Jaipur

Just before Jaipur is the ancient Amber fort. Long walls reach out on the surrounding ridges, making the second largest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. The steep climb to the entrance to the fort is done on elephants. Apparently the government has put a stop to the use of animals in tourist destinations, so these elephants will be the last, and they will retire in 2010.

In Jaipur (state of Rajasthan) is the City Palace, a blend of traditional and Mughal architecture, originally built by Maharajah Jai Singh 11. The palace complex occupies one seventh of the old walled city. The Jantar Nantar is a collection of massive astronomical instruments built of local stone and marble. Each instrument carries an astronomical scale marked on the marble lining, and bronze tablets for calculations. They were built to assist in coordinating the Hindu calendar (based on the sun) with the Muslim calendar based on the moon. Adjoining this palace is the Hawa Mahai (Palace of the Winds) known as the pink palace. Built in 17 99 by Maharajah Sawai Pratrap Singh, it overlooks the main streets. The name probbaly translates better as Palace of the breezes. The ladies of the court would sit in the screened windows and watch the streets below.
In Jaipur we visited a block printing factory. The British destroyed the industry but a young woman who specialised in Indian culture found examples of the prints in the British Museum, had blocks made and revived the industry. The prints are amazingly complex and done by hand on cotton, silk etc. For those who love fabric, I bought a few samples which I will include in our sales table when we come home.