Jaipur

 For the final leg of our India journey we are in the north western state of Rajasthan, quite literally the land of Kings (Raja:king, sthan:land). Within Rajasthan we will visit Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. All 3 locations were once independent city states or kingdoms, and each of these cities has a grand royal palace to explore.

We started off in Jaipur, the pink city. In 1876 in honor of the arrival of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert the city was painted pink, the traditional Indian color of hospitality. Apparently Albert was tickled pink since much of the old city still retains its now famous hue.

Also of note, the 2011 British comedy/drama film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was filmed in Jaipur. The film follows a group of British retirees who move to Jaipur to stretch their fixed budgets and add a bit of spice to their golden years, with mixed results. This is a sweet film which we both recommend and intend to watch again looking for now familiar locations.

The Hawa Mahal (wind palace) was designed with carved latticework windows which would allow royal ladies to observe everyday street life or special events without being seen.

Welcome to the royal Palace. These guards, just like the characters at Disney World,
will gladly pose for photos with you…..tip please!

These 2 large silver vessels were commissioned by the Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II to carry water for the Maharaja during his 1902 trip to England for the coronation of Edward VII. These containers, the Gangajali, each with a capacity of 400 gallons, carried water from the Ganges. The Maharaja would only bathe in and would only drink water from the sacred river.

Typical tourists!