It’s The Book Of My Days, It’s The Book Of My Life

A popular summer retreat, Mussourie is perched above the Doon valley at a height of 1920m.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get too many photos since the visibility was very bad.

Everest House was about 7 km. from our hotel. It was the home of Sir George Everest, the Surveyor-General who mapped Mount Everest, and one of Mussourie’s earliest residents. We actually trekked all the way up there. UP, yes, uphill. To the peak of one of the higher mountains. Can you imagine a fat lump like myself doing that? Took us a couple of hours, but it was worth it. The view was amazing, as and when visible between drifting clouds. Standing on the edge of the peak was scary — absolutely loved it! A perfect end to a wonderful trip!! Photos below: i) Sir George Everest’s house, ii) and iii) his survey point.

Fatehpur Sikri or ‘City of Victory’ is situated 35 km. from Agra. Sikri, a small village, was known in the times of Akbar because of a Sufi saint, Sheikh Salim Chishti, who lived there. Akbar, without heirs at that stage, decided to consult him. He predicted the birth of three sons, and shortly afterwards, one of the emperor’s wives gave birth to the first son, called Salim (aka Jehangir), out of gratitude to the saint. Below, entrance to Fatehpur Sikri.

Akbar was so happy with the predictions of Salim Chishti, he declared Sikri to be a place of good omens, and decided to live there permanently. The new city was built in record time and became the capital of the kingdom for 17 years, during which time it was populated by 200,000 people. Below, the mausoleum of Salim Chishti.

Situated on the banks of the Yamuna, Agra Fort was built by Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573. A deep moat, once filled with the water of the Yamuna, surrounds the fort.

Musamman Burj (in the fort)- This double storeyed octagonal tower has an unobstructed view of the Taj Mahal (on a clear day!). Unfortunately, when we were there, there was too much mist/fog. This was where Shah Jahan, imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb, spent the last eight years of his life. His body was taken by boat to the Taj Mahal and buried there.

Jami Masjid - This mosque was built by Shah Jahan’s favorite daughter, Jahanara, in 1648. The mosque’s sandstone and marble domes with their distinctive zigzag pattern dominate this section of the city. The eastern courtyard wing was demolished by the British in 1857.

Taj Mahal - One of the world’s most famous buildings, the Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, thought to have died from an infection after giving birth to her 14th child. The two photos below are i) the gateway to the Taj Mahal and ii) the Taj Mahal.

Mausoleum of Akbar - Located in Sikandra, about 5 km. from Agra. The emperor had commissioned his own tomb to be built while he was still alive. It was completed by his son Jehangir.

Junagarh is protected by a 986-m long sandstone wall with 37 bastions, a moat, and most effectively of all, the forbidding expanse of the Thar Desert.

Bikaner’s Junagarh is perhaps the best preserved and most ornately decorated of all the forts of Rajasthan. The fort has never been conquered, hence its excellent state of preservation.

Below, the Maharaja’s swing seat and bedroom.

The Maharani’s bedroom.

Lalgarh Palace - The imposing red sandstone palace, on the outskirts of the city was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh. Designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, it is a fine blend of oriental facade and occidental interior. A part of the palace has now been converted into a luxury hotel, and another part houses a museum.

Devikund Sagar - The cremation ground of the Bikaner Royal Family.

The Camel Breeding Farm in Bikaner breeds nearly half the camels found in India, including those for the Camel Regiment of the Indian Army.

The Horse Breeding Farm is next to the Camel Breeding Farm, but is not publicized as much. Wonder why… It was real fun visiting the place.

Photo below is ‘Tripolia Gate’, entrance to the Udaipur City Palace Museum. (’Tripolia’ meaning three arches.)

The next photo was taken just beyond Tripolia Gate, on the way to the entrance to the City Palace Museum.

This is the Durbar hall of the Fateh Prakash palace, part of the City Palace complex. It is now a luxury hotel. The largest chandelier weighs a tonne, and the other smaller ones 500 kgs. each. BTW, we had a cup of tea there!

Shambhu Nivas - part of the City Palace complex, it is now home to the maharana’s descendents, and is closed to the public. The rest of the complex has been converted into luxury hotels.

Udaipur Lake Palace, situated on Pichola lake was once a royal summer retreat. It is now a luxury hotel.

The James Bond movie ‘Octopussy’ was filmed here.

Took a boat ride around Lake Palace to Jag Mandir which is also situated on lake Pichola. This island palace provided refuge to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whilst he rebelled against his father. It is believed to have inspired many of his ideas for the Taj Mahal.

Carved stone elephants standing guard at the entrance to Jag Mandir.

Entrance to the lobby of Jag Mandir, yet another luxury hotel.

Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s only hill station and is set atop the highest peak of the Aravalli range. The focal point of Mount Abu town is Nakki Lake, ringed by colonial mansions dating back to the 19th century, and the summer palaces of the Rajput rulers. It is said that the lake was dug out by the nails (nakh) of the gods, thus the name Nakki.

Toad’s rock, below, overlooking Nakki lake. We actually climbed all the way up there….

The magnificent Mehrangarh or ‘Sun Fort’ is perched atop a 125-metre high hill and overlooks the rocky terrain. The impregnable fort is reached after a steep climb through seven imposing gates (the fourth is missing now). This is a view of Jodhpur city from the fort.

The bastioned walls, parts of which are hewn out of the rock itself are in places 24-m thick and 40-m high. Perched on top of them are old cannons.

Mehrangarh’s forbidding ramparts are in stark contrast to the flamboyantly decorated palaces within. The royal apartments within Mehrangarh now form part of an outstanding museum.

The imposing golden hued fort is perched atop the 76 metre high Trikuta hill. The 99 bastions are in the form of half towers surrounded by high turrets and joined by thick walls. In medieval times, Jaisalmer’s entire population lived within the fort. Even now, thousands of people live here, making it India’s only living fort.

Example of sandstone carving…

Another example of sandstone carving. This one is at the entrance to one of Jaisalmer’s famous havelis.

These elegantly carved, latticed havelis are examples of the exquisite craftsmanship of Jaisalmer. Their stone facades are so finely carved, they could be made of lace.

This haveli belonged to Salim Singh Mohta, the tyrannical Prime Minister during the 18th century.

Below is a model of Jaisalmer fort on display at one of the museums.

A peaceful town of lakes and temples, Pushkar derives its name from pushpa (flower) and kar (hand) after a legend that claims that the lakes were created from the petals that fell from the hands of Lord Brahma.

The Pushkar cattle fair is celebrated during the Hindu month of Kartik (ten days after Diwali), and is one of Asia’s largest cattle fairs. It has emerged as a major tourist attraction of the region.

A festive, carnival atmosphere prevails during the fair’s two-week duration and the quiet little village is transformed into a colorful, bustling market.

Pushkar lake is considered to be on of the most sacred spots for Hindus. There are 52 bathing ghats around the lake. The water around each of them is said to possess special powers.

Devout Hindus make at least one pilgrimage to Pushkar and bathe at the holy ghats to wash away their sins, thereby earning themselves a place in heaven.

Dargah Sharif, the 13th century holy Muslim shrine is the most famous landmark of Ajmer. It is the final resting place of the great Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The Mughal Emperor Akbar walked barefoot all the way from Agra to Ajmer, a distance of 363 km as thanksgiving after the birth of his son, the future Emperor Jahangir.

The Dargah has a massive gate with silver doors, which were built by the Nizam of Hyderabad. The great gate, Buland Darwaza, leads to a second courtyard with the grave of the saint in a magnificient marble-domed chamber in the center. Other attractions in the shrine are two giant degs (cauldrons), originally donated by Emperors Akbar and Jehangir, but replaced in the 19th century. These are placed in the courtyard and the ritual rice is cooked in them. The smaller deg has a capacity of about 2240 kg. and the larger one 4480 kg.

The six day celebration of the Urs or death anniversary of the saint is the most important event of Ajmer. It is said that when the saint was 114 years old he locked himself in a room to pray. Six days later, when his disciples broke open the door, they found his mortal remains.

No pictures here unfortunately. It happened to be a Friday, and there was just too much of a crowd to get decent pictures.
West of Dargah Sharif is ‘Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhopra’ or ‘Two-and-a-Half-Day Hut’. It was originally a Sanskrit college, built in 1955 within a temple enclosure, and destroyed by Mohammed Ghauri in 1193. It is said that he ordered a mosque to be built on this site in two and a half days. Therefore, the remains of the surrounding temples were used. There is a massive 7-arched screen in front of the colonnaded hall. The numerous columns have different carvings and retain the Hindu stylistic elements. The screens and arches were added later in 1266.