November / December 2008
This website contains the 2nd part of my journey through India and describes the Indian state of Rajastan with Jaipur, Pushkar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodpur, Ranakpur and Udaipur.
The other websites about India are:
1. Northern India with Varanasi, New Delhi, Amritsar and the Taj Mahal
3. South India with Mumbai, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Wayanad, Kerala, Kollam and a summary of this India trip
Rajastan is the largest state in India in terms of area and consists mainly of the Thar Desert. Since it was difficult to travel through Rajastan by public transport, we decided to take a car with the driver Raj. In the beginning he took us to tourist stores, where he received a commission each time. After our protests and our promise that he would receive a tip at the end of the tour, we were very satisfied with him.
Our driver Raj with his Indian Ambassador car
Jaipur
Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajastan. It is also known as the Pink City because of the dominant color of its buildings.
Hawa Mahal or The Palace of the Winds
The most famous facade in the city. It has 953 windows and allowed the royal ladies to observe the daily life and the festivities in the street without being seen.
Jal Mahal
Jal Mahal means water palace. The palace is located in the middle of the Man Sagar lake in the city.
The Hall of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal) in the Samode Palace
Amer Fort
Amer Fort, 11 km from Jaipur, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main tourist attraction.
Galta Ji Monkey Temple
The Galta Ji Hindu temple complex located 10 km east of Jaipur is home to a rhesus macaque and a langur monkey colony. A spring feeds seven water basins in which believers can bathe away their sins.
Pushkar
Pushkar is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus and Sikhs and is located on the shore of Pushkar Lake, where there are many temples.
Bikaner
Bikaner was once the capital of the Principality of Bikaner.
Junagarh Fort
The fort is the most important sight in the city and consists of countless palaces, temples and pavilions, which give us an understanding of the magnificent lifestyle of the rulers of the time.
The Laxmi Niwas Palace
The Laxmi Niwas Palace is a former residential palace of the King of the former state of Bikaner and now a luxury hotel.
The billiard room of the hotel, whose walls are covered with 14 skins of adult tigers. At the beginning of the 20th century tiger hunts were still a common pastime of the Maharajas and the English colonial masters.
The courtyard of the palace
An impressive show for tourists.
Jaisalmer
Jaiselmer is a city in the middle of the Thar Desert and consists mostly of a huge fort built on a hill that rises out of the Thar Desert. A royal palace and several impressive Jain temples are located in the fort.
The city seen from the fort
In the fort
Over 500 years ago the followers of Jainism built seven wonderful temples in the city.
Jain Temples
Jaiselmer is an ideal starting point for a trip into the desert. We decided to do a desert tour with overnight stay.
Camel ride into the Thar desert
This village was our starting point.
Sunrise
It is cool in the morning.
A beetle track
Jodhpur
Jodhpur is the second largest city in Rajastan and contains many palaces, forts and temples.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
In the background is the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the residence of the former royal family of Jodhpur. With 347 rooms it is one of the largest private estates in the world. A part of the palace is now a hotel.
Street scene in Jodhpur
Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India and contains several palaces.
Impressive woodcarvings
The Mehrangarh Museum has one of the most impressive collections in India.
Who has sent a message? In 2008 still via SMS.
Ranakpur
Ranakpur is a village between Jodhpur and Udaipur, which is mainly known for its Jain marble temple, which is considered to be the most spectacular of all Jain temples. And indeed this vast temple is very impressive.
Ranakpur Jain Temple
Another small temple in the area
Udaipur
The City Palace
Impressive!
Jag Mandir Palace
Jag Mandir is a palace built on an island in Lake Pichola, which was used by the royal family as a summer and pleasure palace and is now a luxury hotel.
Lake Palace
The Lake Palace was a summer residence of the royal family, which was converted into a hotel. In the James Bond movie Octopussy the palace was the residence of the Octopussy character.
An employee of the Lake Palace
Our further journey south to Mumbai, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Wayanad, Kerala, Kollam and a summary of this India trip is described in the third part of this travel report.
This text is an automatic English translation from the German original by deepl.com