A Nederlof - India - Delhi, Rajasthan & the Taj

NEW DELHI

Stepwells

Throughout history, as the dry season intensifies, the waterways of India would dry up and shortages of water would occur. To combat this, huge stone stepwells were built as a way to provide a water source to civilian populations all year round. These stone stepwells were built in areas prone to water shortages and droughts, and were built to help store the large amount of water that fell during the monsoon season.

The stepwells, or baoli in Hindi, all follow a similar design. Constructed of stone, the stepwells all have a large reservoir at the bottom. This big pool is then surrounded by steep stepped walls that rise up on either one or all sides. During the wet season, the large pool at the bottom of the well fills with rainwater. When the rainy season stops and the dry season arrives, the collected water would be shaded by the surrounding walls and could then be used by the local population for both drinking and irrigation.

Ugrasen Ki Baoli - 14th CE

Humayun's Tomb Complex - Unesco World Heritage Site

"The mausoleum of the 2nd Mughal Emperor of India – Humayun - is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built in 1570. At the time of its construction, the tomb was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. Humayun’s Tomb itself is known as the “Dormitory of the Mughals” as 150 Mughal family members are now interred within.

Humayun died quite young as he slipped on a staircase of his palace, leaving behind a vast empire for his thirteen-year-old son Akbar, the Great. His first wife had just returned from Haj and as a memorial for him commissioned this grand tomb structure. "

Isa Khan tomb - 1550 CE

It was made for a courtier Isa Khan who was a part of Sher Shah Suri’s court and had fought against the Mughals. It was in fact the courtier himself who build this structure while he was still alive. Today, it is not just his final resting place but that of his entire family.

Arab Sarai Gate

Social influencer wannabees

Humayun's mausoleum

It's cleaning day for the waterways

Leaves & Debris are removed

Garden cleanup

There are 72 arches

Stairs to the upper level

Qutub Minar Complex - Unesco World Heritage Site

"This 72.5 m high minar is a symbol of the Delhi Sultanate. Built during the reign of Sultan Qutub-ud-din-Aibak in 1199 AD, He attempted to symbolize his victory over Delhi with the Qutub Minar. He managed to get only one storey made in Mehrauli in 1199 CE. It was his successor who continued the construction to include three more levels. Lightning destroyed the top floor of this construction in the 1360s. It was the then ruler of Delhi – Feroz Shah Tuahlaq who not only replaced that damaged floor but added one more on top of it."

It is believed that since Aibak was in a hurry to announce his glorious victory in India, he wanted to get the mosque built faster. His artisans therefore, got him around 450 odd pillars by destroying 27 Hindu and Jain temples.

The Indo-Islamic entrance to the Quwwat Ul Islam mosque

The gorgeous ceiling of the mosque

Quwwat ul Islam Mosque. The name means “Might of Islam”. The mosque was set up by Qutub Uddin Aibak in the 1190s. As I understand, this makes it one of the first few mosques in India. It is also, a very unique mosque for its architecture and designs have elements of Hindu and Jain religions within them.

The corbel arches in the Qutub Minar complex - they were part of the Mosque

The Iron Pillar - 500 CE

Asking strangers to pose with you is popular here - as in they asked me

The Iron Pillar - Easily the oldest monument in this area, the pillar dates back to 550 CE or earlier. The pillar has Sanskrit inscriptions that you can read even today. The total height of the pillar is 7.2 m of which around 93 cms is below the ground. The metals used in its construction have such a composition that 1500 years later it has almost no rust.

On the Road

Delhi Public Transit Station

The lovely attendant

RAJASTHAN

Jodhpur

Established by Rao Jodha of the Rathore Clan of Rajputs in 1459 AD, the erstwhile princely state of Jodhpur, earlier known as Marwar, today speaks volumes about the rich heritage and glorious past of India. The second-largest city of Rajasthan is overseen by the mighty Mehrangarh Fort. Since 1952 Raj Rajeshwar Saramad-i-Rajha-i-Hindustan Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Gaj Singhji Sahib Bahadur is the titular Maharaja of Jodhpur (Maharaja Gai Singh II).

Havelis

Why stay in a modern square box when you can stay in a heritage home! @tigerwalah offered me terrific options - each different, yet all interesting. Pal Haveli is centrally located close to the markets and clock-tower with the fortress looming in the background.

Mostly built more than a century ago by the Marwari community, havelis are mansions adorned with frescoes so exquisite that they’ve become a tourist attraction. The Marwari amassed great fortunes in cotton, indigo and opium trading. They then hired artists to decorate their huge homes to boast of their wealth.

Entry doors

My room is through the far doorway into the women's abode

Reception

Still a popular sport here

Polo Pony decor

The central courtyard

Afternoon tea served here daily

Traditional Rajasthani puppets

Rooftop Restaurant

A haveli is usually multistory, organized around two courtyards. Traditionally, the opulent outer courtyard is strictly reserved for meetings and trade while the inner courtyard is home to a large extended family.

The patio to the left of Pal Haveli’s entrance was a place to welcome the guests who visited the Haveli during festivals - now transformed into reception and courtyard. There was no concept of separate rooms for the guests; instead, each male guest was allotted a bed under the arch. All the guests would be up at sunrise and depart in an hour. The house help would remove the beds and viola! it's back in action ready for another round of guests.

Beautifully restored

Entry to the Women's Abode

The rooms here are dedicated to the women of the family - my room is inside this block. The Zenana courtyard used to host events like festivals, bhajans or songs sung in praise of Gods, religious ceremonies, pre-wedding rites and naming ceremonies. Musicians, singers and dancers performed here.

Indique, Rooftop restaurant

One reason this restaurant is popular

G&T - Yum

Mediterranean plate

Kingfisher & Papadums

Chicken fingers

Mehrangarh Fort

'Mehrangarh Fort stands a hundred feet in splendor on a perpendicular cliff, four hundred feet above the sky line of Jodhpur. Burnished red sand stone, imposing, invincible and yet with a strange haunting beauty that beckons . Much has been written about the Citadel of the Sun, for truly, it is one of the most impressive in all Rajasthan. So colossal are its proportions that Rudyard Kipling called it “ the work of giants”. Today, it is acknowledged as one of the best preserved fort in India.' ~Mehrangarh Museum Trust

Lord Ganesh

Restored carvings

Restoration underway

The first of five gates to enter

Deters elephants

The Fort and its palaces were built over period of 500 years following the foundation in the mid-15th century. As a result, the varied building styles of many different periods are represented, including the 20th century. Inside the fort are several courtyards, palaces, temples and museums all decorated ornately. Many windows have screens allowing women a breeze and a view without being seen.

There are many courtyards

Come on in

Moi

The silver howdah of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan (who built the Taj Mahal). The emperor, as a mark of special honour, presented this howdah to Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur with an elephant along with 100 horses, on 18th December 1657.

Howdah Gallery - This gallery displays fine examples of elephant seats from the museum collection.

The Sheesh Mahal - The Palace of Mirrors was once part of the private apartment of Maharaja Ajit Singh (r. 1707-1724). Painted gesso panels under the arches depict gods and goddesses. The wooden ceiling and the European glass chandelier suspended on it are later additions and were added in the 19th century. The original 18th century ceiling is displayed on the floor.

The Phool Mahal - The Palace of flowers is a magnificent 18th century chamber built by Maharaja Abhay Singh (1724-49) as a hall of private audience. The ceiling is gold filigree and mirror, and the walls were painted in the 19th century.

The bed-chamber of Maharaja Takhat Singh (1843-73) is decorated from ceiling to floor with paintings on a variety of subjects - even the ‘carpet’ on the floor is painted. Personally I was searching for the disco ball.

Traditional painting created with natural paints and using a squirrel tail hair brush-19th C

Painting Gallery - The current Maharajah supports and encourages traditional arts such as these with instruction, supplies, workspace, display space and financial earning opportunities.

The Jhanki Mahal now houses the cradles collection. Some of these cradles or swings (‘jhulas’) were used for infants, while others were intended for idols which were placed in these swings on festival days.

The wheel winds/unwinds to raise/lower things

Indian Palm Squirrel

The 'Blue City' historic district

View to the Jaswant Thada cenotaph

Jaswant Thada

The Jaswant Thada is a cenotaph built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father and serves as the cremation ground for the royal Rajput family of Marwar. The marble walls are thin enough to transmit sunlight.

Toorji Ka Jhalra Bavdi

Built in 1740 by Maharaja Abhay Singh, the 300 foot deep step well was constructed to provide the locals with a reliable source of fresh water. Submerged for over a century, recently the stepwell was painstakingly restored to its former glory by RAAS Hotels. It was drained and each stone cleaned individually. The well and water are clean - maintained by the Raas Hotel next door. The steps are steep, worn, and have no handrails = I’m not going down. You can always dive in if you like.

The brothers left and right, and their friend, ask for a photo which I drop to their phones

Boys dive from the platform and swim across

Fish here are sacred and may not be caught and consumed

The Blue City

In the city of Jodhpur, a sea of boxy indigo houses stretches for more than 10 kilometers along the walls of the historic walled old city. A blue pigment coating on a house used to indicate that a Brahmin—the priests of the Indian caste system—dwelled there, but over time the color became a badge of identity for non-Brahmins, too. The older traditional homes are still blue but many new builds are not.

Agra - Uttar Pradesh

The Taj Mahal - UNESCO World Heritage Site

"The Taj Mahal is considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture. Its recognised architectonic beauty has a rhythmic combination of solids and voids, concave and convex and light shadow; such as arches and domes further increases the aesthetic aspect. The colour combination of lush green scape reddish pathway and blue sky over it show cases the monument in ever changing tints and moods. The relief work in marble and inlay with precious and semi precious stones make it a monument apart.

The four free-standing minarets at the corners of the platform added a hitherto unknown dimension to the Mughal architecture. The four minarets provide not only a kind of spatial reference to the monument but also give a three dimensional effect to the edifice."

An iconic symbol of love - built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite third wife Mumtaz Mahal. It's a stunning memorial, built in 1632. The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.