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Amber Fort (Hindi: आमेर क़िला, also known as Amer Fort) is located in Amber, 11 km from Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India. It was the ancient citadel of the ruling Kachhawa clan of Amber, before the capital was shifted to present day Jaipur. Amber Fort is known for its unique artistic style, blending both Hindu and Muslim (Mughal) elements, and its ornate and breathtaking artistic mastery. The fort borders the Maota Lake, and is a major tourist attraction in Rajasthan.
Amber was originally built by the Meenas in the town they consecrated to Amba, the Mother Goddess, whom they knew as `Gatta Rani' or `Queen of the Pass' [ Tod.II.282 ]. Built over the remnants of an earlier structure, the palace complex which stands today was commenced under the reign of Raja Man Singh, Commander in Chief of Akbar’s army and a member of the Emperor's inner circle of nine courtiers, in 1592. The initial structure of the fort was entirely completed by his descendant, Jai Singh I.[ Amber was modified by successive rulers over the next 150 years, until the Kachwahas shifted their capital to Jaipur during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II.
The structure which is known today as "Amber Fort" was initially a palace complex within the original fort of Amber that is today known as Jaigarh Fort. Connected to Amber via fortified passages, Jaigarh Fort is located on a hill above the Amber complex, and is constructed of red sandstone and white marble. It overlooks Maotha Lake, and was reputed to be the treasure vault of the Kacchwaha rulers.
Like the entire fort complex, Amber Fort is also constructed of white and red sandstone. The Fort is unique in that its outside, an imposing and rugged defensive structure, is markedly different from its inside, an ornate, lavish interior influenced by both Hindu and Muslim (Mughal) styles of ornamentation. The walls of the interior of the fort are covered with murals, frescoes, and paintings depicting various scenes from daily life. Other walls are covered with intricate carvings, mosaic, and minute mirror work.
Amber Fort is divided into four sections. Each is accessible via large staircases from a central location, or from a broad pathway leading to each of the sections. The pathways are currently used to transport tourists via an elephant ride. The main entrance of Amber Fort, Surajpol, leads to the Jaleb chowk, the main courtyard of the Fort where the staircase to the palace is located. In ancient times, Jaleb Chowk was the area where returning armies were paraded back home.
Just prior to the palace entrance is a narrow staircase leading to the Kali Temple, also known as the Shila Devi Temple, made popular for its enormous silver lions. The origins and purpose of these large lions is still unknown. The Kali Temple is known for its silver doors with raised reliefs. According to legends, Maharaja Man Singh I had worshiped Kali for a victory over the rulers of Bengal. The legend says that Kali appeared in the Maharaja's dream and ordered him to recover her statue from the Jessore seabed (now in Bangladesh) and place it in an appropriate temple. The accuracy of the legend has not been verified. However, it is said that the Maharaja recovered the statue from the bed of the sea and created the temple. A tourist curiosity is an image of Ganesha at the temple entrance, carved entirely from a single piece of coral.
We started on the very south in Kerala. Visited Fort Cochin, watched a crazy Kathakala traditional dance, floated down the backwater canals on a little row boat until our butts got sore. Headed down to Varkala, a beach surrounded by big cliffs. Our train rides this time were better, maybe we were more experienced and tolerant. Took a wrong train once and missed our destination, boarded an unreserved train cart and also boarded an overnight train without confirmed tickets – woo! Visited the British tea plantations in Munnar. Spent time in Goa, dodging the western hippies and meeting Indians with Portuguese names. Unavoidably met the hippies in Hampi but the ruins and temples made up for it.
The North
We visited Mumbai and nearby Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora. In Rajhastan, we visited Jodhpur, Ranakpur, Udaipur and Pushkar. Kept heading north towards Punjab and visited Amritsar and the Pakistani border. Looped around to hippie-center Rishikesh and back to Delhi, once again after our first visit 5 years ago.
USC Leadership Delegation to India 2011, Day 5 (Feb. 24, New Delhi): President Nikias presents a gift to Kapil Sibal, Indian minister of communications and information technology. (photo by Paul Peterson/Embark LLC)
This is a 3D image. You will need your red/cyan 3D glasses to enjoy the 3Dness.
View from Khajuraho. I hope you are not offended.
Old Delhi (Hindi: पुरानी दिल्ली; Punjabi: ਪੁਰਾਣੀ ਦਿੱਲੀ; Urdu: پُرانی دِلّی; Purānī Dillī), is a walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad (Persian: شاه جهان آباد) by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty. It was once filled with mansions of nobles and members of the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Delhi.
HISTORY
The site of Shahjahanabad is north of earlier settlements of Delhi. Its southern part overlaps some of the area that was settled by the Tughlaqs in the 14th century when it was the seat of Delhi Sultanate. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty. The five dynasties were the Mamluk dynasty (1206–90), the Khalji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526).
Delhi remained an important place for the Mughals, who built palaces and forts. Most importantly, it was Shah Jahan, who had the walled city built from 1638 to 1649, containing the Lal Qila and the Chandni Chowk. Daryaganj had the original cantonment of Delhi, after 1803, where a native regiment of Delhi garrison was stationed, which was later shifted to Ridge area. East of Daryaganj was Raj ghat Gate of the walled city, opening at Raj Ghat on Yamuna River. First wholesale market of Old Delhi opened as the hardware market in Chawri Bazaar in 1840, the next wholesale market was that of dry fruits, spices and herbs at Khari Baoli, opening in 1850. The Phool Mandi (Flower Market) of Daryaganj was established in 1869, and even today, despite serving a small geographical area, it is of great importance due to dense population.
After the fall of the Mughal Empire post 1857 revolt, the British Raj shifted the capital of India to a less volatile city, Calcutta, where it remained until 1911. After the announcement of the change, the British developed Lutyens' Delhi (in modern New Delhi) just south-west of Shahjahanabad. At this point, the older city started being called Old Delhi, as New Delhi became the seat of national government. It was formally inaugurated as such in 1931. Until the 1930s, few people ventured outside the walled city; thus in the following years, as the walled city got more and more congested, other areas around it were developed.
WALLS AND GATES
It is approximately shaped like a quarter cìrcle, with the Red Fort as the focal point. The old city was surrounded by a wall enclosing about 6.1 km2, with 14 gates:
- Nigambodh Gate: northeast, leading to historic Nigambodh Ghat on the Yamuna River
- Kashmiri Gate: north
- Mori Gate: north
- Kabuli gate: west
- Lahori gate: west close to the Sadar Railway station, Railway Colony, including the tomb of Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi.
- Ajmeri Gate: southeast, leading to Ghaziuddin Khan's Madrassa and Connaught Place, a focal point in New Delhi.
- Turkman Gate: southeast, close to some pre-Shahjahan remains which got enclosed within the walls, including the tomb of Hazrat Shah Turkman Bayabani.
- Delhi Gate: south leading to Feroz Shah Kotla and what was then older habitation of Delhi.
The surrounding walls, 3.7 m wide and 7.9 m tall, originally of mud, were replaced by red stone in 1657. In the Mughal period, the gates were kept locked at night. The walls have now largely disappeared, but most of the gates are still present. The township of old Delhi is still identifiable in a satellite image because of the density of houses.
The famous Khooni Darwaza, south of Delhi Gate and just outside the walled city, was originally constructed by Sher Shah Suri.
Streets and neighbourhoods
The main street, now termed Chandni Chowk, runs from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid. Originally a canal ran through the middle of the street.
North of the street, there is the mansion of Begum Samru, now called Bhagirath Palace. South is the street is Dariba Kalan, a dense residential area, beyond which is Jama Masjid. Daryaganj is a section that used to border the river at Rajghat and Zeenat-ul-Masajid.
The Urdu language emerged from the Urdu Bazaar section of Old Delhi. The Din Dunia magazine and various other Urdu publications are the reason of this language staying alive.
MAIN ARTERIES
- Netaji Subhash Marg/Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg leading to India Gate (north and south)
- Chandni Chowk/Khari Bawli Road (east and west)
Old Delhi is approximately bounded by these modern roads:
- Gokhle Marg (south)
- Mahatma Gandhi Marg road (east)
- Shraddhananda Rd (west)
- Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (south)
In 1876, Carr Stephen described the city as follows:
Of the two streets described by François Bernier, the longer extended from the Lahore Gate of the city to the Lahore Gate of the citadel, and the other from the Delhi Gate of the city to the Lahore Gate of the fort. Both these streets were divided into several sections, each of which was known by a different name.
The section between the Lahore Gate of the fort and the entrance of the street called the Dariba, known as the Khuni Darwazah, was called the Urdu or the Military Bazaar; owing, very probably, to the circumstances of a portion of the local garrison having been once quartered about the place. Between the Khuni Darwazah and the present Kotwali, or the Head Police Station of the city, the street has the name of Phul ka Mandi or the flower market. The houses in front of the Kotwali were built at a short distance from the line of the rest of the houses in the street, so as to form a square.
Between the Kotwali and the gate known as the Taraiah, was the Jauhari or the Jewellers' Bazaar; between the Taraiah and the neighbourhood known as Asharfi ka Katra, was, par excellence, the Chandni Chauk. There was a tank in the centre of the Chauk the site of which is now occupied by the Municipal Clock Tower, and beyond this to the Fatehpuri Masjid was the Fatehpuri Bazaar. The houses round Chandni Chauk were of the same height, and were ornamented with arched doors and painted verandahs. To the north and south of the square there were two gate-ways, the former leading to the Sarai of Jehan Ara Begum, and the latter to one of the most thickly populated quarters of the city. Round the tank the ground was literally covered with vegetable, fruit, and sweetmeat stalls. In the course of time the whole of this long street came to be known as the Chandni Chauk.
This grand street was laid out by Jahanara Begam, daughter of Shah Jahan. From the Lahore Gate of the fort to the end of the Chandni Chauk the street was about 40 yards wide and 1,520 yards long. Through the centre of this street ran the canal of 'Ali Mardan, shaded on both sides by trees. On the eastern end of the Chandni Chauk stands the Lahore Gate of the Fort, and on the opposite end the handsome mosque of Fatehpuri Begam).
The clock tower no longer exists, although the locationn is still called Ghantaghar. The Sarai of Jehan Ara Begum has been replaced by the city hall. The kotwali is now adjacent to Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib.
HISTORICAL SPOTS
Many of the historical attractions are in the Chandni Chowk area and the Red Fort. In addition, Old Delhi also has:
- Ghalib ki Haveli that is in Ballimaran is famous for Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, the renowned Urdu and Persian poet.
- Gali Qasim Jan that is in Ballimaran is famous for Mirza Ghalib's haveli, and that of Hakim Ajmal Khan
- Razia Sultana's (Delhi's only female ruler before Indira Gandhi) tomb near Kalan Masjid}
- Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque
- Fatehpuri Masjid
- Khari Baoli, Asia's biggest spice market
- Zinat-ul Masjid, Daryaganj built in 1710 by one of Aurangzeb's daughters
- Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's
- St. James Church (near Kashmiri Gate) built in 1836, Delhi's oldest church, built by Col. James Skinner.
SOME OF THE HISTORICAL MANSIONS
- Begum Samru's Palace of 1806 now called Bhagirath Palace.
- Naughara mansions in Kinari Bazaar, 18th century Jain mansions.
- Khazanchi haveli
- Haveli Sharif Manzil that is in Ballimaran is famous for its Aristocratic Hakims and their Unani practice, and that of Hakim Ajmal Khan
- Haveli of Mirza Ghalib, Gali Qasim Jan that is in Ballimaran
- Chunnamal haveli, Katra Neel
- Haveli of Zeenat Mahal, Lal Kuan Bazar
- Haksar Haveli, Bazar Sitaram, where Jawaharlal Nehru was married in 1916 to Kamla Nehru.
- Haveli Naharwali, Kucha Sadullah Khan, where Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan was born
- Kucha Chelan (Kucha Chehle Ameeran), where the Persian descent inhabited
OLD DELHI CUISINE
Old Delhi is well known for its cuisine. There area in and around Jama Masjid and Lal Kuan are predominantly Muslim. Hence the cuisine here is more meat dominant Mughlai cuisine. The area in and around Chandni Chowk is predominantly Jain and Baniya communities. Hence the food is strictly vegetarian and in a lot of cases made without onion and garlic. The famous Gali Paranthe Wali and Ghantewala halwai are also situated here.
Old Delhi is also famous for its street food. Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazaar areas have many street joints that sell spicy chaat (tangy and spicy snacks).
WIKIPEDIA
These well-maintained original building of Old Leh are simply gorgeous as they fit together in ramshackle angles.
Koli woman on the way in the Little Rann of Kutch.
Koli is a large caste living in the central and western mountain area of India, numbering about 650,000 in the late 20th century. The largest group of Koli live in Mahārāshtra and Gujarāt states. Although identified as cultivators and labourers, many Koli survive only by gathering firewood and hiring out as labourers.
The Koli are organized into several theoretically exogamous clans and are largely Hinduized but retain some of their former animism. They believe sickness is caused by an angry spirit or deity and that a second marriage may awaken the spirit of the first spouse. Traditionally classified as a tribe, they were redesignated as a low Hindu caste, containing the subcastes Agri and Ahir.
Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat situated in the Thar Desert was established in January 1972 as a sanctuary for the last population of Indian wild ass (khar). This extraordinary area gets partly inundated by about 2 feet of water in the monsoon months (July-September). Once below sea level, this area was raised by earth movements which cut it off from the Gulf of Kutch, and was broken up by later earth movements into the flat saline areas (where people can be seen making salt), and higher grounds with sandy, salt-free soil. The wild ass depends on the thorny scrub of the higher ground area for its feed. Also found in this park are chinkara gazelle, nilgai antelope, wolf, blackbuck antelope, hyena, desert fox, jackal, desert cat, and caracal.
Nishtha is a charitable trust based in the village of Sidhbari. The main objective for which the Trust has been established is to work for the benefit and development of society as a whole by improving the welfare of families with particular focus on women and children. This objective is served through activities in the fields of health, education and environment. (www.nishtha-hp.org). The community centre has set up a sewing programme for women, allowing them to socialise and to supplement their incomes. These two ladies are showing off some of the results. Needless to say we all bought something!
Formerly the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, this is the main museum in Mumbai. It was founded in the early years of the 20th century by prominent citizens of Mumbai, with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of Edward VIII, who was Prince of Wales at the time. It is located in the heart of South Mumbai near the Gateway of India.
The museum building was completed in 1915, but was used as a Children's Welfare Centre and a Military Hospital during the First World War, before being handed over to the committee in 1920. The Prince of Wales Museum was inaugurated on January 10, 1922, by Lady Lloyd, the wife of George Lloyd, Governor of Bombay.
Mumbai’s biggest and best museum displays a mix of India-wide exhibits. The museum houses approximately 50,000 exhibits of ancient Indian history as well as objects from foreign lands, categorized primarily into three sections: Art, Archaeology and Natural History. The museum houses Indus Valley Civilization artefacts, and other relics from ancient India from the time of the Guptas, Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakuta.
The domed behemoth, an intriguing hodgepodge of Islamic, Hindu and British architecture, is a flamboyant Indo-Saracenic design by George Wittet (who also designed the Gateway of India). Its vast collection includes impressive Hindu and Buddhist sculpture, terracotta figurines from the Indus Valley, Indian miniature paintings and some particularly vicious-looking weaponry.
The museum building is surrounded by a garden of palm trees and formal flower beds.
It was renamed in the late 1990s after Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.
Jaisalmer.
With visit of the havelis:
-Salem Singh Li Ki haveli
-Patwa Ki haveli
-Natmalji Ki haveli
Pushkar - Rajasthan - India - November 2012
The bonding and the thrust of relationship .. the father holding his son in his arms...with no fear of gravity, the little boy smiles and looks at the scene around at Pushkar Mela.
Farmers plough their paddy field at Suchate Garh village near Indo-Pak international border about 25 Km from the Northern Indian city of Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir on 13 July 2008. Rice is the principal crop grown in India, and the country ranks second only to China in world rice production. Sowing has begun earlier than usual this year due to the early onset of the annual monsoon rains that feed the farms which provide a livelihood for more than 60 percent of India's 1.1 billion people.
Kaziranga National Park in Northeast India is home to two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses, the world's highest density of endangered Bengal tigers, a large breeding population of elephants, and many other unique species. Dozens of dams are planned in Arunachal Pradesh on the Brahmaputra River Basin. The cumulative impact of these dams, along with the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri Dam (currently under construction) and the 2,700 MW Lower Siang Dam on the Siang River, will likely have a severe impact on the floodplain and wetland ecosystems within the Site. If the Lower Subansiri Dam alone is completed, the water level in the Subansiri River will fluctuate 400-fold every day.
Photo courtesy of FarHorizon India Tours.