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Forts & Palaces Extras
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Our India photo pages:- Delhi Forts & Palaces Ranthambhore Taj Mahal Temples & Mosques Hotels and Travelling
Everything is so photogenic in the Udaipur Palace. Each Maharajah tried to outdo his predecessors in the splendid decorations of their additions.
Many of the rooms were very colourfully decorated. Yes, that's us in the mirror.
A clash of decorative styles - Mughal & European. I am not sure which one won out in this room.
Toilet. One Maharajah had special needs ......
There are extensive views of Udaipur from the top of the Palace.
The 800 year old sandstone Fort is decaying majestically.
The main square inside Jaisalmer Fort.
The Havelis (mansions) are great to wander round.
Silly note: - my spell checker didn't recognise the word haveli & recommended as a substitute "hovel" -:)
Typical street scene in Jaisalmer Fort.
View over the city from the battlements of the Meherangarh. You can see why it is called the Blue City.
The Citadel has some sumptuous state rooms. This one was pretty grand.....
... but then so was this one & so many others.
A Howdah (elephant seat). I thought it odd to have the image of a lion on the side, when there aren't any in India. However, I was told there used to be, but the Maharajas hunted them all to extinction.
This fort was on top of a particularly high hill, so there was nothing for it but to go up in style....
.....Maharajah style!
There are recent restrictions on the number of tourist rides up to the fort to stop ill-treatment of the elephants. There are 100 elephants and each one can only do three trips a day. We were the third last to go that day. There wouldn't have been a problem, but we noticed various people queue-jumping. On complaining, we were told that they were VIPs in the Bollywood business; in other words they simply bribed their way in - perfectly common - apparently, they take after politicians. (Legal disclaimer - I obviously didn't mean that about politicians - did I?)
At the heart of the Palace complex is the seven-tiered Chandra Mahal where the royal family is still in residence.
Ann is standing next to one of a pair of enormous sterling-silver vessels, the largest in the world. They were made for a Maharajah so that he could take sufficient water from the Ganges with him when he visited England in 1902 for Edward VII's coronation.
Jai Singh began construction of this observatory early in the 18th Century after sending scholars round the world. Each of the constructions has a specific astronomical purpose. I was standing on top of what must be one of the world's largest sundials to take this photo.
Such a sad story associated with this view. This photo was taken from the part of the fort where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son, Aurangzeb in 1658. Thus Shah Jahan could only see from a distance the magnificence of the Taj Mahal.
Our India photo pages:- Delhi Forts & Palaces Ranthambhore Taj Mahal Temples & Mosques Hotels and Travelling |
