I can officially say I have quit my 9-5 job to travel! Work has just gotten too boring and most of the time I was just sitting around so I decided I might as well be traveling and seeing India. So as a luxury travel planner, I did what I do best and planned a trip to Jaipur! Roopa had been wanting to go to Jaipur to look at silver beads and also wanted to take Nomita as a birthday trip. I was also dying to see the palaces and sites in Jaipur. I had last been to Rajasthan in 2007 when I was just 7 years old. All I remember was riding the elephant at Amer fort and eating khichdi at some type of festival. So I would be seeing the city again but more comprehensively.
I was meeting Roopa and Nomita but for the most part we were all planning on doing our own thing so I hired a guide I had found through Eastern Travels - Shristi! I contacted her through Instagram and she seemed so cool so I was very excited. As soon as my flight landed at around 3pm I headed to the Air Bnb in Bani Park to drop my stuff and change before I went to the city to meet my guide.
I had no idea of what to expect from Jaipur. In my head a part of me expected to just see palaces everywhere but I realized it was also still India. When I arrived in the city center, the streets were bustling with tuk tuks everywhere and the streets were lined with little shops. The shops all were built in the iconic terra cotta style Jaipur is known for. Standing under the Tripolia gate was my guide Shristi and another person Delpreet who was also from the US and would be joining our tour.
Tripolia gate was the perfect location to start our tour as it was the heart of Jaipur. The gate was constructed in 1734 and throughout history has been used only for royal processions. Even now it is only used for royal members who wish to enter the city and it connects to the royal residence - city palace. Jaipur is known as the “Pink City '' and Shristi asked us to guess why and I casually said because the King was colorblind. That is apparently somewhat of the correct answer as when the King arrived he saw all of the terracotta monuments and proclaimed it as the “Pink City”. Therefore, since it was decreed by the King that it is the Pink City, the name has stuck.
Shristi was intent on giving us an offbeat experience so the first place she took us to was Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan. The site is not considered a cemetery since the royals were never buried so instead it is referred to as a memorial where the ashes were placed. This specific memorial was only for the kings as the queen's ashes were placed in a separate monument.
The Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan was stunning! It was crafted from pure marble in the Mughal style and I love all of the intricate details carved. Even better, since it is an offbeat site there were no people around and it was truly a break from the fast paced city. The area was quiet, shaded and had a twilight glow to it.
There were column arches with domes everywhere you looked! There was so much symmetry too. My favorite was how you could look through one arch to see many arches through it. The memorial was truly a work of art and I am so glad it was my first spot I visited!
There was a stairwell you could climb to get a bird’s eye view of the whole monument. You could see all of the domed structures, some with a golden hue and some pure white. It was spectacular! There were so many small scenes carved into each of the domes depicting different royal moments.
Right outside of the memorial there was a Hindu wedding happening. Everyone was bedecked in very brightly colored saris with their heads covered. I looked for the bride and found her in the middle wearing a bright red sari as the aunties circled her giving her blessings. The groom arrived shortly after on a large horse covered in fancy cloths. How I wished I could have been a part of the wedding!
The next place Shristi took us too was Govind Devji Temple. This temple is a part of the city palace and you can see the palace lit up behind it. There were tons of people all dressed up clapping their hands in anticipation of something. Apparently at this temple, they close the curtains so that you can only see the deity at certain timings and they make a whole show of it. We had arrived at the perfect time to see the curtains being opened and people clapped and cheered. Around the outskirts of the temple, women were lighting diyas and holding them in prayer. It was a very pretty sight to see.
As we were strolling away from the temple I caught sight of people eating massive papads and told Shristi I wanted one since I have become famous for my papad obsession. These rice papads were indeed massive and it is a common thing here around temples to serve them. Very yummy too!
You cannot come to Jaipur without seeing the Hawa Mahal. The Hawa Mahal is the icon of the pink city and has to be seen both during the day and at night when it is all lit up. Built on the edge of City Palace, the Hawa Mahal is a palace with 953 little windows that was built specifically so that the royal women who were not allowed to be seen in public would be able to watch processions pass by. The Hawa Mahal is built in the shape of a crown and it has no foundation as it was meant to just be a place royal women could watch from a safe distance. The way the Hawa Mahal is lit up at night allows you to see all of the colorful stained glass that frames the little green windows. It is said that in the wee hours of the night, there might be a green window open for the royal ghosts. The palace was built to provide freedom for women but ultimately it was a confinement for women to just observe the outside world. Many went mad and committed suicide behind the walls in a funeral pyre. The Hawa Mahal has a dark history compared to its present fame.
The last place Shristi took us to was Johari bazaar where they have the largest wedding shop. When I tell you my eyes fell off I mean it! We walked through rows and rows of lehenga shops all selling colorful outfits with an infinite amount of bling. I was absolutely in love with the place and could not get enough. I knew I had to come back here to buy a lehenga. They were all so beautiful and had such intricate embroidery. I especially loved the peacock embroidery. The wedding shop sold everything for weddings not just the lehengas. They had a whole section devoted to menswear, accessories, decorations, bangles and more. Anything you needed for a wedding, Johari bazaar had it!
I had such a fun and thrilling first day in Jaipur and could not wait to explore more!
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