Gustasp and Jeroo Irani delve into the city of Jaipur to find treasures beyond the obvious
We weren’t debutante tourists in Jaipur but repeat visitors enthralled by an enchanting city. Over several visits, we had explored most of Jaipur’s awesome roster of attractions and realised that the city’s sights could give other great metros an inferiority complex. Throw in unforgettable cameos of proud locals in colourful turbans and handlebar moustaches; village belles in swirling skirts and chunky silver jewellery and proud camels squatting in the sand… Soon, Jaipur begins to resemble a stage set up with extravagant props.
But it’s all very real and we decided to re-visit some of its known architectural marvels and scoop out some of its hidden treasures as well. A quick stop at the 18th century Hawa Mahal or Palace of Wind wasn’t enough. Locals ushered us up narrow stairs, above a warren of shops opposite the monument, to get picture- postcard-perfect photographs of the palace. The pink, five-storey palace, honey-combed with over 150 latticed windows enabled ladies to watch unseen life and processions swirl on the broad street below. On a terrace across Hawa Mahal, perched precariously on a parapet, some selfie-struck tourists posed, pirouetted and pouted in front of cell phones held aloft to get the Hawa Mahal as a backdrop to their preening selves.
One of the country’s first planned cities, the origins of Jaipur go back to 1727 when Jai Singh II, Raja of Amer, traded his grand palace within the fortified walls of Amer Fort for an even more magnificent city, to be named after him. Jaipur was dubbed the Pink City in 1876 when Sawai Ram Singh I who had the city painted pink in honour of the visit of Prince of Wales’, who was later crowned King Edward VII. Ever since, and even today, the city has been getting a coat of fresh paint every once in a while.
To escape the traffic-clogged streets of the old city, we retreated for a while into the rambling City Palace, a maze of cool courtyards, gardens and palaces from different eras where royal memorabilia is on display. There we stumbled on a Craft Centre where visitors can view and buy goods directly from craftsmen and artists personally selected by a member of the royal family and asked to set up shop.
We sat next to an artist and watched his paintbrush glide over the paper. The crisp clean lines that danced across his canvas started to merge and a few moments later, he handed us his creation: a miniature painting of a fierce Rajput prince with a sword held aloft and ready to strike. The contrast between the menacing posture of the handsome young warrior in the painting and the gentle demeanour of the wrinkled old artist who created it was striking, and in many ways captured the spirit of Jaipur. For this is a city that is both artistic and imposing; a city of fantasy with modern contours.
As a break from Jaipur’s history-webbed monuments, we stopped at Channi Carpets and Textiles, a factory-cum showroom, one of the oldest in the city, where on an upper floor, hand-knotted carpets in wool, silk and a blend of silk and wool cascaded down walls or were rolled up against them. They were then strewn and unfurled on the floor for us to gawk at and perhaps buy. The carpets and rugs with Persian, Kashmiri, oriental and other designs glowed and shimmered and we realised how art and beauty are woven into the DNA of the city. In a ground floor atelier, artisans demonstrated the art of block printing with vegetable dyes and teak wood blocks. They even encouraged us to try our hand at it.
Shopping sprees can be addictive in a city where the past continues to burnish the present. We would take frequent breaks from tumultuous Jaipur, at the recently re-launched Ibis Jaipur Civil Lines hotel in the city centre. Functional, funky and the epitome of modern-day cool, the relaunched Ibis Jaipur Civil Lines offers guests the option to go green, peddle away and explore the city on their e bikes. A gaily painted auto rickshaw, minus the beeps so typical of the city, is an arresting art installation in the porch where guests love to click some mandatory selfies. When we felt overpowered by the city’s manifold charms, we would often relax in the vibrant lobby which flows seamlessly into the restaurant; pour over the inventive menu and admire the witty doodles by local artists on the walls and tables which cleverly evoke Jaipur life.
On our last evening, we headed for Amer Fort, the former capital. En route to the fort, we saw another enchanting marvel that Jaipur showcases so casually, typical of a city that suffers from an embarrassment of riches…We stopped to gaze at the recently restored Jal Mahal or water palace moored in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. A hidden gem, oft-overlooked by tourists on their way to the muscled Amer Fort, the Jal Mahal is a lake palace that exudes feminine charm and romance. It was once the playground of the maharajas in the 18th century when it resonated with the sounds of duck hunting parties, firework displays and elaborate music and dance festivals. In its heyday, the palace was strewn with silk pillows and glowing carpets, and the courtyard and corridors were shaded with rich awnings. Today, a forlorn beauty clings to it.
The 16th century Amer Fort is another eyeful and as the fading light of a post-sunset sky brushed its ramparts, we quickly explored its labyrinthine but stunning interior. Massive arched gates protect the outer courtyard which is dominated by the many arched Diwan-e-Aam or hall of public audience. The main palace complex is tucked away behind walls and archways alive with a mosaic of inlaid images. The magnificent Diwan-e-Khas or hall of private audience, elaborate gardens and courtyards, a hall of mirrors that recreates star-studded night skies, the private residential quarters of the king and his queens cooled by breeze blowing across channels of water and filigreed walls with delicate designs speak eloquently of a love for opulence...
And as the sky darkened, the Sound and Light show brought the past back to centre stage once again as in a dramatic play, the story of Amer Fort unfolded. Twenty-eight kings of the Kachwaha dynasty ruled from this impressive fort till the capital was moved to Jaipur. Local legends and folk music enhanced the delve-into-the-past experience while the stunning setting of the Amer Fort and Palace complex in the foreground and the Jaigarh Fort to the left, back-dropped by shadowy hills reverberated with the thunder of battle and galloping horses; the thrust and parry of swords, the cries of fallen soldiers, and of bereft princesses left grieving in their opulent citadels.
After the show, we headed to Sahu Restaurant in the old city to warm up. Sahu, famed for its hot milky tea served in an earthen kulhad, turned out be a hole-in-the-wall tea stall which was set up by the present owner’s grandfather and is now a popular “watering hole” for locals.
The sweet milky tea is slowly brewed on a coal fire with a dash of their secret masala. Anything between 1,500 to 2,000 cups a day are consumed as the stall is open from 5 am to 11 pm. Political heavyweights and even royalty have stopped by for a sip of the beverage, with which they wash down the sting of mirch vadas.
But it was at the over 50-year-old Rawat Mishtan Bhandar (a takeaway with a restaurant attached) that we found the flavours of Jaipur packaged into crisp mava, potato and onion kachoris; mirch vada, lassi, sweets and other delicacies. A magnet for locals and the Indian diaspora visiting Jaipur, we were told that the kachoris are carried all the way to the US and last for seven days when refrigerated.
Our voyage of discovery ended with a taste of city at Spice It, the edgy, modern restaurant at Ibis Jaipur Civil Lines, where we savoured timeless and succulent local specialties like Laal maas and Gatta curry for which Rajasthan is famed. We were aware that in this Land of Kings, we were biting into hefty chunks of history.
