The great thing about sightseeing without the kids is that I actually get to see the sights! We took occasional breaks from the literature festival to see a few things around Jaipur, including the beautiful City Palace (and here and here).
City Palace is the seat of the former maharaja of Jaipur, and the royal family continues to live in a private section of the palace. I love the arches, doorways, and colorful inlay and painting.
This tiny car made me think of Samuel, who would have jumped the rope in two seconds to get behind that wheel.
In the carriage house ...
Gorgeous detail on one of the doors ...
The royal family lives in the Chandra Mahal, and the maharaja's flag flies whenever he's in residence.
The open hall of private audience, or Diwan-i-Khas, gets a lot of pigeon traffic ...
What to do with all those old guns you have lying around the house ...
One of the entrance gates, with cannons and guard ...
This is the famous Peacock Gate, in one of the inner courtyards. The courtyard has four gates, each representing a season and a god. This one represents autumn and Vishnu, whose vehicle is the peacock.
Here's a detail from the Lotus Gate, which represents Shiva-Parvati and summer ...
Shiva trident atop the Chandra Mahal ...
No cameras allowed in the old throne room, armory or textile museum, so you'll just have to get there yourself someday. The best thing about the armory (aside from all the horrible instruments with which one can kill or be killed) is the amazing ceiling, which is painted and embossed in beautiful patterns.
Indian art, whether as architecture, handicraft or textile, has layer upon layer of detail. Here's a last photo from the palace that shows what I mean: carved screens or marble or wood, arch after arch ... lovely.
City Palace is the seat of the former maharaja of Jaipur, and the royal family continues to live in a private section of the palace. I love the arches, doorways, and colorful inlay and painting.
This tiny car made me think of Samuel, who would have jumped the rope in two seconds to get behind that wheel.
In the carriage house ...
Gorgeous detail on one of the doors ...
The royal family lives in the Chandra Mahal, and the maharaja's flag flies whenever he's in residence.
The open hall of private audience, or Diwan-i-Khas, gets a lot of pigeon traffic ...
What to do with all those old guns you have lying around the house ...
One of the entrance gates, with cannons and guard ...
This is the famous Peacock Gate, in one of the inner courtyards. The courtyard has four gates, each representing a season and a god. This one represents autumn and Vishnu, whose vehicle is the peacock.
Here's a detail from the Lotus Gate, which represents Shiva-Parvati and summer ...
Shiva trident atop the Chandra Mahal ...
No cameras allowed in the old throne room, armory or textile museum, so you'll just have to get there yourself someday. The best thing about the armory (aside from all the horrible instruments with which one can kill or be killed) is the amazing ceiling, which is painted and embossed in beautiful patterns.
Indian art, whether as architecture, handicraft or textile, has layer upon layer of detail. Here's a last photo from the palace that shows what I mean: carved screens or marble or wood, arch after arch ... lovely.
Lovely. There are so many things I like in this post. All that cream and orange! The arched doorway at the beginning of this post is just amazing, and the last picture reminds me of a wedding cake. The peacocks are stunning. Thanks for taking so many pictures!
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