14th February: Amber Fort and Brahma

Clem bounced out of bed early and with remarkable enthusiasm, not because it was Valentine's day but because she was excited about the prospect of riding an elephant up to Amber Fort.

After wolfing down an excellent breakfast we were picked up by our driver at around 8.30.  We collected our guide on the way and continued on towards Amber Fort, around 10 km outside of Jaipur.  We hurried out of the car and along to the start of the elephant ride, but there was already a sizeable queue lined up alongside a stone wall.  The queue moved quickly and was in pleasantly shaded and verdant gardens, so we managed to stay patient.  There were at least a dozen elephants winding their way up and down between the queue and the fort, a very impressive (and presumably very profitable) business.

Looking up at the magnificent Amber Fort

Any one need a ride?

Start of the conveyor belt

After twenty minutes or so we arrived at the front of the queue, climbing up some steps onto the wall from which we boarded our well-decorated elephant.  It was rather sad to see such a mighty beast reduced to carrying tourists up the hill, but I can't pretend it wasn't fun (albeit seriously uncomfortable).  We entered the fort through a series of huge gates, emerging into a large square. We were rather surprised that the first level of the fort was filled with colourful stalls and, more bizarrely, short bursts of loud music.  Then we saw the camera booms, and realised that we were on the set of a Bollywood film.  As our elephant trudged around the edge of the square towards the drop-off point we could see the dancers working on their routine as music blared out in ten-second bursts (slightly strange to be doing rehearsals on set, I would have thought).  It wasn't exactly the most authentic welcome to the fort, but it was certainly fun to see.

Heading up the hill

Through the main gate to the fort

Entering the main square

Lights, camera, action

About to be dropped off in the main square

We made our way up the stone steps from the square to the second level of the fort, guarded by another immense gate.  We entered into a courtyard with a beautiful Hall of Private Audience on one side and gardens on the other.  After admiring the hall of audience we climbed up stone staircases through the fort, emerging onto the ramparts overlooking the first main square on one side (where the dance rehearsals continued) and the city of Amber on the other (which used to be the dynastic capital before it was moved down to Jaipur for an improved water supply).

Entrance to the palace at the heart of the fort

Looking down on the main square

Ganesh Gate

Inside the Hall of Private Audience

We wandered for a while through the narrow stone passageways and staircases, enjoying the ambience of the mighty fort, then walked down from the fort to the car park where our driver was waiting for us.  We had loaded the car with our luggage that morning, so we were able to head on to our next stop, Pushkar, without a time-wasting return to the centre of Jaipur.

Looking down at the gardens where we had queued for the elephants

Last courtyard before the exit

Giant bowls used for feeding the staff

On the way we had a brief stop to take a photo of the stunning exterior of the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), so called because of its 953 small windows.  We would have liked to go inside but there simply wasn't time for everything.  Our guide consoled us that the interior was of little interest in comparison to the fine facade, and it was convenient for us to believe him.

The magnificent Hawa Mahal

After a drive of several hours we arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Pushkar.  We'd rather blown our budget on this one, the Ananta Resort, but it was very pleasant and offered a relaxing atmosphere that was much needed after our rapid descent from Delhi.  After dropping off our bags we were driven into town to see Pushkar's temple to Brahma.  Despite being the god of creation, Brahma has very few temples dedicated to him (supposedly due to a curse by his jealous wife).  Cameras were not allowed inside the temple and we were not convinced by the "safe deposit" boxes, so we took turns to climb the steps up to the temple and wander around.  The complex was fairly small, just one courtyard with the temple at its centre, with a queue of devotees presenting offerings to the image of Brahma inside.  We climbed up some stairs that took us to the walls of the temple, from which we could see across the town (and wave at my parents waiting below).

Brahma temple in Pushkar

From there we walked through the town, amidst the stalls, hawkers, and cows, to the ghats on the edge of Pushkar lake.  We removed our shoes and made our way down the steps to the edge of the water, a relatively peaceful spot away from the crowds.  Off to our left some locals were bathing in the sacred water.  A few "priests" came up to sell us ("just donation") some flowers as offerings to secure the health of our family and friends, but we waved these frauds away.

Making offerings down by the ghat

After this very brief visit to Pushkar we were driven back to the Ananta, where we settled in for a relaxing evening.  The only irritation was having to resist the rathy pushy waiter's attempts to persuade us to opt for the special "Valentine's day buffet", whereas we just wanted to order from the menu.  Otherwise it was a very enjoyable meal and a soothing pause from our hectic dash across Rajasthan.