Saturday 11 December 2010

Rajasthan (5) – Jaipur (more)

Hawa Mahal 7
Hawa Mahal 2The Hawa Mahal, Palace of Winds, is an ultra slim , tapering 5 storey building that is only one room wide. It was  built in around 1800 to enable court woman in purdah to watch street activities. Yes, purdah, usually thought of only in the context of Muslim society was also found in Hindu society, a number of the Palaces we visited had audio MP3 tours which included old Maharanis talking about going into purdah upon marriage to the Maharajah.
 Hawa Mahal  4Hawa Mahal 6
Hawa Mahal 1Hawa Mahal 3  Hawa Mahal 5  
PB260913The fort and palace at Amber command the strategic high ground and so the views are good. PB260805
It was interesting to see Great Walls straddling the surrounding hills, huge gated entrances big enough to take an elephant. Today elephants are not used for warring purposes but as tourist rides for those unable or unwilling to make the steep climb, or just for fun.
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