Jaipur

One of the most popular cities of India on the International Tourism map is the heritage city of Jaipur. It is the capital of Rajasthan, the state reminiscent of royalty and exuding a regal aura even in the modern times. Jaipur is also known as the ‘Pink City’ because Maharaja Man Singh II ordered his city painted a pretty pink in honour of the visiting Prince of Wales in 1876. The city abounds in heritage sites and provides a plethora of shopping opportunities.
City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Amber Fort, Sisodia Palace and Garden and Jal Mahal Palace are some fascinating monuments that offer a walk through time. Birla Temple, Govind Devji Temple, Jai Niwas Bagh, Ram Niwas Garden and zoo, Government Central Museum, Dolls Museum and Wonderland Amusement Park are other places of interest. A visit to Chokhi Dhani an ethnic village resort is a unique experience and takes one through the rich and vivid culture of the state including bullock cart rides, puppet shows, parrot fortune teller, Kalbeliya Dance, and not to forget the authentic Rajasthani culinary dishes.
Boating at Ramgarh Lake, hot air ballooning, sky diving and camel and elephant safaris are also some activities that can be experienced in Jaipur. The pink city is well connected by air, rail and road.
Best time to visit: October to March
Languages spoken: Dhundhari, Hindi, English
Climate: Hot and dry summers and a cold sometimes freezing winter.
Heritage Sites: City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Amber Fort, Sisodia Palace and Garden, Jal Mahal Palace
Fun places and Knowledge centres: Chokhi Dhani, Jai Niwas Bagh, Ram Niwas Garden and zoo, Government Central Museum, Dolls Museum, Wonderland Amusement Park
Holy places: Birla Temple, Govind Devji Temple
Activities and Adventure Tourism: Boating at Ramgarh Lake, hot air ballooning, sky diving, camel safari, elephant safari

A Glimpse Of Jaipur

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Upon entering the walled city, we were immediately accosted by each and every shopkeeper of each and every shop in the myriad bazaars within. This was annoying enough for us as Indians. It must be downright intimidating for the foreigners.

The shopkeepers aggressive sales pitch were a big put off. Having said that, I could see why Jaipur is called a shoppers paradise. Though most of the wares on offer were touristy tat, there was certainly a huge variety of some rather good tat as well. I succumbed and did not leave without my fair share of purchases though I would have bought a lot more had it not been such a nuisance having to bargain fiercely in every store. Initial prices quoted anywhere were at least 3 to 4 times higher than the final settled amount. The haggling became just too much of an effort and I decided not to buy anything more. The Jaipur traders are geared to sell to the foreign tourist though I doubt that most foreigners would pay such steep prices, they probably drive a much harder bargain than we do. One cannot even walk in peace without being constantly assailed by men beseeching you to enter their shops.

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Dancing Peacock at Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

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Nahargarh Fort is perched on a hill overlooking the city of Jaipur. Best time to go there is early in the morning. It is a pleasant half hour drive from downtown city. There is a lush forest on both sides of the winding road. Drive slow to take in the greenery and sounds of the forest. People can be seen jogging and cycling. Birds chirp and peacocks give out their shrill cries when they see you approaching.

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Jaipur : Chokhi Dhani and Sightseeing

Jaipur : Chokhi Dhani and Sightseeing

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Finally it was time to have food and it was so sumptuous that we forgot to click the images. There were 5 kinds of vegetables, 3 kinds of chapattis, curd, sweets, desi ghee and I don’t know what else. After meal my only thinking was that if they fed so much then for some extra charge they should also provide a bed so that one can sleep then and there if felt so. But indeed it was a bad idea even I can’t imagine people sleeping and burping at this beautiful place. So, I scolded myself for such a bad dreaming and we came out more than happy, filled till neck, and started the engine to find a bed as soon as possible.

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Jaipur : Kite Festival and Forts

Jaipur : Kite Festival and Forts

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There was a famous kite master of Jaipur; Babu Khan. He must be some kind of previous champion because he was alone getting 50% attention of media and tourists and also flying the longest chain of kites.

Then started the cultural and dance program. Without any effort one can easily notice the way people of Rajasthan dress themselves, especially the ladies. It was extremely colorful coupled with bangles and ornaments.

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राजस्थान यात्रा – बीकानेर से जयपुर और जयपुर –

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पहले हिस्से में सूरज पोल से जाने पर मिलता है जलेब चौक जहां सैनिकों के रहने के लिए बैरकें बनी हैं| जीत के जश्न को देखने के राजसी महिलाओं के लिए झरोखे भी बने हैं| इस हिस्से को सवाई जय सिंह के कार्यकाल में बनवाया गया था| जलेब चौक के बाद इस हिस्से का प्रांगण है जिसके एक किनारे पर शिला देवी का मंदिर है| मंदिर का दरवाजा काफी प्रभावशाली है और इस पर तरह तरह की बनावटें हैं| इसके पीछे कहानी यह है कि राजा को सपने में देवी ने दर्शन दिए थे और उसके उनहोंने बंगाल के राजा को युद्ध में हराया था| देवी की मूर्ति को समुद्र से एक पत्थर लाकर उस पर नक्काशी करके यहाँ स्थापित किया गया था, इसीलिए नाम पड़ा शिला देवी| नवरात्री के दिनों में यहाँ बलि की प्रथा भी है| हम मंदिर के अंदर नहीं जा पाए क्योंकि पट बंद थे|

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A Taste of Salt – Sambhar Lake

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Sambhar Lake is India’s larget inland salt lake. We keep moving on the road but dam was nowhere in picture. It should be around 5 km from the place we started and we have already crossed more than that. I check on map that we were moving far from lake so we decided to return. We realized that there was no connecting road to dam and we have to find a entry point. We found a dusty track which was going towards the lake. It must be used by tractors and other vehicles. Finally we were inside the lake and it was amazing to drive bike in the lake :).

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राजस्थान यात्रा: भाग १

राजस्थान यात्रा: भाग १

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पुष्कर एक छोटा सा कस्बा है जहां राजस्थान में होने की वजह से धूल ज़्यादा है, हरियाली न के बराबर है और आबादी भी ज़्यादा नहीं है| जगह के बारे में किवदंती है कि ब्रह्मा ने राधा कृष्ण की झलक पाने के लियी साठ हजार साल लंबी तपस्या की थी और ये जगह अपनी झील या तालाब के लिए जानी जाती है| यहाँ देखने के लिए कई सारे मंदिर भी हैं जिनमें कि मेरी कुछ खास दिलचस्पी नहीं थी| पुष्कर पहुँचने के बाद होटल तक पहुँचने में थोड़ी मुश्किल हुयी, क्योंकि पहले हमको किसी ने उलटा रास्ता बता दिया  और हम पुष्कर के बाहर ही चले गए लेकिन फिर किसी भी तरह से पूछपाछ के होटल तक पहुंचे| होटल तक पहुँचने में शाम हो गयी थी और अंधेरा लगभग होने लगा था| होटल अच्छा था, पीछे एक पहाड़ी थी जिसको देखते ही मुझे तो तुरंत ही इस पर चढ़ने की तमन्ना हो गयी |

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5. Naggar (HP) and road back home via Chandigarh-Rothak-Ajmer-Ahmedabad-Mumbai

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Had it not been for the book, Outlook Traveller Gateways (on HP), Naggar would not have happened. Books are still much much superior as compared to host of blogs and websites. Online forums, at best, are good for an “occasional tip” and that too happens cause people speak about the content which is quite recent. Books need to re-published. The Outlook Traveller Gateways (on HP) which I referred to was published in 2008 and two years down the line nothing much had changed….

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