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. 

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.

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!

Amber palace, Jaipur: Tourist Hot Spot

The fine work of stone which can be seen in this photograph looks like a painting. The invaluable work of fine art can be seen at Amber palace. There is so much to see and appreciate that you would want to spend the whole day roaming around the palace. It has beautiful stone carving, extraordinary mirror work and many things that are beyond imagination!

Jaigarh Fort Jaipur: Tourist attraction

As you enter there is a huge courtyard inside the massive boundary walls of the Amber Palace. The palaces used to have more than one gates for security reasons. Inside the courtyard you will come across  one more gate which is beautifully built using red stone and marble and has splendid sculpture and carving! You will find plenty of fine marble carvings on the structure of the gate. A close-up view (in the next post) will give you a better look at the carvings!

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur: Main Entrance

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. 

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur:

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....

Nahargarh Fort: Palace

In this post you can see two photographs taken on the top of the terrace. In the first photograph  (immediately below) you can see at least four domes. Each of the domes represents one of the nine dwelling units of the nine queens. The photograph at the bottom shows you the overall view of the terrace, clicked from a different angle.

Nahargarh Fort: The queens' domain

The story of the Maharajah's nine wives has been told to you, in the preceding posts. In this post you will be able to see the pictures of the independent dwelling-Unit (similar to an apartment) of each queen. These units have many rooms, the main room is that of the queen, with some additional rooms for her maids. There is a kitchen in each of the nine units which was meant for the queen and her maids. Male servants did not have access to the queens' dwellings. 

The photograph clicked from the top of the terrace shows one such dwelling (apartment) of one of the queens. What you see in the photograph is the courtyard of one of the queens.....domain. All the nine dwelling were separated by walls, the idea was to discourage the queens from transgressing into one another's territory. 

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur: The terrace of the palace.

The photograph posted below is that of the terrace. You can see the beautiful architecture, there is a inverse-boat shaped dome in the background. In the foreground too the architectural beauty can be sen. The pillars are artistic and behind the pillars the structure is well designed and constructed. Just imagine this building is almost 300 years old but it looks strong enough to last another 200 years. This goes to show that how good the design is and how well the structure has been constructed!

Nahargarh Fort: stairs to Terrace

The ground floor of the palaces houses the dwellings of the Maharana and his queens. The Maharana had nine queens and in order to maintain peace and harmony he got nine separate dwelling spaces, one for each of his queen. All the nine dwelling spaces of the queens were identical so ensuring there was no heart burning. We will take a look at these dwelling spaces from the terrace. We will take the stairs to go upstairs. All the photographs have been brought exclusively to you via this blog. Take a look at the photograph you can see a staircase opening into the terrace. Take a closer look at the side-walls.... the plaster is glittering which is an example of the excellent knowledge of the designers about the building materials  and also the skill of the artisans. The shine on the plastered surface is remarkable.

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur. Interiors

Nahargarh fort is located at a height of approximately  700 feet, it is a 15 -17 kM drive from the city of jaipur. This fort is one of the must visit locations of not only Jaipur but also the whole of Rajasthan. If you are really interested in finding out about ancient India and its glory you must visit Rajasthan. The photograph posted below shows the inside of the palace, you can see there a fireplace, captured in the photograph. There are a number of racks on the walls. The painting on the walls and the sides of fireplace tells you about the love for art which was prevalent in that era. The colors used in the paintings are all natural organic colors. Even though there is some wear and tear still the walls and the pillars look beautiful!

 

Nahargarh Fort: The palace

Nahargarh Fort was built by Maharana Sawai Jai Singh II mainly in the year 1734. The fort is located on Aravalli Mountain range. This fort along with Jaigarh fort, built later, formed the formidable defense system for the city of Jaipur. This fort was built almost 100 years before the Jaigarh fort. The fort doesn't have the grandeur of Amber fort but is strong enough to match the strength of Jaigarh fort. The building materials used are comparatively primitive. The photograph posted below shows the courtyard of the palace, as you enter you will be somewhere around this location. The walls are made of bricks and lime. In those days there was no cement, people used lime and powdered bricks to make a paste to joint the bricks. Look at the geometry..... there hardly any flaw. Even after 300 years the building stands tall on the top of the Hills. 

Nahargarh -Fort; Jaipur Rajasthan

The visit to Nahargarh Fort starts with paying penance to the deities at the temple outside the palace.  In the photograph posted below you can see  two idols made from white marble.  The sculpture is spectacular with a lot of finery as well. There are smaller figures sculpted by the side of each idol. The temple is approximately 300 years old.

The Garden in the Lake: Lake Garden at Amber Fort.

The Maha-Rajas of Rajasthan were great patrons of Art and culture. The palaces of Rajasthan stand proof to their love for Art and culture. They lived in palaces having excellent interiors. They laid equal emphasis on the exteriors and also loved gardens and flowers. In the photograph you can see a garden with lawn having nice design and pattern. This garden has water all around it and was used by the Maha-Rajas and their Maha-Ranis for an afternoon stroll. 

If you happen to visit Rajasthan you will find that the colors used by natives of Rajasthan are also very bright and fascinating. The people of Rajasthan are very warmhearted, hospitable and simple!

Amber Palace: Mirror Artwork

In the last but one post, you have seen the photograph of the exquisite decoration on the walls of Amber fort. The ceiling above the walls is equally well decorated with the finest of work of Art. In this photograph,you can see, there is a lot of mirror work on the ceiling. You will appreciate this must have had a great light-effect during the evenings, when the Maha-Rajas used to relax with some dance and music performance. A single lamp used to produce the effect of hundreds of lamps, courtesy the mirror work.  Marvelous thinking and beautiful art. Even during the day you can see your images in these mirrors, all around you.  

Even these days, the real beauty of the mirror work can be seen in the evening, if the electrical lights are switched off and a candle is lit, it would seem as if hundreds  of candles are glowing!  

Nahargarh Fort: Wall paintings

This is a painting at Nahargarh Fort. Here you can see how these invaluable pieces of work can get damaged and destroyed due to negligence and poor upkeep. The paining posted below is one such example! There is a story in this painting, that of Lord Krishna with his beloved friends!

  

Amber Palace: Mirror & Marble Art

The walls of palace inside Amber-Fort has one of the best Art-Work. The walls are covered with marble stone which is very tastefully decorated using all sorts of materials..... ranging from precious stones to silver to gold to brass and glass, the mirror work too has been used to a great effect. 

The photograph shows the decorated walls of the palace, you can see there is excellent work of decoration with the finest of art-work each and every inch of the walls has been paid attention. Just think of the skill and patience of the artists, it must have been one of the best the world has seen!