Info Jaipur

Agra - Jaipur : 246 km.
Jaipur, also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of the Rajasthan state.
Built of pink stucco in imitation of sandstone, the city is remarkable among pre-modern Indian cities for the width and regularity of its streets which are laid out into six quarters separated by broad streets 111 ft (34 m) wide. The urban quarters are further divided by networks of gridded streets.
Therefore, Jaipur is considered by many urbanists be one of the best planned cities. Almost all Northern Indian towns of that period presented a chaotic picture of narrow twisting lanes, a confusion of run-down forts/temples/palaces temporary shacks that bore no resemblance at all to the principles set out in the Hindu architectural manuals, which calls for strict geometric planning.

Places of interest

• Nahagarh Fort stands on the edge of the Arayalli Hills, overlooking the pink city. The view of the city from the fort is breath taking. Along with Amber fort and Jaigarh fort it formed a strong defense ring for the city. The word Nahargarh means the abode of tigers. Legends say that it was name after Prince Nahar whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed construction of the fort.

  Built mainly in 1734 by The Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, it is partially in ruins. It was extended in 1868. The rooms are linked by corridors and still have some delicate frescos. There are nine apartments for the nine queens the Maharaja had and all are well planned and decorated. Nahargarh is also called as the Hunting residence of Maharajas.

• Hawa Mahal is a palace in Jaipur. Translation of this Hindi name is: Palace of winds.
  It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. It forms part of the City Palace and extends the Zanana or women's chambers, the chambers of the harem (= the sphere of women in a polygynous household and their quarters enclosed and forbidden to men.) Its original intention was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen.

  It has five stories and is constructed of red and pink sandstone, highlighted with white quakeee quick lime. The side facing the street outside the palace complex has 953 small windows, and the breeze (hawa) which circulates through these windows gives the palace its name, and keeps it cool even in hot months.

  The entrance opens onto a courtyard with a double-storied building on three sides, and one on the eastern wing with three more stories, which is just one room wide. There are no stairs to reach the upper floors, only ramps.

• Amber fort is located in Amber, 11 km from Jaipur.
  The structure which is today known as Amber fort was initially a palace complex within the original fort of Amber which is today known as Jaigarh Fort. Connected with Amber through fortified passages Jaigarh fort is located on a hill above the Amber complex, and is constructed of red sandstone and white marble. It overlooks Maotha lake, and was reputed to be the treasure vault of the Kacchwaha rulers. Today, tourist can ride up to the fort from the base of the hill on an Elephant. On the ride, you can see the beautiful sights of Jaipur, a great view of Maotha lake, and the original city walls.
  
  Once you reach the palace, you can take a tour through the fort, or view it on your own. The most magnificent sight of all is the hall of mirrors (see picture). When royalty lived there, at night when they had to come through and needed lighting they would take a single candle and because of all of the tiny intricate mirrors, the entire room would light up.
• Jantar Mantar (= chanting instrument) a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II at his then new capital between 1727 and 1733. It is modelled after the one that he had built for him at the then Mughal capital of Delhi. He had constructed a total of five such labs at different locations, including the ones at Delhi and Jaipur. The Jaipur observatory is the largest of these.
  

  The observatory consists of fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars in their orbits, ascertaining the declinations of planets, and determining the celestial altitudes and related ephemerides. Each is a fixed and 'focused' tool. The Samrat Jantar, the largest instrument, is 90 feet high, its shadow carefully plotted to tell the time of day. Its face is angled at 27 degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. The Hindu chhatri (small domed cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons.

  Built of local stone and marble, each instrument carries an astronomical scale, generally marked on the marble inner lining; bronze tablets, all extraordinarily accurate, were also employed. Thoroughly restored in 1901, the Jantar Mantar was declared a national monument in 1948.
  More info on: http://www.jantarmantar.org/ and http://www.bomhard.de/englisch/jaipur/00.html.
  

Hotel in Jaipur

We booked a hotel in Jaipur as my birthday present for two nights.
It looks sooo nice, don't you think?
link: http://www.umaidbhawan.com
Strange enough, this is a budget hotel and the most beautiful room costs only 60 euro.

Accomodation in Goa (Palolem beach)

For the first two days in Goa, we booked a bamboo hut in a small resort on Palolem beach.
The resort had some very good international reviews and it seems really nice.
Each hut has a sleeping room, bath room and a open space as you see on the pictures.
Seems nice, no?

We have a host in Ahmedabad!!

Great news: we have a host family in Ahmedabad.

Rushir Shah and his family where so nice to host us for 1 night. Thanks!
In the picture above girls from UK and Mexico where staying at their place.
It seems they have a nice accomodation for couchsurfers as there is a seperate bedroom with attached bathroom.
Check their couchsurfer profile on: http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=2F6TTLA

Info: Agra

Agra is a medieval city situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, founded it in the year 1504 by a Sultan. He and his son ruled their Sultanate from Agra until 1526.
The golden age of the city began with the Mughals. It was known then as Akbarabad and remained the capital of the Mughals Empire.
Since Akbarabad was one of the most important cities in India under the Mughals, it witnessed a lot of building activity. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty laid out the first formal Persian garden on the banks of river Yamuna. The garden is called the Aram Bagh or the Garden of Relaxation. His grandson Akbar raised the towering ramparts of the Great Red Fort besides making Agra a center for learning arts, commerce and religion. (Remeber that Akbar was the same guy who build Fatephur Sikri)
His son, Jahangir, had a love of gardens and flora and fauna and laid many gardens inside the Red Fort or Laal Kila.
His other son, Shah Jahan, known for his keen interest in architecture gave Akbarabad its most prized monument, the Taj Mahal, built in loving memory of his wife.
The mausoleum was completed in 1648.
Shah Jahan later shifted the capital to Delhi during his reign, but this son Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Akbarabad and had his father imprisoned in the Fort there. Akbarabad remained capital of India during the rule of Aurangzeb until he shifted it to Aurangabad in the Deccan in 1653. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the influence of Marathas and Jats and was called Agra, before falling into the hands of the British Raj in 1803.

Places of Interest:

• Taj Mahal: This is is one of the most famous buildings in the world. It is one of the new 7 Wonders of the world, and one of three 'World Heritage Sites' in Agra, the others being Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
  Completed in 1653 A.D., the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his favourite Queen, Mumtaz. Finished in marble, it is perhaps India's most fascinating and beautiful monument. This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630-1652) of hard labour and 20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustad Isa, the Taj Mahal is on the bank of the Yamuna River. It can be observed like a mirage from the Agra Fort from where Emperor Shah Jahan stared at it, for the last eight years his life as a prisoner of his son Aurangzeb. It is a masterpiece of symmetry, seeming to be floating in the air from a distance, and each revealed as an illusion experienced as one enters through the main gate.

• Agra Fort: Less than 2 kilometres from the Taj Mahal on the same river bank, you'll find the impressive Agra Fort. The fort is built alongside the Yamuna river and stretches almost 2.5 km. It consists of a wall built in red sandstone and several buildings inside. The wall has 2 gates, the Delhi Gate and the Amar Singh Gate. You can only enter the fort via the Amar Singh Gate. Part of the fort is still in use by the Indian Army and are not accessible to the public, but there's still enough left to get an insight on the way the Mughals lived in the 16th century. After going through the Amar Singh Gate you walk over a ramp and enter the Great Courtyard. On the right hand sight, there's the many pillared Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience). It was built by Shah Janan in 1628. Furthermore you find the Royal Pavilions. It contains beautiful mosques. Several of the buildings are made of pure marble with beautiful carvings. To cool off the rooms in the marble pavilions, the walls were hollow and filled with running water. From the balconies in the pavilions, you have a nice view on the Yamuna river and the Taj. Legend has it that Shah Jahan desired to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river Yamuna and connect the two by a bridge. This structure was intended to be his own tomb. To avoid this, his son imprisoned him in the Agra Fort where he had a view on the building erected for his deceased wife. Shah Jahan is said to have died in the Musamman Burj, a tower with a beautiful marble balcony. From there you probably have the best view on the Taj.

Info: Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri ( = city of victory close to Sikri) is a 16 century capital, build by Akbar in a rocky area, at 37 km from Agra. Because it is a ceremonial capital, the city has been never reinforced. Fatehpur Sikri is unique in its set-up and architecture.The emperor built the city for the Moslem soefi-heilige Salim Chishti. It was dedicated to Salim Chishti, because he had predicted him that he would get three sons. And indeed Akbar got three sons. Oldest prince Salim, was the later emperor Jahangir.
It took many and many years to build Fatphur Sikri but in 1585, only 15 years after the first people lived in the city, it was left empty, due to a lack of water.
That's why this empty city is often called "Spook city".

We have a host in Delhi

Hi All,

As i already told in my first post, we will stay with some host families while travelling.
These hosts we find with the website: www.couchsurfing.com. It is really a whole community and i guess it is quite safe. When somebody has a negative experience you can also tell this on the website,...
In Delhi we will be hosted by a nice guy Kamal. He's got very good reactions and he even want to get us at the airport.
Thanks Kamal for your hospitality!! We really appreciate. (We will bring you a good bottle of wine ;-) and some belgian chocolates)

Elise

Info: Delhi

In this message i will tell a little bit more about our first destination in our trip: Delhi.
Delhi the second largest city of India.
Actually the city is divided in two parts. New Delhi, which is the capital of India and Old Delhi.
As the name already tell us this is the old part of Delhi and the most interesting to visit.
New Delhi is created by the English in the 20 st century.

Population : about 13 million people
Area : 1500 square kilometers


Most important places of interest:

• Chandi Chowk: This is the main street of old Delhi, crowded with colourful shops. Here india's largest wholesale market.

• The Red Fort: The emperor Shan Jahan's red sandstone fort is considered one of the most magnificent buildings in the country. It was build when Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi in the 17th century. Shaped like an irregular octagon, the fort is about 2 km in circumference. Its beautiful gates are master peaces of builders art. Nowadays inside the fort are splendid ornamented buildings, pavilions, gardens, shops and museums.

• Qutb Minar: This is one of the most famous landmarks of Delhi. A tower of victory and a minaret once used by the muezzins build in 1193. The 72,5 meters tall tower tapers from a base diameter of 14,4 meters to a peak diameter of 2,4 meters. The tower had 5 floors, 3 build of red sandstone and two of marble and sandstone.
  In 1326 the tower was damaged but luckily it was repaired. In 1368, two floors were added to the existing tower, using marble.
  

• Lotus temple: This spectacular building shaped like a lotus flower is a temple of the bahá'í. This comunity says all religions should be united. The lotus flower is build up in white marble and the building is surrounded by water. The adherents of any faith are free to visit the temple and pray or meditate silently according to their own religion. At dusk the sight of floodlit Lotus temple is simply spectacular.

• delhi haat: its a small market place in south part of delhi run by artisans from various parts of delhi (thanks Kamal for the info)
  
  

Oh this is it for today, more fill follow later on.

bye,

Elise

Back to India!!

Hi All,

Because i might have some English readers, i'll post in English. Hope all of you can understand, otherwise tell me and i will try to make my posts, both in English and Dutch.

For a long time, nothing was told on this Blog, but FINALY .. i will go back to India.
My tickets are booked and on the 12th of January I will fly to Delhi.
This trip is very different from our first one. This time, we (Jan and me) will travel though a part of India, to see, smell and taste. And off course to relax a little bit. :-)
We will stay with people from couchsurfing.com (these people are willing to host travelers at their house) My Name on Couchsurfing is 'JanAndElise'.

Our Travel scheme will be something like the following:

1. 12/01/08: Departure Brussels around 17:30
2. 13/01/08: Arrival at Delhiaround 12:00. In Delhi we will be picked up by a nice local who is offering us a stay at his house. (Couchsufing.com)
3. 14/01/08: Visiting Delhi
4. 15/01/08: Tranfer from Delhi to Agra (Taj Mahal) via Fatehpur Sikri (known as the deserted city) - Sleep in Agra. Fatehpur Sikti is only 40 km from Agra
   
5. 16/01/08: Getting up very early to see the Taj at sun rise. - Visiting Agra - Transfer to Jaipur by train in the evening - sleep in Jaipur.
6. 17/01/08: Visiting Jairpur - Sleep Jaipur.
7. 18/01/08: (My birthday) Transfr to, and Visiting Pushkar - sleep in Pushkar
8. 19/01/08: Pushkar / Jaipur - Transfer to Udaipur (Night train)
9. 20/01/08: Visit Udaipur - sleep Udaipur
10. 21/01/08: Udaipur - Tranfer to Ahmedabad (Night train)
11. 22/01/08: Ahmedabad - sleep Ahmedabad
12. 23/01/08: Ahmedabad - Transfer to - Goa (national flight , about 2 hours) - sleep in Goa
    
13. 24/01/08: Goa
14. 25/01/08: Goa
15. 26/01/08: Goa
16. 27/01/08: Goa
17. 28/01/08: Goa - Tranfer to Mumbai (night train) - sleep in Mumbai
18. 29/01/08: Mumbai
    
19. 30/01/08: Mumbai
20. 31/01/08: Mumbai
21. 01/02/08: Mumbai - At night: to Airport
22. 02/02/08: 05:35: leave for Brussels.

Off course some changes might still happen to this program.
Later on i'll write some more about the places we will visit.

byebye

Elise