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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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....
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!!!!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!!
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.
The remarkable thing about the palaces of Rajasthan is they are so scientifically designed, it would be hard to believe that people in those days had such an in- depth understanding of the importance of utilizing the natural resources. Designers ensured that the palaces remained warm during the winters and cool during the summers. The building materials and the orientation of the structures ensured optimal utilization of the Sunshine and the natural breeze. The part of the palace used by the royals during summers and had the best circulation of natural breeze. The other portion, designed for better Sunshine, was more suited for winters! The photograph shows a window having honey-comb pattern carved out of marble.
There is a temple of Lord Krishna at the main entrance of the fort. It is believed that the idol of Lord Shree Krishna was made from the single block of black stone which was brought to Jaipur from Bengal. The block of stone was said to possess divine blessings and hence brought prosperity to the kingdom. You can see the ramp at the approach which facilitated the movement of elephants and horses. In the era of Maharajas elephants and horses were a very useful modes of transportation.
This is a captivating view of Jaipur city from the top of Nahargarh Fort. On the left you can see part of one of the nine domes. The photograph looks as though it was clicked from an airplane or a helicopter. What you see in this photograph is just a small part of the city....... the view of the city is spellbinding. In fact once you reach the top of the terrace there plenty of breeze and the air is absolutely free from pollution...... you wouldn't want to come down....
