A north indian odyssey

Getting a slice of Indian life is easy with a quick hop over to Jaipur and Agra in the fascinating Rajasthan province, writes Georgia Lewis.

March 2008

India is one of those places that polarises travellers – some people become addicted to the contrast of hurly-burly and pockets of tranquility of this incredible nation and make countless return visits, while others visit once and vow to never go back again.

I’d always been intrigued by India but ended up becoming obsessed with South East Asia instead and as a result, I became fixated on places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos. But when the opportunity to travel to India came my way, I certainly wasn’t going to pass it up. The trip would take in Jaipur and Agra in north India’s Rajasthan province, which proved to be a great way to see two of the jewels in India’s crown, the amazing architecture of the so-called pink city of Jaipur as well as one of the world’s grandest gestures of love, the Taj Mahal.

Upon landing in Jaipur, the airport was predictable chaotic and the guy on the X-ray machine had a bit of trouble with his job description. His job was to X-ray bags, look at X-ray picture and issue us with a ticket if our bag was free of bombs and drugs. Unfortunately, he kept forgetting to give us the ticket and without the ticket, the security guard wouldn’t let us out of the airport. After my bag was X-rayed three times and much confusion ensued, I finally had my ticket out of the pigeon-infested airport and it was time to see the sights of the pink city.

The reason why the buildings of Jaipur are painted a distinctive shade of terracotta pink dates back to 1876 when the Prince of Wales of the era was visiting the city. The ruling Maharajah decided to spruce up the city with a lick of pink paint on many of the buildings. What the prince thought of this paint job is uncertain, but clearly the Maharajah liked it so much that he – and the city’s rulers ever since – decided to keep the city in the pink.

The Palace Of The Winds, also known as Hawa Mahal, is the finest example of the city’s pinkness. It has a stunning façade that overlooks the busy main street. In the days of the Raj, the most beautiful women of the court would spend their days in here. This kept them off the street and away from inappropriate men but they could still look out the window at what was going on below.

If Jaipur’s stunners were still cloistered in the Palace Of The Winds, they’d see rows of busy shops selling all manner of trinkets mainly aimed at tourists. I gave the freaky clown-like puppets a big miss along with camel leather flip-flops (I just don’t do flip-flops) but did get some stunning embroidered cushion covers for mum and all manner of silk clothing.

The City Palace, right in the heart of the city, is now home to a museum that harks back to a long-gone era. There are displays showing off the British influence over India, most notably with glass cases of retro polo gear. The opulent outfits of the Maharajahs are also on display including the gigantic robes of Mahrajah Sawi Madho Singh, the notoriously obese ruler who lived to eat, drink and be merry. Not surprisingly, he dropped dead at the age of 35.

ust outside of Jaipur is the Amber Fort which was used for centuries to keep rulers and their concubines safe. The fort is high atop a hill and the best way to get up there is by elephant. With their brightly painted faces, the great beasts gracefully lumber up the hill to get you to yet another architectural marvel. The handpainted murals, dizzying hall of mirrors and glorious rich red, cream and pale blue structures would have been a pleasant place to hang out while avoiding getting attacked.

When you get back to the bottom of the hill, you’ll be barely off your elephant before men appear to sell you paintings on bright fabric, each one about the size of a piece of A4 paper. They’re pretty cool, pretty cheap and well worth stocking up on as easy-to-take-home presents.

Taking a bus from Jaipur to Agra turned out to be a bone-jarring, nerve-wracking experience – a six-hour journey where we really saw the eccentricities of Indian driving and some burnt-out car carcasses along the way. Thankfully, the road has been improved since my visit – although if I’m ever traveling from Jaipur to Agra again, I think I’ll just jump on a plane for a fairly swift internal flight.
Agra itself is not exactly a city to fall in love with, which is kind of ironic seeing as it home to the Taj Mahal. The city itself is dirty, noisy and full of unremarkable architecture. But as home to the Taj Mahal, Agra gets around 400,000 visitors per year.

The Taj Mahal certainly holds its own as a bona fide member of the Seven Wonders Of The World club. The marble structure, which took 22 years to build, is as breathtaking in real life as it is in postcards. Seeing it at sunset is a wonderful time – the marble forecourt is still warm from the day’s sun so you can feel it on your feet once you remove your shoes. Inside the guides who are clearly passionate about the building will point out the stunning details inside as pigeons fly about.

Legend has it that the Taj Mahal, a mosque, was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to his favourite wife who died tragically young. The truth is not quite as romantic – turns out that the beloved wife asked the emperor to build it for her, which makes the average wife’s demands that her husband mow the lawn and take out the rubbish look pretty minor indeed. Even so, as far as love tributes go, it’s pretty damn impressive and poor old Shah Jahan never married again after his wife died so it probably was done from the heart.

The bus ride back to Jaipur, after a night at Agra’s stunning Jaypee Palace Hotel, was as eventful as the trip there. Souvenir and jewellery sellers did a roaring trade when we stopped for a toilet break even if the haggling among my travel companions did get a bit intense. An incident in a public loo involving a gecko in a toilet bowl also caused excitement after the women had to use the men’s facilities at a petrol station. But it’s not a trip to India unless you have at least one bonkers lavatorial experience.

It was a fairly brief Indian sojourn and even though I did have a minor meltdown on the streets of Jaipur after being accosted by one too many touts while trying to take some photos, the sights, sounds, tastes and smells whetted my appetite for more Indian experiences. I think I’ll be one of those travellers who does indeed make many return visits.

• Air Arabia flies daily to Jaipur from Sharjah Airport. www.airarabia.com