Sunday 31 December 2006
Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel
Saturday 30 December 2006
Blogging away with 007!
Chittorgarh
The antiquity of Chittorgarh is difficult to trace, but it's believed that Bhim the legendary figure of the Mahabharata, visited this place to learn the secrets of immortality and became the disciple of a sage, but his impatience to perform all the rites deprived him of his goal, and out of sheer anger he stamped on the ground creating a water reservoir, this reservoir is called as BhimLat.
The fort, a standing sentinel to the courage and valour of Chittorgarh, it stands tall over a 180 meter high hillock covering a massive area of 700 acres. The fort is believed to have been built by the Maurya rulers in 7th century A.D. The fort is a treasure house of history and historical monuments, the approach to the fort is very difficult. the one mile steep serpentine thoroughfare is exhaustive and the fort is reached through huge seven pols or gates, which are in fact the strong points having a watch tower and massive iron spiked doors. it was ravaged thrice, and each time phoenix-like it rose again. Allaudin Khilji was the first who invaded Chittorgarh in 1303, legend and history corroborate that this was because of his passionate desire to abduct Rani Padmini. .But she preferred death to dishonour, and committed Jauhar along with the other ladies of the court.
Chittorgarh was plundered again in 1535 by Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujrat and finally by the Moghul Emperor Akbar, in 1567, in and attempt to subdue Maharana Udai Singh.
The fort is approached through massive pols or gates.
Near Bhairon Pol, is a cenotaph or "Chattri" in honour of the chivalrous Jaimal and his cousin Kala, who laid down their lives whilst defending Chittorgarh against the Mughals. Jaimal who was carried seriously wounded, but was not ready to die in his bed, thus he was carried into battle on the shoulders of his cousin Kala, both of them died while showing exemplary courage.
A bit of a facade
The entrance to Hawa Mahal is from the City Palace side, through a stately door which opens into a spacious courtyard. The courtyard has a double storeyed building on three sides. There is a small archeological museum here. Only the eastern wing has three more storeys above, which are just a single room thick. The building, standing on a high podium, is a fifty-foot high thin shield, less than a foot in thickness, with small intimate chambers , which give this palace its unique facade.
Fatehpur Sikri
Friday 29 December 2006
Food for thought
The finest cuisine in India was derived from the Mughals and, along with European cooking, influenced the royal kitchens of India.But in Rajasthan the common man's kitchen remained untouched. Rajasthani cooking was influenced by the war -like lifestyle of its inhabitants and the availability of ingredients in this region.
Cooking here in Rajasthan has its own unique flavour and the simplest ingredients go into preparing most dishes. Scarcity of water and fresh green vegetables have had their impact on the cooking in the desert areas of Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Barmer. Instead of water the women prefer to use milk, buttermilk and clarified butter. Dried lentils and beans from indigenous plants are used liberally. Gram flour is a major ingredient and is used to make delicacies like 'khata', 'ghatta ki sabzi' and 'pakodi'. Bajra and corn, the staple grains, are used to make rotis, 'rabdi' and 'kheechdi'; and various chutneys are made from locally available spices like turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic.
Gram flour is a major ingredient here and is used to make some of the delicacies like Khata, Gatte Ki Sabzi and Pakodi. Powdered lentils are used for Mangodi and Papad. Bajra and corn are used all over the state for preparations of Rabdi, Khichdi and Rotis.
A soup of legumes, flavoured with red chilli peppers, yoghurt or milk and sometimes a vegetable such as Okra, Jackfruit, Eggplant, Mustard or Fenugreek leaf. The wealthy can afford to eat meat regularly, but many abstain for religious reasons.
City Palace
The architecture of the City Palace is a synthesis of Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The Complex comprises of many structures, courtyards, gardens and buildings. There are many splendid small palaces and halls in the complex, such as the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal and Badal Mahal. There is also a famous temple called the Shri Govind Temple and a museum inside, named the City Palace Museum.
As one enters the first courtyard, one comes across the Mubarak Mahal, which was built in the 19th century by Maharaja Madho Singh II. Here is a splendid gateway, which leads to the Diwan-I-Khas (Hall of Private audience). It is an open hall, where there are two silver vessels on display, which are in the Guinness book of World Records! One can also check out the Diwan-I-Aam (Hall of Public Audience).
As one moves on, one sees the Chandra Mahal, which many consider being the highlight of the whole tour of City Palace. It has a lot of paintings, mirror work on walls, and floral decorations that make the Moon Palace truly magnificent.
It is a seven-storied Palace, where each level has a distinct name. The lower two levels have the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, which has a large collection of 15th century weapons, carpets and rarities. There is also the Sukh Nivas or the 'Hall of Rest', which has the drawing and the dining area. On the fourth floor is the 'Shobha Nivas' or 'Hall of Beauty' which is decorated with mirrors all over and has gold leaf and mica decorations.
The fifth floor is the 'Chavi Nivas' or the 'Hall of Images' and the sixth floor is known for the beautiful view it offers of the surrounding area. The uppermost floor is called the 'Mukut Mahal' or the 'Crown building'. When one moves forward to Badal Mahal from the Chandra Mahal, one comes to the Govind devji temple, which is also quite like the others, a must-see.
Jaipur Blue
Jaipur Blue Pottery Art Centre
Near Jain Mandir
Amer Road
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If you dont believe me ask Senator Hilary and William Jefferson Clinton!
Wednesday 27 December 2006
Tuesday 26 December 2006
Akbar The Greatest
Exquisite surprise
Tres Tres Fort
To Mumtaz Mahal love Shah Jahan
What more is there to say: Simply Stunning!
When Mumtaz Mahal was still alive, she extracted four promises from the emperor: first, that he build the Taj; second, that he should marry again; third, that he be kind to their children; and fourth, that he visit the tomb on her death anniversary. He kept the first and second promises. Construction began in 1631 and was completed in 22 years. Twenty thousand people were deployed to work on it. The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. It was designed by the Iranian architect Ustad Isa and it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it.
The Taj rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace on which rests the famous dome flanked by four tapering minarets. Within the dome lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen. So exquisite is the workmanship that the Taj has been described as "having been designed by giants and finished by jewellers". The only asymmetrical object in the Taj is the casket of the emperor which was built beside the queen’s as an afterthought. The emperor was deposed by his son and imprisoned in the Great Red Fort for eight years but was buried in the Taj. During his imprisonment, he had a view of the Taj. (SEE NEXT POST TRES FORT)
As a tribute to a beautiful woman and as a monument for enduring love, the Taj reveals its subtleties when one visits it without being in a hurry. The rectangular base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different sides from which to view a beautiful woman. The main gate is like a veil to a woman’s face which should be lifted delicately, gently and without haste on the wedding night. In indian tradition the veil is lifted gently to reveal the beauty of the bride. As one stands inside the main gate of Taj, his eyes are directed to an arch which frames the Taj.
The dome is made of white marble, but the tomb is set against the plain across the river and it is this background that works its magic of colours that, through their reflection, change the view of the Taj. The colours change at different hours of the day and during different seasons. Like a jewel, the Taj sparkles in moonlight when the semi-precious stones inlaid into the white marble on the main mausoleum catch the glow of the moon. The Taj is pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, they say, depict the different moods of woman.
India's first mosque at Qutb Minar complex
Sunday 24 December 2006
Humayan's Tomb
On the bank of River Yamuna next to the shrine of the famous Sufi saint Nizam al-Din Awliya, this tomb is said to have been a precedent of later Mughal mausolea. The style of geometrically arranged garden, criss-crossed by numerous water channels, can also be seen in the Red Fort in Delhi and at the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Inside the Red Fort
The imperial private apartments lie behind the throne. The apartments consist of a row of pavilions that sits on a raised platform along the eastern edge of the fort, looking out onto the river Yamuna. The pavilions are connected by a continuous water channel, known as the Nahr-i-Behisht, or the Stream of Paradise, that runs through the center of each pavilion. The water is drawn from the river Yamuna, from a tower, the Shah Burj, at the northeastern corner of the fort. The palace is designed as an imitation of paradise as it is described in the Koran; a couplet repeatedly inscribed in the palace reads, "If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here". The planning of the palace is based on Islamic prototypes, but each pavilion reveals in its architectural elements the Hindu influences typical of Mughal building. The palace complex of the Red Fort is counted among the best examples of the Mughal style at its Shah Jahani peak.
The two southernmost pavilions of the palace are zenanas, or women's quarters: the Mumtaz Mahal (now a museum), and the larger, lavish Rang Mahal, which has been remarked for its gilded, decorated ceiling and marble pool, fed by the Nahr-i-Behisht. The third pavilion from the south, the Khas Mahal, contains the imperial chambers. These include a suite of bedrooms, prayer rooms, a veranda, and the Mussaman Burj, a tower built against the fortress walls, from which the emperor would show himself to the people in a daily ceremony. The next pavilion is the Diwan-i-Khas, the lavishly decorated hall of private audience, used for ministerial and court gatherings. This finest of the pavilions is ornamented with floral pietra dura patterns on the columns, with precious stones and gilding. A painted wooden ceiling has replaced the original one, of silver inlaid with gold.
The next pavilion contains the hammam, or baths, in the Turkish style, with Mughal ornamentation in marble and colored stones. To the west of the hammam is the Moti Masjid, the Pearl Mosque. This was a later addition, built in 1659 as a private mosque for Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan's successor. It is a small, three-domed mosque in carved white marble, with a three-arched screen which steps down to the courtyard.
To its north lies a large formal garden, the Hayat Bakhsh Bagh, or 'Life-Bestowing Garden', which is cut through by two bisecting channels of water. A pavilion stands at either end of the north-south channel, and a third, built in 1842 by the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, stands at the center of the pool where the two channels meet.
Jama Masjid
It's also known as 'Masjid-i-Jahanuma' or ‘Mosque commanding view of the world’. It was designed as Emperor Shahjahan's principal mosque. A sprawling esplanade separates it from the main road.
Situated in the ancient town of Old Delhi, this monument was built by five thousand artisans. This magnificent structure stands on the Bho Jhala, one of the two hills of the old Mughal capital city of Shahjahanabad. On the east, this monument faces the Lal Quila (Red Fort) and has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. It is constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. In the three domes white marble has been used extensively and they have been inlaid with stripes of black.
The structure was placed on a high platform so that its magnificent facade would be visible from all the adjoining areas. Broad flights of steps lead up to the imposing gateways in the north and the south. Wide staircases and arched gateways are the hallmark of this popular mosque. The main eastern entrance, probably used by the emperors, remains closed on weekdays. The main prayer hall on the west side is adorned by a series of high cusped arches, standing on 260 pillars which support about 15 marble domes at various elevations. Worshippers use this hall on most days but on Fridays and other holy days. The premises of the south minaret are 1076-sq-ft wide where 25,000 devotees at a time may sit together for namaaz (prayer).
It is said that Emperor Shahjahan built Jama Masjid at the cost of Rs 10 crore.