Jaipur - Pink City

Travelled by train from Delhi to Jaipur.  Jaipur - capital of Rajasthan - one of India's most fascinating, historical and colourful states.  

Arrived at hotel Arya Niwas lunch and freshened up (great hotel).
Went to Amber Palace - huge palace on top of the mountain.  It was HOT out.  So  I bought an elephant parasol! 

Nothing like seeing an elephant walking down the street!

Amber Fort 

 Had a tour: the archway from the where the public was able to congregate to part of the palace for family only-  the fresco  in the doorway was all painted by using crushed/grounded precious gems and
gemstones - a ganesha on top of doorway

The hall of mirrors made for the wife- reflection of all good things. There were mirrors and when angled you couldn't see yourself but someone else could take a photo of you. At night they used to have torches or candles on the floors and since the glass and mirrors on the walls and ceilings was concave the light reflected off and it looked like twinkling lights. 
Built in about 1300s they even designed the walls to have air pass through them to create cool air. Sometimes putting clothes of perfume in small airways creating a sweet smell. 

Hall of Mirrors

They were also ahead of their time creating a water system but now I can't remember exactly what it was it went into the bar and pleasure room and made trickling sounds and then continued into the women's garden. 

Palace in the Lake

After the palaces we went to Ganesham Tetxile and Handicraft place and learned about block printing on textiles. Each stamp/block is carved by hand from teak wood. And they layer them between 2-7 blocks. They do all one block first and then the next and the next, etc. Each block can have a different colour dye. It takes 48-60 hours in the sun to dry which does change the colours. The dyes are made from natural plants, such as indigo, turmeric.

I ended up looking at bedspreads for like another hour. I bought one for mom and dad - I really hope they like it.

Then I bought 2 more bedspreads for me one white with blue and green elephants on it and red/yellow/blue one which has the maximum of 7 block print on it and is reversible.  I also bought 8 shirts!

coloured powder for Holi Festival

On route home (back to the hotel - as everyone else was at the jewelry place), someone arranged a taxi for me.  It was about 6:30pm the Eve of Holi Day. People were out on the streets near these huge straw bonfires, not yet lit, but many on the streets.
The taxi would go down the street and the bonfire structures were in the middle of the intersections so we had to reverse. Some people were walking around the unlit bonfires chanting and holding trays of offerings.  Women were dressed in red saris (red means happiness). 

As it was taking us longer to get through the crowded the streets it was also getting darker and so the people started burning the huge bonfires. We had had the windows opened in the taxi but then I asked to close them as men were running wildly down the road with long/tall seaths of bamboo/straw torches fully ablaze. Running by the cars - it was scary. Then we started passing these huge lit bonfires and with the windows up the heat was unbearable. It penetrating right through the car. There were tons of these huge bonfires, almost one on every corner. Supposedly on this night people go crazy and drink this potent alcohol (like bootleggers juice) and then all these bonfires, I was a little scared. 

 During the evening of the full moon, bonfires are lit in the streets.

These bonfires not only purify the air of evil spirits, but mark the story of Holika and Prahalad.