Agra-Jaipur: By Train

Travelling to Jaipur from Agra is quite easy, you have many options available. There are as many as eight to ten train services between Agra and Jaipur. The intercity trains are most comfortable and time saving. The trains connecting Agra and Jaipur depart from either Agra Fort or Agra Cant. station. The easiest way to book a journey ticket for the Indian Railways is via internet, the most authentic portal for Online booking is -http://irctc.co.in

The two cities are well connected by road too. You can take a bus if you want to opt for an economical journey, otherwise hire a cab for comfort and convenience. The driving distance is approx. 250 Km, its four and half hour drive. 

Agra Fort Railway Station

I traveled by Shatabdi Express. The train has nice and spacious seats and there are huge glass windows which enable clear view of the outside which adds to the glamour of the train.

Shatabdi Express A/C Chair Car

The journey to Jaipur by Shatabdi Express starts from Agra Fort. I took Shatabdi Express, the inter city sperfast train from Agra Fort Railway station.  The train leaves Agra Fort at 6:00 PM, (IST) and reaches Jaipur 10:20 Pm. There is no Shatabdi Express service on Thursdays. 

Traveling from Agra to Jaipur, by train, is a beautiful experience. Depending upon the season, you can see lots of agricultural activity along the rail line. Because of the paucity of rains, at times, the belt which lies between Agra and Jaipur, is not very green but is doted with shrubs and thorny trees. In the picture below you can see the window of the train and the view outside it.   

Window view from Shatabdi Express

On the way to Jaipur, the first halt was at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. The next halt was at Gandhi Nagar which is one of the railway stations of Jaipur. Finally the train reached Jaipur Junction at 10:30 pm The journey by Shatabdi Express was by far the best experience for me. I have traveled this circuit so many times, but Shatabdi journey has been the  most comfortable one.

Strand Road: Calcutta..... now Kolkata!

Late afternoon phonograph of Stand Road, The Engineering Goods Hub of Eastern India. One of the biggest markets of Engineering goods which caters not only to  neighboring states but also neighboring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Bangla Desh etc.  The photograph shows a Hindu Temple in the midst of the buzzing  market hub. Since it had become quite dark the picture looks a little dull........ but the fact is that the locality where the temple is located doesn't remain dull till 10.00 PM local time! 

Picture of Stand Road Kolkata at late Afternoon 

Hoogly River: Kolkata, India

The photograph of a diesel powered Ferry-boat plying between business center of Calcutta (Kolkata) and Howrah Station. According to the latest data, Howrah station receives 10,00,000  footfalls per day on an average. The ferry service shown in the pic is a cheap and fast mode of transport between Howrah station and business center named Barabazar. You can see the famous Howrah Bridge in the background. 

Calcutta - Business Hub: Barrabazar Kolkata

There are wholesale markets and retail markets located side by side. Calcutta receives approximately 25,00,000 visitors per day. Many retailers from nearby states come to Calcutta for purchasing various goods such as :
Food products, clothing materials, engineering goods, spices, automobile and spares, plastic & rubber materials.... the list is unending. The main wholesale market is located around Mahatma Gandhi Road, Brabourne Road, Strand Road, Chitpur, Barrabazar etc. The phograph shows a portion of Mahatma Gandhi Road.

Mhatma Gandhi Road, Kokata

Calcutta - City of Joy: The busy streets of Calcutta!

One of the busiest market places of Asia, Calcutta caters to the markets of the neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangla Desh, Thailand etc., to name a few. The photograph posted below shows the market at Brabourne Road, Kolkata. 

Busy Streets of Kolkata

Calcutta -City of Joy: Multicultural Society!

The Existence of so many places of worship at Calcutta is a proof of it being a multicultural society. There are Temples, Churches, Mosques, Synagogues, Jain Mandirs, Budhdha Temples and many such features which bear proof of Calcutta being a city which has peaceful coexistence of so many ethnic groups. One more photograph of the Portuguese Cathedral, founded in 1797-99, has beautiful architecture.

Calcutta - City of Joy: Portuguese Cathedral!

Calcutta has a cosmopolitan society. People from all walks of life and of various religion coexist in Kolkata (Calcutta). There is a rare Portuguese Cathedral located on the Brabourne  Road, one of the busiest roads of  Calcutta. In the photograph, posted below, you can see a glimpse of the Cathedral. 

Calcutta - City of Joy: The Hoogly river!

The city of Calcutta lies n the banks of Hoogly river, one of the many names of the famous river the Ganges. The river falls in to the Indian Ocean at Sunderband. The photograph posted here shows the glitter og Hoogly at Sunset, you can see a ferry, diesel engine powered boat plying in the river.  

Calcutta - City of Joy: Famous Sweets shops!

Calcutta is famous for Bengali -Sweets mishty (in Bengali language), some of the sweets-shops are more than 150 years old. There are some other which came up later but established their name and minted money selling sweet meats. One of such sweets-shop is Tewari Brothers which is famous not only for the sweets but also for the Samosa (something similar to patties). These famous sweets-shops are so popular that tourists to Calcutta make it a point to visit these shops and indulge themselves in eating tasty Indian sweets and samosa.   
In the photograph, the building painted in rust is Tewari Sweets. 

Calcutta - City of Joy: Calcutta Trams!

The British deserve to be credited with a major contribution in development of Calcutta. Among many of their contribution Calcutta Tram was a huge boost to the development of the city in British era. No other city in India did benefit so much from the British Raaj, as Calcutta did. The photograph shows a Tram plying on the roads of Calcutta. Although the number of tram cars have drastically reduced due to their low speed but they still are a comfortable and safe mode of transport in Calcutta. The trams also add nostalgia to the streets of Calcutta...  

Calcutta - City of Joy: Sign of British era!

Calcutta was developed by the East India Company of Britain in 1690 almost 325 years ago. Thereafter, the company flourished and with it flourished Calcutta. The British dethroned the Moghuls and ruled India till 14th August 1947. During their era the British did plenty of construction work in Kolkata. There are hundreds of buildings in Calcutta which stand proof of their constructive contribution towards development of Calcutta. 
The photograph, clicked on the go, shows one such building close to Ram Mandir, Kolkata. The condition of the building looks good even today!

Calcutta - City of joy: Creative fruit vendors!

The Kolkata (Calcutta) street vendors, may not be literate but they can calculate the cost of the merchandise, they sell, faster than any of us. Before you take out your cell-phone to calculate they are finished with their calculations. They are extremely talented in displaying their goods and are a challenge to any visual merchandising pro. A smart example can be seen in the photograph ---- fine carving on a watermelon.

Calcutta - City of joy: laborious rickshaw pullers!

The rickshaw pullers of Kolkata (Calcutta) have no qualms about the work they do. If you happen to come to Kolkata, I visited yesterday itself, you will be astonished to see, even the people living on the streets are busy with their work with a cheerful mood. The street vendor to rickshaw pullers, all are busy with their jobs and know their jobs through and through. 
Posting a photograph of the busy streets of Kolkata, you can see a hand pulled rickshaw waiting at a crossing, looking at the signal with a keen eye .... on the blocks ready to go--- not wanting to waste even a second!

Calcutta - City of Joy: Affordable for all!

The hand-carts are believed to have originated from Japan in 1860. These human powered vehicle were popular in the Asian Countries e.g. Japan, China etc. and also some other regions of the world. In India, Calcutta in particular, these rickshaws made their  first appearance for public use in 1914. 
The hand-cart or the Tana-Rickshaw (in Bengali Language) of Kolkata are on the verge of extinction. The Govt. of West Bengal had decided to ban these rickshaws on humanitarian grounds in the year 2006, but following a lot of protest from rickshaw pullers, total ban wasn't imposed. Thereafter, there has been a decline in the number of rickshaws inrecent times.
These hand-carts have large wheels which come good when the streets of Kolkata (Calcutta) are flooded with rain water. The job of pulling these rickshaws may appear to be a very distressing to an onlooker but the rickshaw pullers have no complaints in doing the job, they do it almost effortlessly. As you can see in the photograph the rickshaw puller is relaxed and talking to the passanger while pulling a rickshaw. 

The City of Joy: Hand Cart - unique ride!

The Hand- Cart hand pulled by a man with the passengers sitting over the cart. It feels scary to ride the hand cart. There are only a handful of such carts plying the roads of Kolkata in limited areas. The Govt. has banned this ride since it is considered inhuman to allow a person to pull the cart with a full load of passengers. There was protest from the people who earn their livelihood by pulling the hand rickshaw, following which the moment the Govt. has permitted these hand cart in two three localities of Kolkata. 

The City of Joy: Images of Howrah Bridge

This is the photograph clicked exclusively for this blog this evening, the Sun was setting and the light had faded away a great deal. This picture shows almost the whole of Rabindra-Setu (howrah Bridge). On has to use a wide angle camera to capture the picture of the whole bridge and the photograph has to be taken from a point which is little farther. It is located on the world famous river Ganges, at this point the river is known as Hoogli . The Bridge is double cantilever structure as such has no pillars. The depth of Hoogli  around this point is so much that it is practically impossible to erect pillars. 

Calcutta -The City of Joy: Howrah Bridge

Historical Bridge - renamed Rabrindra Setu in June, 1965. The new name 'Rabindra-Setu' is after the great Bengali poet Sri Rabidranath Tagore. It was built during British Raj and also commissioned in the Year 1943 during the British Raaj. Rabindra Setu has been the Identity of Calcutta, which is known as Kolkata now. It connects Kolkata to Howrah, in the photograph you can see the Entry point to the bridge from Kolkata. 

Udaipur - the City of Lakes: Lake Pichola and the Sunset view of City Palce!

In the photograph, clicked exclusively for this blog, what you se here is the beautiful City Palace at the Sunset. The Arawalli mountain range in the background and the sky turning orange on the top of the mountain making the picture look like a painting. You can see the majestic City Palace in the foreground, the setting Sun has bathed the Royal Palace in shining orange color. There are very few parallels to this picturesque  view anywhere around the world. 

Udaipur Pichola Lake: Sunset view over Pichola Lake!

Pichola Lake, one of the major attractions of Udaipur is an artificial man-made, fresh water lake at Udaipur. The lake was made somewhere around 1332 AD and has been since been developed and nourished and maintained. It gets its name from the village Picholi. There are two two islands in the lake known as Jag-Niwas and Jag-Mandir. At present Jag-Niwas is known as Lake-palace and houses the famous luxurious Hotel Lake Palace. In the photograph you can see the Sunset view overlooking  lake  Pichola where Lake palace is in the midst of lake water.

Udaipur, Rajasthan: Palatial Hotels of Udiapur!

Some of the Hotels, not very expensive though, are built in the same pattern as palaces. I stayed at one such Hotel, the photograph posted below, just as an example. Should you wish to visit Udaipur, it will not cost you a lot of money. You can manage to stay at Udaipur and visit many places of tourist interest, around it, at a very affordable cost. There are, of course, highly luxurious Hotels such as Hotel Lake Palace. One can plan a trip to Rajasthan according to one's budget and still enjoy the best of facility and wonderful touring experience!

   

City Palace, Udaipur: The main Building!

The City Palace, Udaipur comprises Eleven Palaces, beautifully  built by the Sisodia Rajput Dynasty of Mewar. The construction style of the palaces is a blend of Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture. If you look at the photograph posted below you can see Domes, Towers and Arches which were used, to give the buildings a majestic look. The City Palace has such a wonderful assortment of courtyards, terraces, corridors, rooms, pavilions and hanging gardens that you would be left bewitched with the beauty of the surroundings! The building materials used include marble, granite and sandstone etc.

Udaipu r-City Palace: The largest Palcae complex of Rajasthan!

Built by: Maharana Udai Singh ji started building the palace in the year 1559 and the construction went on till the 18th century. It is a majestic palace. The palace is located right at the center of the city on the banks of Pichola lake. The city is a tourist hot-spot is a calm and quiet place. 

The entry point of the palace is from the Hathi Pol (Elephant gate). There is a Entry Ticket for going inside the palace. The palace has a beautiful museum too.... you will enjoy the visit since there are many artifacts and weapons dating 500 years back. 

City Palace, Jaipur: The decorated balcony!

The design and decoration of the balcony above the doors of the 'four-season doors' is consistent with the design of the doors, just under it.  The painting and architecture are unique Rajasthani style! These balconies were mainly used by the queens to witness the cultural shows that were organised within the premises. The queens, in the old era, remained behind the veil and were allowed to witness all public functions only from the balconies!

City Palace, Jaipur: A closer look at the decoration!

Let us take a closer look at the decoration of the four-season gates. This picture gives you a better view of the decoration, a hallmark of royal palaces. The doors are made of quality wood covered with brass sheets and are known as ornate Brass-Doors set in marble!

City Palace, Jaipur: Four seasons four decorated doors!

The open space shown in the photograph, is a part of the city palace premises, where the royals used to gather to interact with their people. There are four doors, exactly same in size but have decoration according to the four seasons.  The beautiful decoration in this picture is 'dancing peacock' design on the top portion of the door!

City Palace, Jaipur: The main Entrance to the Paalce!

In this photograph shows the main entrance to the palace, you can see many canons placed, a practice followed since centuries by Rajputana Kingdom. The 'No Entry' sign post indicates that only the royals, their guests and staff are allowed  to go in.  The other portion of the property is open to the public and there is an Entry-Ticket, to take care of the maintenance cost of the premises.  

City Palace Jaipur: The Main building of the palace!

The photograph showing the main building, you can see the Flag of the Maharaja of Jaipur hoisted atop the building! Whenever the Maharaja is in town the flag is hoisted to signal his presence in the town. This is an age-old tradition which is followed even to this date! 

 

City Palace, Jaipur: Majestic Gate - City Palace!

The photograph posted shows the majestic gate of the City Palace, Jaipur, which happens to be the tourist hot spot of Jaipur as well as India. The palace has a fabulous museum which has invaluable collection of Artifacts, Arms Ammunition, Royal wardrobe and art gallery. Photography inside the museum is strictly prohibited otherwise I could have posted so many beautiful photographs. I have seen the whole museum at a fast-forward speed, just enough to get acquainted with the Royal treasure-trove....

 

Puppet Dance: Puppet dace of Rajasthan

You must have heard of puppet dance of Rajasthan. In Hindi it is called "Kath-Putli ka naach". The photograph of the gypsies who go around the cities and towns of Rajasthan and can be spotted at tourist hot spots, is posted below. What you see here is a father and son duo ready with their "Kath-Putlis" playing music to attract audience. They have decorated the mini-stage with colorful pictures of the Hindu deities. If you happen to plan a trip to Rajasthan you will need at least three weeks to cover the entire colorful state! It will be an experience of a lifetime!! The most suitable period of the year to visit Rajasthan is November to March!!!!

 

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: Jai-Prakash Yantra!

In the previous post the Sun-Dial was shown, now I am psoting a photograph of a device known as "Jaiprakash Yantra" which was designed to determine in which Zodiac Sign the Sun was positioned at any given point of time. It is a wonderful device and a very interesting one too. In the photograph you can see a cylindrical structure with 12 pillars supporting a 'Ring' at the top. The shadow of this ring falling on a hemisphere inside the structure was used for reckoning the Zodiac.  

Jantar Mantar Jaipur: Improved Sun-Dial

Jantar-Mantar --- let's decode the name, the name is derived from the Hindi words Jantar which means instrument and Mantar which means calculation or a formula.   

The photograph posted shows the Sun-Dial, a device built to indicate local time during the daytime i.e. Sunrise to Sunset since the functioning of the instrument is based upon the shadow of a triangular Structure falling on the Sun-Dial. What you see in the photograph on the left is a staircase which is in fact a triangular structure (see the pic on the right) , the staircase is just to go up to the top of the device. The shadow of the triangular structure falls on the semicircular dial, which is used for calculating the local time at any given point during the day. The Sun-Dial is accurately graduated (has markings) to enable any observer to find out the time.  

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: The monument site.

The monument is housed in an open space enclosed by boundary walls and maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. The instruments installed at Jantar-Mantar were built by Maharaja Jai Singh II (1699-1943AD), the king of Jaipur. He was keenly interested in Astronomy and it was due to his extraordinary interest that Jantar Mantar came into being. The photograph posted below, exclusively for you, is an overview of the premises of the monument!

Jantar-Mantar Jaipur: An observatory of Old Era!

Janatar Mantar is an intriguing monument, unique in concept and built in an era when there were no machines to carryout accurate measurements or marking. There are fourteen unique astronomy-related-geometric devices (yantras) in the premises called Jantar Mantar. There are Sun-Dials Moon-Dials etc. etc. which will bewitch you, not easy to understand though. You better engage a guide if you are a serious tourist. Photograph showing the Entrance of Jantar-Mantar, Jaipur.

Jantar Mantar: The Wold Heritage site!

At the entrance of the monument there is a sign holder showing that 'Jantar-Mantar' has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site!  

Jantar Mantar at Jaipur was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 2010 because of the uniqueness of the concept used for determination of the local time and many more features. 

City Palace, Jaipur: Tourist Hot-Spot of Jaipur!

The photograph, brought exclusively to you, was clicked in the moth of June, 2013. What you see here is the picture of the majestic City Palace at Jaipur. The current Maharaja of Jaipur who is just 14 year old, stays here. This is just a glimpse of the City Palace. 

 

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: Very interesting site!

The picture shows the enclosure of Jantar-Mantar, at Jaipur, Rajasthan. There are many Structures and instruments, each having a unique function, installed at 'Jantar-Mantar' arena. There is a boundary wall which encloses the whole area consisting these structures and remains open till 5:00 PM only. You will need a tourist guide if you want to know about the instruments and their function.

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur: Old Era Observatory!

Janatar - Mantar is located at the heart of the city of Jaipur, Rajasthan, beside the City Palace! It is, in fact, a collection of a number of structures and instruments built by Sawai Jai Singh. The Maharaja had a great interest in Astronomy and had scholars who were experts in Astronomy and mathematics. He himself had a great deal of knowledge of the subject -- as a result he wanted to make use of his knowledge to understand the positioning of the various planets and stars. 

The two photographs posted below shows show the Sun-Dial built by Sawai Man Singh to find the time, based upon the shadow of a structure on the Sun-Dial. It functions during the day only and that too when there is Sunshine.

There is a staircase at the center with two Dials, one on the left and the other one on the right. The shadow of the Staircase falls on the 

1) Sun-Dial on the left, from Sunrise to noon.

2) Sun-Dial on the right, noon to Sunset. 

There are markings on the Sun-Dials which are counted, as per position of the shadow, to find the time at any given point. The accuracy of the measurement is within 1/2 (half) a min.

Jaigarh fort, Jaipur: Sunset at Amber Fort

This photograph was clicked in the month of June, 2013, as the Sun was setting behind the fort. The foreground shows the courtyard of Amber palace which has turned dusky. The most  interesting part of the picture is the 'outline' of the walls --- in the backdrop of the dull-shiny skyline.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur: Example of Fortification!

What you see in the photograph, posted exclusively for you, shows how cleverly the mountain range has been exploited to construct the  fort. There are many such forts in India, built by the Rajput rulers, most of these are in Rajasthan. 

The mountain rage was fortified using 'walls-and-stairs' construction to ward off any enemy attack. You can also see the watch-towers built at strategic points to keep a round the clock eye on any movement of aggression. These forts made the kingdoms difficult to conquer!

Jaigarh Fort Jaipur: Amber Palace courtyard - Canons at the Gate!

Here you can see the photograph of the Amber Palace courtyard and the Gate, two canons have been placed at the gate, as per the customary royal tradition! Some portion of the Aravalli Hills is also visible in the back-ground. With the sky also in the photograph -- a complete picture for you!

Jaigarh Fort: Amber Palace Court Yard

Photograph of Jaigarh -Fort from Amber! What  you see here is the photograph of the Fort --- clicked from Amber Palace courtyard --- Aravalli - Mountain Range in the back drop! 

Amber Fort at Jaipur: View of city from Jaigarh Fort

The road leading to Amber fort can be seen in this photograph. The view is panoramic and presents a picture of well planned town. There is a lake at the foot-hills which adds beauty of the location!!

Amber Palace: Tax collection center Amber Palace

A closer look at the (shelter-like) structures built for the general public. The royals cared for their people, which is evident from the photograph posted below. The structure is neatly designed and has marble flooring. Care has been taken to ensure that people who came to pay their taxes were comfortably seated under a covered space!!

Amber palace courtyard: Covered structure

Apart from the well planned palaces the Maharajas did have the pragmatic thinking of facilitating interaction with the general public. They had well planned Tax-Collection centers. People used to gather at these centers, there was a roof  above their heads and the structure had nice open space to ensure proper air circulation.