Friday, February 13, 2009

CITY PALACE

JAIPUR - FEBRUARY 2008

Jaipur's City Palace, occupying nearly one-seventh of the old Pink City, shows a blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture. Originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs, it is home to several palatial structures, including the Chandra Mahal, residence of the current Maharajah of Jaipur, ex-ruler of the city.


"PORTAL - The first of several doors one has to cross to enter the City Palace"


"WAITING TIME"


"GANESH"


"DOOR - The doors are massive"


"INSIDE - The complex include many structures, courtyards, gardens and buildings"




"CHANDRA MAHAL - The Moon Palace is a multi-purpose seven storeyed structure. The ground and the second floor are a part of the Museum. The third floor is the drawing and dining area. Shobha Niwas (aka the Hall of Beauty) occupies the fourth floor with mirrors, gold leaf and mica all over. The fifth floor is the Chavi Niwas while the top most floor, true to its position is known as the Mukut Mahal or the Crown Palace. The only problem is that you don't visit it, except for the Museum or if you're a friend of the Maharajah..."


"MUBARAK MAHAL - Built by Maharaja Madho Singh II late in the 19th century, the sandstone Welcome Palace was the reception hall of the Maharaja of Jaipur. The ground floor now hosts an office and a library while the first floor houses a Textile Museum"



"RAJENDRA POL - This gateway leads to the Diwan-i-Khas, the Hall of Private Audience. It is flanked by two two large elephants, each carved from a single block of marble"


"DIWAN-I-KHAS - The hall has two rows of columns and is of extraordinary beauty"



"SILVER URNS - There are two silver urns, considered to be the largest in the world (according to the Guiness Book). It is said that Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II carried the water of the River Ganges in them when he set out on a journey to England"


"ARMS"


"RIDDHI SIDDHI POL - A beautiful view of the gateway from the Diwan-i-Khas"



"RIDDHI SIDDHI POL - Probably the most photographed view of Jaipur's City Palace!"




"PRITAM CHOWK - The Court of the Beloved has four smaller painted gateways representing the four seasons"

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody! Jaipur has some wonderful spots to be visited, as one could already have seen from previous posts. The City Palace is another one!!
Enjoy, leave your mark and have a marvelous weekend! Forget Friday 13th… ;))

My Unfinished Life said...

some real nice pics of the city palace!!!

Cergie said...

Jaipur "la cité rose", comme Toulouse, dans un sens ?
Une porte "massive", mais si finement travaillée...
Beaucoup de perspectives sur ce message. Des portes en avant plan qui englobent des bâtiments > de très beaux "effets" sur tes photos.
Je me demande en quoi sont bâtis ces bâtiments.
En parpaings ?

Venksh said...

Gil superb photo's again....
u lookin great with those 2 guys.. even u should hav used a turban it would be givin a perfect India look to u.
good family pic gil.

Kven.
http://kollywoodmoviereview.blogspot.com/

Daniela Valdez said...

Wooow, your pics took my breath away!!

I'm preparing a traveling post just for you! jeje, I'll let you know next week when it's ready!

Have a nice trip :)

indicaspecies said...

These beautiful photographs revived memories of my visit to the City Palace. Thanks for sharing.:)

SusuPetal said...

Oh, those palaces are so decorative!

Have a nice weekend, Gil!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Gil
Jaipur is such a beautful city!
Those are some wonderful photos of you and your wife too!
Enjoy the weekend!

Anonymous said...

Those two silver urns are indeed huge. The city palace complex seems a vast place. I wonder if this is bigger than the Grand Palace, which has also a complex of buildings in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

Hi Trotter,

Those were so beautiful and detailed. I especially liked the YELLOW buildings. Thanks for letting me enjoy your trip. You'll have to check out my trip to New York City.

Rhonda

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

I just love photographs of people. I love the red-turbaned Indian men in their regal navy coats! So elegant. Not really traditional Indian, but it reminds me of colonial India. Beautiful anyway.

Light and Voices said...

Thanks for posting pictures of silver urns, pigeons on top of a palace, red-turbaned Indian men and doorways and columns. Enjoyed seeing you and your wife having a grand time. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Joyce

alicesg said...

Very beautiful photos again of your trip to India. I have to take a double look at the rifles. At first I thought they were some kind of designs of the building and later I realised they are rifles. Happy Valentine's Day to you and your Mrs. :)

Mariposa said...

Gil you're missing a turban! ;)

Huzhar said...

Very nice pictures, the buildings are beautiful, I like the massive door, the pattern is awesome.. Thanks for sharing.

Ron said...

Wonderful photographs yet again. It is so awesome seeing your vacations/trips.

bindu said...

Some of these pictures are just stunning! Need to go to Rajasthan and see the places in person some time. Each wall and doorway is a work of art. Priceless!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! You haven't missed a thing, have you? :)

Great close-ups of the intricate artwork on the walls.

Baron's Life said...

Dear GMG...These are absolutely great shots..Love the palace, the thick doors (Great Shot), the Turbanned Indians in their traditional outfits, the silver urns and of course the Diwan-I-Khas...really beautiful
Take care guys and Happy Valentine Day to you and to your better half...ps: while on the subnject..I heard people in India are now allowed to kiss on the street and public places

Anonymous said...

Look at you standing there!! Wonder how one gets to be friends with the Majarajah to see his home (grin). Happy belated Valentines to you and your sweetie. ~ Lynn

Anonymous said...

LOL...I guess he won't be inviting me to his home since I can't even spell his title right. (Maharaja)

NormanTheDoxie said...

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours. Red turbans....how appropriate!

Neva said...

You know I love visiting your blog...espicially since our daughter has been traveling to India...although currently she is in Thailand....but will be going back to India soon.....love the details in your photos...they are so sharp and clear...I am not so pleased with how mine turn out on my blog...they look nice until I post them and then they seem fuzzy or something...oh well I never said I had talent for either photographing OR blogging!Have a great week and thanks for visiting.

Andrea Gerák said...

Hi Gil, wonderful pictures of this gorgeous city, thanks for sharing!

Greetings from Budapest :-)

alice said...

Tu as tout à fait raison, ce serait dommage de passer à côté de ces dentelles de pierre et de ces peintures comme des broderies...J'adore ta photo dans la jarre d'argent!
Je te souhaite une bonne soirée dominicale.

Chuckeroon said...

Oh, Trotter, how cld you suggest I'm unfaithful!!???? I dropped in on Rajastan last week and assure you I'm hooked. Just see my book shelf...India figures large!!!

Maria Verivaki said...

the elaborate architecture gives the feeling of such a heightened sense of culture

Ming the Merciless said...

Diwan-i-Khas is spectacular. The colors and details are simply amazing.

Sorry for not visiting. Been busy and all I have time lately is post the photo and go to bed.

Joy said...

I loved the photo Ganesh! Very feminine.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving comments. Come back tomorrow!


joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
I, Woman

Thérèse said...

Very interesting post as always and very colorful.
A mandala of arms... how strange!!!
One more country born after WWII!
The silver urns are fabulous.
And one must feel really small next to all these walls.

lyliane six said...

C'est superbe! On ne parle pas souvent de cette ville mais il y a des trésors d'architecture.Ces couleurs et ces décors tout simplement merveilleux!!Vous êtes tous les deux bien assortis au décor.
J'ai été très occupée cette dernière semaine, et j'ai passé l'après midi de la St Valentin sous la coupole de l'institut de France!!très intéressant aussi comme momument.

Ms.N said...

i love the green doors that u've captured. Stands out among all the other reds. the Diwan-i-khas pc is also classic.

PeterParis said...

Magnifique !! … and the nice couple in the Court of the Beloved fits so well to the posting date (OK, one day too early ... and I'm two days late; sorry!)! :-)

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Brilliant shots Gil! I visited teh City Palace among other places in April 2005!

Your pictures helped me relive my visit!

Thanks very much!

Azer Mantessa said...

The Court of Beloved – That’s something interesting. Am yet to surf on what it’s about.

Indrani said...

I will be repeating most of the shots in my post!
Lovely palace, wasn't it?

raccoonlover1963/Lisa Myers said...

Hi Gil.
Great pictures of some very beautiful architecture!
Take care and have a great week.
Lisa

Pietro Brosio said...

Hello Gil! Another great post.
Splendid palaces and doors. I like very much the architecture of the Hall of Private Audience.
Have a nice week ahead!

Olivier said...

c'est un endroit magique, la photo de la porte "PORTAL" est superbe.
Tous ces immeubles avec un vrai patchwork de couleur. j'aime beaucoup.

Emery Roth said...

I love that the first shot catches the bird in midair with wings spread. I had no idea that there are so many ancient palaces in India. These are especially magnificent.

Dawning One said...

love the intricate work on the buildings and the colours. the urns really are stunning! I didn't realise just how big they were till you stood infront of one. your wife is one lucky lady to be traveling to all these places with you all the time.

Shionge said...

Hey once again I am captivated by the colours and also amazed by the big silver urn.

Thank you for sharing and Happy Belated Valentine's Day toyou and your wife :D

lyliane six said...

J'en redemande, c'est très beau !

Cutie said...

Wow, never knew India has so many beautiful buildings. The Chandra Mahal is huge and I love the building a lot.
Anyway, happy belated valentines day!

Anonymous said...

Very nice photos. The place and buildings are beautiful. :D

Alex
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Daniela Valdez said...

Hey! The post you asked for is on!!! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Lakshmi said...

I was partying on Friday, the 13th..and completely forgot abt it..Im feeling a bit nostalgic seeing the post..though I just spent a day in jaipur..

adelynne said...

I could see your reflection on the silver urn! LOL. And the Diwan-i-Khas is BEAUTIFUL.

Anonymous said...

Hi Everybody! Great to have your comments here. Sorry that I wasn’t able to visit your blogs during the last two weeks, but I didn’t let you down: a great Indian Fort made you company – The Amber Fort!! Hope you have enjoyed, and see you next week, hopefully...

Shooting Star,
Thanks! The City Palace in Jaipur is an amazing set of buildings. I was thrilled to visit it and to have the chance to discover so many marvels!

Marguerite,
Je dois un jour visiter Toulouse avec plus d’attention pour voir comme elle est rose… ;)
En ce qui concerne les matériaux de construction, la seule chose que j’ai trouvé a été un article à L’Hindu, un journal, où on écrit: «The surroundings of Jaipur did not have normal building material as the hills around are volcanic containing mainly quartzite stone. This variety, though very strong, is not good as facade stone. Unlike his forefathers who used big boulders of “seisht” granite for building Amber and Jaigarh, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh used smaller boulders but avoided using rubble.»… ;)

Kven,
I should have bought a turban, indeed. Great mistake… ;)

Dana,
Oh dear, that’s very kind of you. Thanks for the dedication of the post on San Miguel de Allende!!!

Celine,
Great to bring back hopefully good memories to you!

Susupetal,
They are wonderful, I agree!

Pat,
The capital city of Rajasthan is a beautiful place with some absolutely stunning buildings!

Asian Traveller,
If you take into account the Annexes of the Royal Palace in Bangkok, I’m afraid this one is smaller; but if you consider that the astronomical site and the Palace of Winds are also part of the City Palace, then this one may occupy a larger area…

Rhonda,
Oh dear, I knew the yellow had to be haunting the scene some place… ;)) But the Palace is awesome, isn’t it?

Jen,
They were quite elegant; they offered to take a picture or to be on it; but they weren’t so elegant asking for a tip after that… ;))

Joyce,
Those turbans are making a great success; next time in Rajasthan I’ll buy me one… ;))

Alice SG,
Riffles indeed! But that’s an amazing way to show them!

Mariposa,
That was a great mistake; should have bought one… ;))

Syaa Fiqq,
That door was magnificent; I hesitated to post, as it seemed a bit repetitive, but it was a good choice finally to publish it!! ;)

Ron,
I wish I had some more time to take several vacations… ;))

Bindu,
Rajasthan? I surely recommend; unfortunately couldn’t make the rest this year, but one day I will… ;))

Shantanu,
If you say so, I haven’t missed… ;) Truly, I tried, but one never knows when one is in the hands of the guides (persons and paper… ;))!

Baron,
The Palace items are gorgeous, and I couldn’t take pictures inside the museums… ;(
About «expressing love emotions», I’m not so sure that people are allowed to show it in public; what I heard is that there is a group that is taking the morality in their own hands and is harassing young people at disco and bars on the subject (this one and others)… Rakesh has an interesting post on that!!

Lynn,
I’m sure the Maharaja would invite you after seeing your recipes in your blog… ;)) Otherwise, he would be the one who would be at lost… ;))

Lisa,
I miss one!

Neva,
It seems your daughter is spending her life as a traveller… India, Thailand, India again… I wouldn’t mind to have the chance to make it my way of life… ;))
Anyhow, I’m always happy to see you here, even when India isn’t the subject… Thailand has been around in the Revival 90s…
As for the pictures, they also look much better before upload… ;))

Andrea,
Wow, Great to see you alive, posting and commenting!!!

Alice,
Tu vois, j’avais raison… ;) Le Palais est vraiment formidable et les jarres sont superbes!!

Chucker,
Never thought you could be unfaithful!! ;)) In particular when the subject is India and its marvels… ;) Have a great time!

Maria,
It’s true that they have a long lasting traditional culture in that region and the buildings are an impressive way to show it!

Ming,
Happy to see you here! The Hall of Private Audience is magnificent! Take care!!

Joy,
It’s an impressive, though delicate portal…

Thérèse,
It’s true that the splendour of the buildings makes you feel rather small...

Lyliane,
Sous la Coupole ça serait très bien avec des huîtres et du bon vin, mais quelle coupole as-tu choisi? L’Institut de France… ;))

Ms.N,
That patio with the Four Seasons doors is amazing! Excellent place!

Peter,
Touché! That was a very nice comment!!

Rakesh,
Glad to bring good memories back to you…

Azer,
I was imagining you strolling on the theme, on the spot… ;))

Indrani,
I’m sure you will; that’s a beautiful place!!

Lisa,
A surprising city and a wonderful palace!

Pietro,
I must confess that this palace was an astounding surprise!!

Olivier,
Patchwork de couleur! Belle façon de le décrire…

Ted,
India is actually incredible, and that isn’t only a slogan for the publicity!!

Dawning One,
Big… and in silver… ;))

Shionge,
Thanks! Those urns are astonishing!!

Cutie,
India is huge and has many wonderful things for you to see…

Alex,
Welcome back!!

Dana,
Thanks! That was a nice post you did!!

Lakshmi,
You definitely have to go back… ;))

Addy,
Now, don’t you feel the spectre looks great in silver… ;))

Anonymous said...

I hope, you and your wife didn't get sea-sick ... on the elephant ;-)

Anonymous said...

Ingrid,
We usually don't get sea-sick, even less riding elephants... ;))

indicaspecies said...

Your beautiful photographs bring back a feeling of nostalgia.

Anonymous said...

Celine,
Glad to bring back your good memories...

A Lady's Life said...

Well again wonderful intricate workmanship.
Must feel like a dream to walk through it all.

Trotter said...

Lady,
Quite exciting for a dream... ;)
Absolutely extra, the experience!!