Bathing Optional

India: Land of the Maharajas, Jan.2007

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We arrived in the state of Rajasthan, the land of the Maharajas, by night train from Delhi and arrived at dawn. First thing we saw was this camel by the tiny train station. Appropriate as most of Rajasthan is in the Thar Desert.
Buses on the roads of India need all the help and blessing they can get!
We couldnt quite figure out what these little things were so we decided to call them the propaganda carts.
We began our visit to Rajasthan with a day in the Shekhawati region, a part of the state that is called an open air musuem as the villages in the region are home to dozens of grand old merchants mansions, called havelis, with wonderful paintings all over their outer and inner walls.
One of many murals on the main haveli in the town of Parsurampura.
An old meditation area for the local village head.
The old man who opened up the meditation grounds for us, told us all about the amazing paintings on the under side of one of the domes while using a peacock feather as a pointer, and finished by giving us a peacock feather and some curry.
Prayer beads.
Center of the meditation dome.
The underside of the dome was covered with fantastic paintings like this one!
Planet of the apes?
Wheres Waldo?
The village of Parsurampura was filled with beautiful children and people. We didnt know it at the time but these were probably the most genuine people that we will meet in Rajasthan. As we moved more into touristy areas, the people have become much more interested in parting us and our money.
Desert child.
A heavy load.
One of the cutest children weve ever seen. The kids in this village were asking for pens and pencils, not money.
Ashe digging into her bag in search of pens and pencils. We also gave them our leftover Nesquik hot chocolate packets from Turkey. They were ecstactic about it.
Grandmother with grandchild.
Desert scenery around the village.
Walking the road back to new Parsurampura which didnt differ much from the old village.
One way to get around in Rajasthan.
Local home.
Cute.
And furry.
Running away from those white faces.
Another beautiful child.
She was so happy to see me pull out my camera and I was so happy to capture her in this mood!
Brothers.
Lady in the countryside.
Local tailor.
Local senior.
This jacket-on-my-head guy was also anxious to have us take his photo.
Leaving Parsurampura and heading back into the desert.
Walking the highway, hoping a bus will pass.
Soon, we arrived in another of the small Shekhawati region villages, Nawalgarh, and the local kids were curious to see us walking the main street.
More kids in the street.
Village loggers.
Another of those old havelis (mansions) with images worn with age.
Rooftop kids.
Girl in the street.
One of the Shekhawati regions most impressive havelis is the fantastically restored Podar home in Nawalgarh, now a museum.
The paintings dont stop inside. The two inner courtyards are incredible.
Hindu gods over the merchants head.
As the havelis date from the 19th century, many have paintings showing industrial life.
Dancing gods.
Smoking the sheeshah.
Fine, old sitar.
The life of a maharaja was almost all luxury.
Inside the home, more paintings.
Reflection.
Veda scenes.
Very nice!
Exterior wall of the Podar House.
Balcony.
Santa Claus?
Another ageing, unkept haveli.
Mother tying her sons shoes.
The son with some serious Marilyn Manson eyeliner on. We noticed lots of kids sporting the same look, a local custom we guess.
Even Jesus graced one of the haveli soffits.
Many of the Shekhawati regions old mansions stand abandoned and almost forgotten.
Sari hanging out to dry.
Another forgotten haveli.
Green shutters.
Mending a sari.
Mandawa, the final town we explored in the Shekhawati region. Its now the most popular traveler base in the region and feels like it! We slept in one of the old haveli mansions!
Lady with balanced load.
Local Hindu temple. Love the door!
Boy in the street.
Mandawa was overflowing with painted mansions!
One of Mandawas more famous havelis has paintings of interesting modern contraptions like the plane.
A strongman holding a car. Not sure why this one was paited on the wall.
Boy on phone, another of the more unique images.
Flying machine.
Mandawa rooftops.
Mandaw market scene.
Man in the market.
Temple doorway Ganeesh.
One fine elephant!
Camel in Mandawa street with a few grand havelis behind.
While many of the old havelis stand abandoned, others have been claimed by locals.
Sunset in Mandawa.
Puppets for sale.
Evening sets in and a lady passes us in the street.
Rounding the bend. Goodbye Mandawa.
India, Parsurampura
India, Parsurampura
India, Parsurampura
Deeper into Rajasthan and further into the Thar Desert, we stopped in the city of Bikaner for the night. It is known for its huge, and beautifully ornate maharajas fort and palace.
One of the few palace buildings inside the Bikaner Fort.
Street traffic in Bikaner.
The only wetland this poor bird could find was this nasty pool of raw sewage and garbage.
Sacred cow by Hindu temple. Unfortunately, like the bird in the last photo, its food is often the trash left behind by the local people. Here, it chews on a dirty old shirt. Weve seen cows eat plastic bags and other stuff that just cannot be good for them. We feel equally for the people and animals of this country.
Entering the Bikaner Fort.
Palace decorations.
Bikaners Fort palaces are some of the most ornate of any in Rajasthan. Here, a gold ceiling.
Palace courtyard.
Wonderful tiled floor.
Flowery door.
Dino puppet.
One of several throne rooms.
White marble exterior.
The Hindu temple room with fantastic cloud walls.
The maharajas swing. As he swung, the puppets on it danced for him.
Everything in the palace was over the top ornate.
Lady at the palace.
Great doorway.
Bikaners Old Town was much busier than we expected and all the noise was a bit much.
Sunset over Bikaner and its maharaja on a horse statue.
The famous Hindu temple in Deshnok, just 40 minutes from Bikaner.
And the reason that the temple in Deshnok is so famous: rats! Called the Temple of Rats it is home to thousands of holy rats that are fed and encouraged to proliferate. Each rat is the reincarnation of a local who has passed away.
Elephants at the temple gate.
Wonderful silver doors mark the entrance to the temple courtyard.
Inside, rats. Lots of them.
Temple window with ritual, colored powder on the walls.
Temple ceiling design.
More rats.
Eating from the same dish as the rats brings good luck and this lady is about to dip right in.
The altar figure and more rats.
The rats at the temple were not the rats we expected. They were much smaller and cuter.
Ganeesh covered in red powder.
Lion head on the temple door.
Lots of rats!
Outside the temple, sacred coconuts for sale.
One last rat.
Back in Bikaner, a camel cart passes the fort complex.
Rajasthan is known for its colorful saris and turbans, a local effort to spice up the desert landscape.
Local ladies.
Desert sunrise. View from the rooftop of our hostel in Jaisalmer, Rajasthans most distant desert city near the border of Pakistan.
Jaisalmer is a city built of sand. The incredible fort sitting high over the city is an amazing sight any time of day.
A little color.
Even a local cow had green horns.
Boy in the street.
Gate entry to the large man-made lake at Jaisalmer, once the citys water supply. The gate is said to have been commissioned by a prostitute who was concerned with social service.
Jain temple buildings along the waters edge.
The reservoir waters are at one of their highest levels.
The local government definitely needs to invest more in its safe sex campaign.
Girls on a balcony.
Ladies on the sidewalk.
Glance over the shoulder.
Ready for school.
Jaisalmer Fort. Amazing!
Entering the Fort, the palace looms above.
Jaisalmers streets are filled with Rajasthani handicrafts for sale and the vendors dont like to take no for answer.
The peacock is Indias national bird and a symbol of Rajasthan. That means that peacock feathers and fans can be found just about anywhere.
Part of the palace complex.
Another favorite with tourists in Rajasthan: colorful, patchwork bedspreads.
The palace buildings show that incredible things can be done, even in the middle of the desert.
One of the top three Jain sites in India, the Jain temple complex inside Jaisalmers fortified city is filled with awe-inspiring carvings and sculptures.
Jain idol. Jainism emerged as a religion in India about the same time as Buddhism and they are similar in many ways. One difference is that Jainist imagery depicts meditators with eyes wide open. In fact, the eyes are often the most noticeable feature of their statues.
Temple elephant.
Incredible carvings cover every single piece of wall space and the surface of every column inside the maze-like corridors inside and connecting the seven Jain temples.
Fantastic!
Jain holy man.
Columns.
Column figures.
Weve seen these monkey-like faces on every Jain temple weve been at but still dont know their symbolism.
Temple bell.
Temple dome.
Eyes wide open.
Dancing figure.
Jain meditating figures.
Looking out the temple window.
Jainist temple sculpture seems to focus a lot on the female form. Tough to meditate with all those nearly naked women around!
Meditation.
Temple wall, no surface left uncarved.
All dressed up but nowhere to go.
Temple stupas.
Typical home inside Jaisalmers fortified old town.
Most of the old town homes are clear examples of the wealth that this important Silk Road town once held.
More textiles for sale.
A Ganeesh image graces the front wall of many a home in Jaisalmer.
Old Town lane.
Creeping vine.
Grandmother.
Street performer.
Incredible latticed window, not a rarity in Jaisalmer.
Ashe taking a break in the Old Town.
Local crafts.
What a patio!
Palace balconies.
Local grocer.
Another vegetable market lady.
Man in the market.
View over Jaisalmer from the Fort wall.
Bright pink turban! They love those colors in Rajasthan!
Holy man.
Holy cows.
Us by Jaisalmers lake.
Lake views.
Tomb?
Man with cane.
Weve been wondering how they get those arm bracelets on.
More Rajasthan color.
Family.
Amazing sandstone balconies above, typical Indian shop below.
Green turban.
We notice that many seniors here enjoy the freedom from work and worry that they deserve. Sitting on the step or chilling all day long is quite common.
Weve also noticed that many front doors have this kind of arrangement over them.
Although many of Jaisalmers homes are incredible, some of the most wealthy of old mansions are the most oustanding!
Mansion window. Amazing!
Mansion balconies.
Thats one BIG house!
Indias favorite sport. Hint, its NOT baseball.
End of day chill session.
Climbing up to the sandy, sunset viewpoint over Jaisalmer we were immediately surrounded by a pack of local kids.
Most of the kids running around in these shanty suburbs of Jaisalmer had nothing but shirts on.
More of our new friends.
Cute girl.
Ashe surrounded by the curious kids.
Desert sunset.
Jaisalmer isnt called the Golden City for no reason.
Down below our sunset hill, the shanty village from which the kids had come up to greet us. After sunset, they lead us down to their home, one of the ones seen here.
At the mudbrick home, we received a free performance on a local instrument, some tea, and chapati.
Our hostess.
Maciej even tried his hand on the guitar-like instrument.
Dirtier looking kids we havent seen.
Hmm... where did I leave my pants?
The kids dinner and fire.
The next morning, we arrived in Jodhpur, the Blue City.
Standing over Jodhpurs blue Old Town is its massive fortress/palace complex, one of Rajasthans most impressive!
Morning temple visit.
Bollywoods current blockbuster!
Walking through the Old Town, on our way to the Fort.
Blue home below the fort.
Wow!
The walls of the fort rise high over the city.
The massive front gate of the Fort is fitted with these deadly looking spikes to prevent elephants from charging and ramming them down.
Ashe added her print to a wall with sculpted hands of the maharaja wives you threw themselves on their husbands funeral pyre following his death.
Palace window.
Palace servants.
One of Jodhpurs most important icons.
Smoking from a water pipe.
Jodhpurs palace, as with many in Rajasthan, is filled with lots of wonderful colored glass.
Those maharajas were living well!
Beautiful!
View over the Blue City from one of the Palace windows.
You should have seen how long it was when he just started to wrap his turban!
Jodhpurs Palace is filled with rooms as ornate as this one!
Looking out into one of the palace courtyards from inside a hall.
Palace.
Blue City rooftops.
Life on the rooftops.
The huge Palace.
Jodhpurs fort rises very dramatically above the city below.
Man on the ramparts.
Lots of cannons.
Blue City.
Temple chipmunk.
Ashe over the Blue City.
Blue paint was once reserved for upper caste, Brahmin, homes only but these days the entire Old Town is full of them.
Lady with child at the fort.
Beyond Jodhpur Fort is the brilliant white cenotaph for some of the regions most important rulers.
Cenotaph gardens.
A beautiful mausoleum!
Entrance doors.
Pigeons love the place too!
Fabulous marble carvings.
Jodhpur Fort as seen from the cenotaph.
Boy at the cenotaph.
Street performance.
Another boy who lost his pants.
Hanging out the laundry.
Another one of us over the Blue City.
What a beautiful girl!
Lady at her front door.
There is no shortage of these great, old, white sedans on Indias streets.
Lady in Jodhpurs very busy street market.
Bikers, Indian style.
Lady in the market.
Rickshaw, another thing there will never be a shortage of on Indias streets.
Kid performing as Krishna in the Jodhpur market.
Lady in the market.
An India mystery: why are mothers dressed so elegantly always carrying around such dirty kids?
Jodhpurs market is in constant motion.
Everyone is welcome in Jodhpurs streets.
Clocktower.
Lady with heavy load in the market.
Deep thoughts.
Jodhpurs grand Palace Hotel.
An old Cadillac is one of several luxury cars parked on the Hotel lawn.
Mt.Abu, a popular hill station north of Gujarat province but still in Rajasthan is a popular high elevation getaway from the summer heat. The small lake around which the town is built makes it even more appealing.
Us at Mt.Abus Honeymoon Point, right on the edge of a sheer cliff that falls 2000 feet down to the plains below.
Our favorite thing about Mt.Abu was all those semi-wild monkeys hanging around.
The maharajas old summer palace sits above Mt.Abus lake.
Mt.Abu is also a spiritual center and home to the International Headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris movement.
Hill home in Mt.Abu.
Rice paddy front yard.
More of those great monkeys!
A young one.
Baby.
The Thinker.
We love these monkeys!
A small Hindu temple outside of town.
Temple bells.
Cow statue facing the main altar.
Hiking around Mt.Abu.
Another monkey.
Further from town is the amazing Delwara Jain temple complex with temples of marble carved and sculpted in incredible ways.
Snacks for sale.
Krishna floating in a pond.
Colorful temple gate.
Fluorescent colors are back!
Drinks.
Street vendor preparing some of those samosas I love!
Back on the lake.
Lake boat.
The man in front of us on the bus out of Mt.Abu was definitely a character.
Udaipur, Indias contender for the title of Venice of the East. Many consider it Rajasthans most romantic city. Its massive City Palace over one of several lakes in town makes it a strong contender.
Just far enough from shore is the Lake Palace, now a luxury hotel for those who like to keep a little distance between themselves and the busy streets of town.
Morning view of the buildings along Hanuman Ghat, the quieter side of the wide canal running through the heart of old Udaipur.
Canal-side gate.
Early morning laundry. On steps like these all over India laundry is done all hours of the day.
Hanging the laundry.
Only us, the laundry ladies, a cow, and some pigeons along the water this early in the morning.
Temple offering floating in the waters.
One of the two large Hindu temples in the heart of the Old Town.
Temple image, possibly a Kama Sutra scene.
Another erotic image along the temple wall.
Little did we know that our first day in Udaipur marked the beginning of the two month long harvest festival, Holi. Scattering of colored powders are a Holi tradition and a trail lead to Jagdish Temple, the main temple in town.
Another tradition is that the first day of Holi is a day for beggars to receive offerings of food and money from the townspeople. A crowd of poor waited at the temple steps.
The stupas of Jagdish Temple.
Holy man putting on his make-up.
Temple elephant.
Another holy man.
Hiding under the elephant.
Holy man at temple gate.
Views over the canal and to the Monsoon Palace from the temple roof.
Udaipurs City Palace is the largest in Rajasthan. A big piece of it has been gobbled up by two luxury hotels but, still, a large portion remains open as a museum.
Palace courtyard.
Colored glass.
Another shady courtyard, many levels up from the streets below.
Ashe in the courtyard.
An overfed Ganeesh inside the Palace.
Another small shrine.
City views from a Palace terrrace.
Temple stupa.
Inside one of the many incredibly ornate rooms.
What would a Rajasthan palace be without colored glass?
The uppermost courtyard, six or seven stories above the street.
Views of the Lake Palace from the Palace terrace.
Wonderful window decorations.
What a room!
A common image in this part of the state, the face of Mr.Singh, the local maharaja for many years.
Fantastic!
What a balcony!
The final courtyard-turned restaurant with its funny umbrellas.
Back in the Old Town.
Street shrine to that god known as the Giant Tin Foil Man.
Lakeside action. Couldnt get a photo of those less modest ladies who stripped and bathed in the waters right in front of us.
Should I jump into that garbage and sewage filled water or not?
Nice view.
Better view.
Ashe didnt look quite like that but was still allowed in the bathroom.
I definitely didnt look like that but they let me in too.
Laundry.
Not sure how you could feel cleaner after bathing in those waters.
More colored glass.
Maciej wearing the worlds largest turban.
Sunset in Udaipur is a wonderful thing.
The City Palace.
Udaipur.
Us at sunset.
City Palace.
Sunset over the lake.
The Lake Palace by night.
Temple stupa at night.
Early as the schoolkids, we headed off for the mountains north of Udaipur to the amazing Jain temples in Ranakpur.
The main temple at Ranakpur is an amazing building with 1444 columns inside, each covered with unique carvings and sculptures.
Meditating image.
Not a spot left uncarved.
Whoops! What happened to her clothing? Were curious what spiritual role this image plays.
Visitors crowd the main temple at Ranakpur.
Footprints.
Flower offering.
Cleanliness is paramount.
Another of the temples at Ranakpur.
Temple stupas.
One of many ornate, marble domes inside the main temple.
Elephant and rider.
At the main altar.
Mixing saffron and sandalwood to make a orange dye.
Temple leaf.
1444 of those fill the main temple!
Temple visitors.
What a carving!!
Gilding the statues.
Jain worshippers make tiny mandala-like images from rice grains.
Another temple elephant.
Wow!
Another great piece of art.
Temple corridor.
Men by the temple.
Camel ride, anyone?
Part 1: How about a banana?
Part 2: Sure, Ill have one.
Part 3: A very quick snatch.
Us at Ranakpur with Ashe still bearing her bindi.
At Ranakpur.
Temple garlands.
Well miss you, monkeys!
Hilltop stupa.
Goodbye Ranakpur!
Another evening in Udaipur and another wonderful sunset!
Sunset over the lake.
Lake Palace at night, again.
City garden.
Garden fountain.
Day three in Udaipur we decided to take a trip out to one of the lake islands. Unfortunately foreigners are expected to happily pay ten times the amount that Indians pay for the boat trip to the island. We boycotted and instead rented a paddle boat to make the long trip across the lake to the island. They turned us back at the island port.
Ashe in our paddle boat by the lake island.
A final sunset over Udaipur.
Temple elephant at dusk.
Sunset colors over that wonderful Lake Palace.
Sunset over Udaipurs lake.
Chittorgarhs fort is just a shell of what it once was but visiting the scattered and deserted ruins over the city is a great time nevertheless!
Another hollow, old palace.
Colorful Ganeesh.
One of the exquisite old temples inside the forts walls.
Companions for centuries.
Another of the forts old temples.
Temple idol.
Paying homage to a huge Shiva image.
One of the more impressive structures inside Chittors fort walls, the Tower of Victory.
Tower of Victory balconies.
Temple monkey.
Fort temple, high over the new city below.
The abandoned fort and its empty palaces belong to the monkeys now.
Hello, monkey.
Stare-down.
Stay back!
Symbols of Devi at her temple.
Baby monkey.
Horn Please. This should be Indians national slogan. They love their horns here.
Ashe inside our evening train. Its excruciatingly slow place and long stops at ghost town-ish stations made the train more our jail for the night than a mode of transport.
Sunset over the plains.
Sunrise over a reservoir in Bundi, our next small town stop in southern Rajasthan.
View over amazing Bundi at sunrise. Why this town remains off the main tourist circuit through Rajasthan, we dont know.
Bundis very blue Old Town and one of several palaces in town.
Behind the hillside palace, the crumbling, and overgrown Star Fort.
The fort above Bundi sits empty and almost completely forgotten.
Ashe passing through one of the many elephant-proof gates in the fort complex.
Yup, those spikes make this a tough gate to ram down.
Monkeys have the fort all to themselves and they are the only ones drawing from the three huge wells that sit on top of the hill.
Testing the waters.
Tiny Ganeesh on fort gate.
We caught the fort monkeys during their cleaning time.
Old habits die hard. Even this clever and engaging mouse garbage bin doesnt seem to work.
Bundis old town has several old wells, all intricately carved and decorated. Obviously, water was once reverred in this desert state.
Selling devotional flowers.
Bundis colorful back lanes.
Great entrance.
Tiny convenience stores like this one are a dime a dozen in India.
Passing lady.
Another great home entrance.
Breakfast.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
Mother and baby.
Chilling by the temple.
Bikes with these jugs full of water, milk, and possibly other things pass us all the time.
Water jug.
Baked potatoes they are not.
Rooftop lady.
Another water carrier.
Gate to Bundis abandoned hillside palace.
Great views from everyone of the many balconies at Bundis palace.
Inside the palace, some of Rajasthans most renowned murals.
Krishna image.
Battle scene.
Those maharajas loved their colored glass.
Elephant brackets.
Great ceiling.
Ashe hanging out.
Palace garden.
These small balconies would be even better if the pool was still filled with water and the fountain running.
One of the hundreds of fantasy scenes that fill the palace interior.
Krishna, always adored by the ladies.
Singh left his mark all over Rajasthan.
Mirrors.
Dancing circle.
Back in Old Town Bundis streets.
Bundis vegetable market is probably the most active and colorful that weve seen!
Market man.
Great turban color!
Lady in the market.
Everything by the kilo.
How many kilos?
What a turban!
Veggie man.
Kids in the market.
Multi-color turban.
Pottery lady.
How many Ashes do you see?
Each in her own color.
Pure veg.
Another veggie man.
So many colors!
Market scene.
Light and shadow.
One day Ill wear a sari too...
Lady in red.
Another great fluorescent orange turban.
Long beard.
Following the crowds towards the bus terminal.
Sunrise. We made the short hike up to the top of the temple hill over Pushkar to see the sunrise and village views.
Pushkar, one of Indias most popular backpacker destinations and chill out spots. We spent half a day in this holy town ruined by tourism and moved on.
Monkey over Pushkar.
Ashe engrossed in her book, A Brave New World, and all the politics and social commentary it makes.
Ashe with the monkeys. They definitely are not shy.
Below the hill, a temple to Brahma, one of only two to the Creator God in India.
Brahma, the Creator, sees everything.
Shrine to Hanuman, the popular Monkey God.
Wannabe snake charmer. He had to de-fang the cobra and force it to move around. Wheres the flute?
Unhappy cobra.
The square-shaped lake around which Pushkar is built is one of several very holy Hindu bathing places in India. As a result, much of is accessed only by ghats, holy bathing steps.
Checking the waters before taking that holy dip.
Man at the waters edge.
Bathers along Pushkars ghats.
Bathers.
Lakeside Krishna.
Cows, pigeons, and people, all welcome along the ghat steps.
Painted temple courtyard.
Brahma image along Pushkars lake.
Devi trident.
Sadhus, holy men, are a common sight in Pushkar.
Lady throwing flowers into the sacred lake.
Goodbye Pushkar!
An incredible miniature fantasy city fills the Jain Red Temple in Ajmer -- an image of what the historic Jain world looked like.
Wow, those Jains sure have an outstanding image of what their past utopia looked like!
We arrived in Jaipur, Rajasthans capital, in the evening and headed right away for its hilltop fort lookout over the Old Town hoping to get a memorable view over the Pink City. It didnt look too pink from up high.
Dusk in Jaipur.
The next morning, in front of Jaipurs most famous and photographed landmark, the Palace of the Winds.
Sadhu.
Down at street level, the Pink City looks much more pink.
Jaipur is also one of the most busy and noisy places weve yet been in India. The streets were more than we wanted to handle.
Pink facade.
The old king ordered that all buildings be painted pink, and so, the Pink City was born.
Just beyond the Old Town, the royal cremation grounds.
Not far from Jaipur, the royal town of Amber and its massive fort and palace complex. We had to weave our way between a long, long, long caravan of tourist elephants in order to get up to the palace gates.
Elephant caravan.
Main gate to Amber Palace.
Flower design in the Palace courtyard.
Great marble lattice-work.
Geometry.
Fantastic stained glass image inside one of the Palace rooms.
Silver and mother of pearl cover the walls of a Palace kiosk.
Murals.
Painted but unhappy elephant.
Our very final stop in Rajasthan, the small, but ornate, Deeg Palace.
Beautiful inlaid marble-work at Deeg Palace.
One of the many large kiosks on the Deeg Palace grounds.
Deeg Palace is flanked on two sides by large reservoirs once used for royal exploits, now used as public laundry spots.

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