care and maintenance.

Amber Fort:
Amer Fort was built by Raja Man Singh I.It is built on a hill top of Aravalli overlooking Maota Lake.It was the original home of Rajput royalty until Jaipur city was constructed during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II

Maota Lake

The main entry is through the Suraj Pole (Sun Gate) which leads to Jaleb Chowk, which is the first main courtyard. This was the place where armies would hold victory parades with their war bounty on their return from battles, which were also witnessed by the Royal family women folk through the latticed windows. This gate was built exclusively and was provided with guards as it was the main entry into the palace. It faced the eastern direction towards the rising Sun and hence the name. Royal cavalcades and dignitaries entered the palace through this gate.
The other gate located opposite to it was known as 'Chand Pole' which was meant for the entrance of common people.

Suraj Pole

In todays time, the police security guard are seated to check people and tickets.

Jaleb Chowk means a place for soldiers to assemble. This is one of the four courtyards of the Amer Palace, which was built during Sawai Jai Singh’s reign (1693–1743 AD). The Maharaja's personal bodyguards held parades here under the command of the army commander or Fauj Bakshi. The Maharaja used to inspect the Guards contingent. At this location, the horse stables were also located where its upper level rooms were occupied by the guards

Jaleb Chowk where horse stables were also located where its upper level rooms were occupied by the guards

Sila Devi Temple, this door is having silver layer mounted on it.

The auspicious Lord Ganesha idol made out of single piece of Coral stone is mounted over the door of the Sila Devi temple.

Third Courtyard:
The entry is from Ganesh Pole.It is known as Diwan-i-Khas.It is also called Jai mandir, and because of the beautiful mirror glass work in it, Sheesh Mahal ot the Glass Palace.The Raja met his special guests like envoys from other rulers here.

Ganesh Pole or Ganesh Gate

Inside the Ganesh Pole lies the beautiful Sheesh Mahal.It is beautified with glass inlaid panels and multi-mirrored ceilings. The mirrors are of convex shape and designed with coloured foil and paint which would glitter bright under candle nights at the time it was in use.

Jai Mandir/Sheesh Mahal/The Glass Palace

Interiors of Sheesh Mahal

Infront of the Sheesh mahal is a little garden in the classic Mughal pattern called 'Char-Bagh' or 'Four Gardens'.Facing the Sheesh Mahal is Raja's private apartment where he retired to rest.

Char-Bagh/Four Gardens.The raja's private apartment is visible here( see people in queue)

Fourth Courtyard:
The fourth courtyard is where the Zenana (Royal family women, including concubines or mistresses) lived. This courtyard has many living rooms where the queens resided and who were visited by the king at his choice without being found out as to which queen he was visiting, as all the rooms open into a common corridor.

The queen mothers and the Raja’s consorts lived in this part of the palace in Zanani Deorhi, which also housed their female attendants.

Tunnel between Amer Fort & Jaigarh Fort:

Self Explanatory about the tunnel

JAIGARH FORT:
The massive Jaigarh Fort was built in 1726 and holds great appeal for military lovers. Flanked by towering gateways and watchtowers, it contains the world's largest cannon on wheels. The cannon has never been fired though, and neither has the fort been captured. As a result the fort has remained intact over its long life, and is very well preserved. Infact, it's one of the best-preserved military structures of medieval India. Jaigarh doesn't have the delicate interiors of Amber Fort, and therefore appears as a real fortress.
The Jaivana cannon
Jaigarh Fort was a centre of artillery production for the Rajputs. It is now home to the Jaivana – at the time of its manufacture in 1720, it was the world's largest cannon on wheels of the Early Modern Era.The foundry where it was manufactured is also located here. A plaque at the entrance to the enclosure where the Jaivan Cannon is displayed gives relevant information on the history of the Cannon, its size and use. This cannon was never used in any battle as the Rajput rulers of Amber had friendly relations with the Mughals. This testifies to well-preserved features of fort.The cannon was fired only once with a charge of 100 kilograms (220 lb) of gunpowder and when fired covered a distance of about 35 kilometres (22 mi).

The Jaivana was manufactured during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1699–1743) at a foundry in Jaigarh. The barrel is 20.19 foot (6.15 m) in length and weighs 50 tonnes. It has a diameter of 11 inches (280 mm). The barrel has decorations carved on it which depict trees, an elephant scroll and a pair of birds (ducks). It is mounted on wheels and has the mechanism of two back wheels mounted on roller pin bearings, to turn it 360° and fire in any direction. A tin shed was built to protect the cannon against weather. The cannon had a range of 22 miles and used 50 kilograms (110 lb) balls

Images courtesy: google images





NAHARGARH FORT:
Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1734, this fort was originally named Sudarshangarh Fort. Later, it was given a new name, Nahargarh which means 'abode of tigers'. Located in one of the oldest mountain ranges of the world, the Aravalli Hills, this fort gives you a breathtaking view of the scenic surroundings.

Beautiful view of Jaipur City from Nahargarh Fort

One of the major tourist attractions of Jaipur, Nahargarh Fort is noted for its extended wall which connects it to the Jaigarh Fort.

The fort follows Indo-European architecture and there are many structures inside the fort. To the left of the entrance gate 'Tadigate', there is a temple dedicated to the deity of Jaipur rulers. Apart from this, there is another temple inside the fort, dedicated to the Rathore prince, Nahar Singh Bhomia. Another attraction in the fort is the 'Madhavendra Bhawan' built by Sawai Madho Singh. This is a two-storey building which has suites for the king and his twelve queens. It is divided into nine similar apartments and each of these apartments has a lobby, bedrooms, toilets, kitchen and store. Other structures inside the palace include Diwan-I-Aam, an open air enclosure where the king met the common men and listened to their problems and complaints.

The view from the roof of the fort.

It was really an awesome experience to see the grand and scenic view of Jaipur city from the fort. And since it was raining, the beauty was multiple time. FYI, the shooting of some scenes of movie 'Rang De Basanti' were shot here.

sources : http://www.jaipur.org.uk/
                 wikipedia

Shri Jagat ShiromaniJi Temple Amer:
As told by our guide who is a local resident of Amer, this is the ancient Radha Krishan temple. When we reached the temple, it was afternoon, so the doors of the main temple where gods idols are residing were closed. Our bad timing....so we couldn't get a glimpse of the idols.
But the temple is really antique piece of architecture. Its design reminds of south indian style of temples. 
It is kind of less visited by people, very quiet and peaceful it is. The two elephants at the entrance of the temple premise on the stairs is really one of its kind.
Our Mr. guide told us that the shooting of few scenes of the Hindi movie BhoolBhulaiya( starring Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan , & Shiny Ahuja was done here.)The scene in which Akshay kumar shows the old ghungroos of Manjulika to Vidya balan.

As mentioned on the toursit information stone board "This magnificent temple dedicated to Radha-Krishna was built between A.D. 1599-1608 by Rani Kankawati, the wife of Raja Man Singh-I in the memory of her son Jagat Singh and is the best specimen of early 17th century A.D. MAHAMERU PRASADA. It consists of a Sanctum, Vestibule and Mandapa with projecting screen windows on either side.The temple stands on a highr ornate ADHISTHANA.The three storey GARBHAGRIHAis crowned by Sikhara which is adorned with successive rows of URUSRINGAS and KARANSRINGAS. The Mandapa is two storeyed with lateral transepts on either side.The walls of upper storey and the ceiling bear paintings. The marble GARUDA-MANDAPA in front of the temple is intricatley carved. The beautiful marble Torana is flanked by figure of elephants."

Posting pics of the temple:

The beautiful entrance to the temple premise with elephant figures

The  temple

Some inscriptions

Garuda Mandap

Scenic view from the temple to the entrance Torana

Closer look at some of the cravings

This is really a very less known place for tourists. It needs to be developed in a famous tourist place near Amer fort among the visitors.

Finally whoever says monsoon is not good for Jaipur trip should change mind and explore the monsoon beauty of the Pink City. It is really beautiful with clouds and showers.No sun, No sweat, and no humidity...Just chill and relax.

And thus our trip came to an end.We all checked out in the morning back to our place.Memorable family trip...Most important was my kid enjoyed posing and roaming comfortably which is such a relief, and yeah encouragement for our next road trip :)

Birla Mandir: 
Birla Mandir is situated at the foot of Moti Dungri fort.The enormous temple was built during the year 1988, by Birla Group of Industries.The Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Narayan), the preserver and his consort Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Due to this reason, Birla Temple is also known as Laxmi Narayan Temple. Birla Mandir is constructed in the finest quality of white marble.The images of Lakshmi Narayan is sculpted out of a single piece of marble.
Around the temple, there are well maintained garden. There are some shops to lure the tourists just at the temple premise entrance. In the evening, there are so many food stalls of panipuri, pavbhaji, bhelpuri,chaat,juice etc...Its kind of good spot for family outing on weekends.

Jal Mahal:
Jal Mahal Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace") is a palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.Across the lake, you can view the Aravalli hills, dotted with temples and ancient forts.The palace, built in red sandstone, is a five storied building out of which four floors remain under water when the lake is full and the top floor is exposed.

During our visit, there were rains so it was a beauty to watch Jal Mahal. This place is popular among the locals for a family outing on weekends. Here also eatable stalls, balloons, bread sellers are doing business. But due to all these, the premise of Jal Mahal have become very dirty.All wrappers,garbage, eatables, polythene can be seen lying on the ways.There are many fishes in the lake and people buy floor- balls and bread to feed them.
Picture of Jal Mahal:

Information Source: wikipedia

After finishing up Jantar Mantar visit, we headed towards the City Palace which is just near by. Need to buy tickets from here. The entrance of the palace led us to the museum built in the palace. As no camera was allowed inside it, so unable to post the inside museum pics here.

Actually the City Palace is combined with following galleries:
Friends of The Museum
Bagghi Khana
Sarvato Bhadra
Pritam Niwas Chowk
Sabha Niwas (Durbar Hall)
Sileh Khana (Armoury)
The Mubarak Mahal (Textile Gallery)

The Mubarak Mahal (Textile Gallery):
 Firstly we entered in the museum gate. This museum is actually called 'MUBARAK MAHAL'.It was constructed by the orders of 'Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II '. The Mubarak Mahal building is a small two storied building laid out on a raised platform with rooms grouped around a central, double height hall. On the ground floor of this building display is a collection of royal costumes. We were not allowed to the first floor, but for information it has  museum offices and the Pothikhana or library.

This museum had the clothes of the kings, queens, the various objects used by them like chess pieces, their quilts, shawls, hukka, armour used in the war, weapons used, and many more. It has the huge collection of dresses which the kings wore during day and night, the special black dresses of the queens and kings which they wore on Diwali, the different variety of material, and art used in weaving them. Many of the dresses had the fine work of thin gold and silver wires.
 The main attraction of this place is the 'Atamsukh' of 'Sawai Madhosingh I' who was believed to be 1.2 metres wide(3.9 ft) and weighed 250 kilograms. Now what is Atamsukh actually.Atamsukh in sanskrit means “giver of comfort to the soul”. It is similar to jama but quilted. It used to be worn by Rajasthan’s royal family males. It was mainly developed for the purpose of keeping the wearer warm.

Picture of Atamsukh (image credit: http://www.rajasthantour4u.com/blog/)

The finest examples of Sanganeri print, Tie and Die Lehariya, Pashmina shawls, Mishru (50% silk and 50% wool), 17th and 18th century cloth and fine Daca Muslin are displayed here. Musical instruments, glass cutlery and Indian games are also in display. 

There were also the dresses which the king wore while playing polo, cricket, badminton etc. I do not exactly remember how many types of it were in the museum.Posting few pics of the Mubarak Mahal..

Entrance to Mubarak Mahal

The rich architecture of the Mahal

A closer look

Trying to capture full view from other side.

Friends of The Museum:
After finishing up Mubarak Mahal, we proceeded towards Friends of the Museum Workshop. Here we saw the Indian Miniature Paintings, rajasthani jewelry items, perfumes(ittar) and non smudging kajal( charged Rs 400), local traditional showpieces made of bronze and metal, and many more.Personally I liked the miniature painting, the person working on it with so much details..thats really an art. As no photography was allowed so no pics of this gallery.

Freinds of the Museum Art Gallery

Sarvato Bhadra/Diwan –E-Khas:

Diwan –E-Khas got its name from its architectural typography which means any single storied hall open on all four sides but enclosed at the corners.It is place where the Maharajas had discussions with his courtiers, Ministers and nobles on the any crisis approaching their Kingdom.
On the entrance of Diwan-E-Khas, two huge silver vessels known as 'Gangajalees' are put for display. As per wikipedia, each vessel is of 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) height and each with capacity of 4000 litres and weighing 340 kilograms.They are officially recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest sterling silver vessels.These vessels were specially made by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II, who was a highly pious Hindu, to carry the water of the Ganges to drink on his trip to England in 1901 (for Edward VII's coronation) as he was finicky about committing religious sin by consuming the English water. Hence, the vessels are named as Gangajelies (Ganges-water urns)

One of the Silver vessel (GANGAJALEE)

Along with these wonderful wall hangings, there are beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.Also there was this huge royal round table which fascinated me.It is made movable by adding wheels on the base columns.

The round table with beautiful carvings at the bottom

Sabha Niwas/Diwaan-E-Aam:
The Diwan-E-Aam was used as the durbaar of the king. And this part of the palace is a real beauty.Still after so many years, its charm, its decor, ceiling, colours, everything is so fresh and intact.
As camera was not allowed so no pictures.It now has an art gallery which displays miniature paintings (of Rajastahni, Mughal and Persian art), ancient texts, embroidered rugs, Kashmir shawls and carpets.In the centralpart of the Diwaan-E-Aam, there are chairs placed adjacent to throne of Maharaja, called Golden throne ( known as  Takth-e-Rawal).

At the entry gateway to the Diwaan-E-Aam, two large elephants, each made out of single marble rock are on display. I was ableto click them so posting pic here.

This is one elephant, parallel to this one is the other elephant too

A closer look at the beautiful carvings on the elephant

Sileh Khana (Armoury): 
sileh stands for ‘weapons’ and khana means ‘a place of storage’.
The silehkhana of the museum has one of the largest and finest collections of weapons and antique handguns in India. The weapons include various kinds of swords, double edged cutters, daggers, knives, axes and arrows of various shapes. There are three types of guns in the collection – the matchlock, the flintlock and the percussion cap. Some of the swords in the collection are of historic importance, such as the swords inscribed with the name of Mughal emperors, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. In medieval times, weapons were regarded as prestigious gifts and the Mughal swords were probably gifted to the rulers of Amber-Jaipur. Many personal weapons of the rulers of like Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II etc are also a part of the collection.  
No cameras allowed, so no photos :(

Pritam Niwas Chowk:
It is an interior court yard of the Palace. It has four gates representing the four seasons- spring, summer, autumn and winter with murals depicting dancing peacocks and the blossomed lotus, built during the reign of Sawai Pratap Singh.
Here, there are four small gates (known as Ridhi Sidhi Pol) that are adorned with themes representing the four seasons and Hindu gods. The gates are the Northeast Peacock Gate (with motifs of peacocks on the doorway) representing autumn and dedicated Lord Vishnu; the Southwest Lotus Gate (with continual flower and petal pattern) suggestive of summer season and dedicated to Lord Shiva-Parvati; the Northwest Green Gate, also called the Leheriya (meaning: "waves") gate, in green colour suggestive of spring and dedicated to Lord Ganesha, and lastly, the Rose Gate with repeated flower pattern representing winter season and dedicated to Goddess Devi
Picture of one of the gate, called as Lotus gate(with flower and petal pattern above the door).

Lotus Gate

Bagghi Khana:
It is a museum having collection of old baggis, carriages are kept.
Pictures clicked :




 Just could not resist these beautiful huge doors of the palace.

The Beautiful canon

Actually these were 3, i had to cut the 3rd beauty due to couple sotting near it :(

My camera was able to capture only this much of the huge and beautiful wall of palace

And with this, we finished our City Palace visit. Mesmerized with the beauty and architecture of the great City Palace. A must place to visit in Jaipur.

PS:
Information courtesy to :  http://msmsmuseum.com/index.php 
                                          http://www.rajasthantour4u.com/blog/
                                          wikipedia