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.All Trips / Asia / India
Jantar Mantar — A Visit to the Royal Observatory of Jaipur
Jantar Mantar is a walled astronomical observation compound which adjoins the Royal Palace of Jaipur. It’s home to a collection of astronomical instruments — many massive — and was built in the eighteenth century by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh. The site was completed in 1734 and is an interesting hybrid of masonry, brass and science. Although it was abandoned in the 19th century and fell into disrepair, the site has been restored and is well preserved (the best in India). It is notable for being home to the world’s largest stone sundial, but I found all the instruments to be interesting.
Even a non-sophisticated or lay astronomer can have a sense of wonder at complexity of the instrumentation, and …
.All Trips / Asia / India
Some Faces from India
The people of India are as varied as those of any other land. Most are Hindu, some Muslim, some Christian. Some tall, some short, some thin — you get the idea. It’s true most have darkly pigmented skin, but the facial structure and especially its ornamentation were fascinating to me.
Here’s a sample of what I encountered during my visit….
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, then right arrow to advance the slideshow)
Tagged Faces
.All Trips / Asia / India
Some Doors of India
India is a fascinating destination with an amazing assortment of places and experiences in which you can indulge yourself during your visit. The country is large, but it’s often the attention to smaller details that interests me most. As many of you know, I like to keep an eye on signs and doors when I travel.
I’ve never been to a place that had a greater diversity of doors than India — ranging from monstrous elaborate affairs protecting the entry to a castle, to simple doors in small homes. I believe the largest doors I’ve ever seen in my life were on some of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in India.
Here then are a look at some of the doors of …
Tagged doors
.All Trips / Asia / Car Culture / India
Vintage & Classic Royal Car Collection, Udaipur
Lovely Udaipur, the City of Lakes, is said to be one of the romantic destinations in the world. The city has long been under the rule of a royal family, the House of Mewar, the world’s longest serving dynasty. Visiting the City Palace, historic home of the family (and where they still live) is a highlight of a visit to Udaipur. If, like me, you enjoy classic cars, a chance to see the Royal car collection is an opportunity not to be missed.
After finishing with our visit to and lunch at the City Palace, several of us headed to the Vintage and Classic Car Collection which opened to the public in 2000. All the vehicles on display — just under two dozen …
Tagged cars, Rolls Royce, Udaipur
“Pic of the Week”, February 3, 2017: Raj Ghat, India
There is little question that Mahatma Gandhi is the father of modern India. We’ve previously looked at the home — the old Birla house — in which Gandhi lived the last months of his life; it was on the grounds of this home that he was assassinated. Today we visit another important site in Gandhi’s life, Raj Ghat. This post takes the story a step further, discussing what happened to Mahatma Gandhi’s remains after he was killed.
Gandhi’s body was washed and wrapped in fresh white cloth. He lay at the old Birla House for a less than a day, surrounded and covered by flower petals in the Hindi manner. From here, a massive procession moved Gandhi’s body to …
Feb 4, 2017
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.All Trips / Asia / India
Gandhi Smriti, New Delhi
Gandhi Smriti is situated in the old Birla House, a neoclassical mansion with spacious grounds located in an upscale neighborhood of New Delhi. It was one of my favorite stops in Delhi.
Gandhi Smriti is a sacred place. It is here that the father of India, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated in 1948. Gandhi had wanted to live in the Delhi slums with his people, but was talked into staying at this home as many foreign dignitaries would be visiting him and it seemed a more appropriate environment for entertaining VIPs than the slums. Despite living in a lavish home, Gandhi maintained his simple lifestyle in a small corner of one room. He lived here from 9 September 1947 until three point …
Tagged Birla House, Delhi, Gandhi
.All Trips / Asia / India
Ox-Drawn Water Wheel, Rajasthan
While traveling across rural Rajasthan, en route from Jaipur to Udaipur, our guide stopped the bus beside a farm. The point of the stop was for us to see how a water wheel is still used in agriculture. There was a large metallic mechanism beside the road apparently connected to a water wheel; after a chat with the farmer, a pair of oxen were attached to the steel bar and we were shown how the water wheel worked.
This type of water wheel is called a sakia, or Persian wheel (although it likely was invented in India around 300 BC). The device is designed to lift water from a well using buckets or scoops connected to an endless belt activated by …
Tagged oxen, rajasthan, water wheel
.All Trips / Asia / India
The Beautiful Lodi Garden, Delhi
In a crowded, congested city of 17 million, green spaces are very important and much appreciated by the residents. The lovely Lodi Garden in New Delhi, India, offers lots of free space for people to enjoy. Here you have a chance to walk, jog, do yoga, have a picnic and play. We arrived fairly early on a drizzly morning and the park was almost deserted. Of course a little rain never stopped me from exploring. The drizzle dried up within an hour and then the crowds started to arrive. But not before I got to see a nearly empty park with lovely palm-tree lined walks. My first impressions lingered — this was to be one of my favorite destinations …
Tagged bird-watching, Delhi, Lodi Garden, Park
