Ranakpur Jain Temple

The Jain Temple at Ranakpur was one of the most outstanding sites we visited on our trip through Rajasthan.  It was constructed from 1439-1458AD and built from white marble.  The workmanship in the structure and the carved details that surround you are truly amazing.  From the overall light and airy design of the building, to the most intricate details, this place gives you a feel for the passion and care that went into the building of it.   

After removing your shoes and storing any leather items you have on you, you pass through the main entry, which gives you a glimpse of what is in store for the visitor inside.

The roof is supported by over 1400 pillars, all of which are carved with architectural details and figures.  It is worth noting that no two pillars are alike. Even the ceilings and domes are covered with incredible detailed carvings. 

Scattered around the temple are sculptures of animals and shrines.

Just outside of the main complex is a small, rather neglected looking shrine.  Could it be this was set aside for the dogs?  This pup seems to think so. Actually that would fit right into the Jain religion, as they believe in doing no harm to any living creature.

On to Ranakpur, a magnificent Jain temple

On the way to Ranakpur I snapped a few street scenes as we whizzed by in our hired taxi.  Camels are one thing we don't see in Southern India, though they are used extensively in Rajasthan.  

Most tourists hire a private car taxi with a driver, or are travelling in a big tourist bus, but the typical taxi for the locals is a Jeep which is always crammed to overflowing with people and their bags. 

This band of monkeys have found a good hang out on the side of the road, with an expression on their faces that says "What have you got for me?" 

When we reached the Jain temple we were impressed, but it did not prepare me for what lay inside.

The palace at Kumbhalgarh

. Construction at Kumbhalgarh was started in the 15th century, and was occupied and expanded into the late 19th century.  The most recent addition is the palace which is a jumble of passageways, small rooms and large courtyards.

Open to the courtyards are smaller rooms. I believe these used by the royal family for sleeping quarters and a place to sit when holding court, or watching a performance.

Every doorway and entry is decorated in the typical scalloped arch Rajasthan style.  Some of the rooms still had wall murals intact.

You can see for miles over the hills from the roof, although it was a bit hazy when we were there.  On a clear day I have read that you can see the desert sand dunes to the west. 

This sign set into a stone wall caught my eye because the people of India do indeed have a reason to be proud of their heritage and fortunately sites like this one at Kumbhalgarh are being preserved and open to the public where one can really get a feel for the local history.

Inside Kumbhalgarh's walls

Ancient temples are scattered across the landscape inside the walls of the fortress.  According to Wikipedia there are 300 Jain, and over 60 Hindu temples, some of them still in use today.    

This young girl is returning to her village with a bundle of green leaves that is larger than herself.  She had been out gathering to feed the cows they keep.

Some of the temples were of a different variety than we see in Tamil Nadu, this one had some very intricate lattice type carvings. 

As we started our short climb up to the top of the hill, we passed through another set of imposing gates, complete with some very wicked looking spikes mounted on it's face.

The Royal palace that sits on top of the hill is the most recent construction, as each succeding ruler built on top, or added to what had been built by the previous kings.  The result is a maze of passages and stairways, some of which was intentional to confuse any invading forces. 

Former residences were abandonded as the Maharajas continued to build up to the sky. 

 It is interesting to note the stones projecting out from the side of the stairs.  We saw these scattered about and concluded they must have been used for holding torches.

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Outside of Udaipur are several sights worth seeing, so we hired a car and driver for a day and departed for a rather hair raising ride to visit the Kumbhalgarh Fort and a magnificent Jain Temple.

We were prepared to see a fortress at Kumbhalgarh, but were not expecting to see anything on the grand scale as this once vibrant hilltop city totally enclosed within massive rock walls.  I don't know if it is true, but it is said that the wall is the second longest in the world next to the great wall of China.  It is easy to believe when you see the wall disappear from sight, winding it's way into the distant hills like some huge snake.

Now the only inhabitants living inside the wall live in a small village just inside the main gate. The palace at the top of the hill is no longer used, but is kept open for the many tourists who come to marvel at it's grandeur. When visiting sights like this, it is impossible not to visualize thousands of troops marching along the wall, or firing their arrows at the enemy through narrow arrow slots.  It is also easy to see the hustle and bustle of the village people tending the crops, worshippers thronging the many temples, and above it all the nobility, living in extravagance, looking over this self contained community.  

A Rajasthan well

On our way into the high desert country outside of Udaipur, we stopped by the roadside to see one of the typical water wells that are scattered about the valleys.  The water is drawn from these wells in a continuous chain of buckets that are attached to a large pulley.  The whole contraption is powered by a couple of oxen who walk in circles all day. 

Watching the man drive the oxen, and the women carrying the water off in buckets balanced on the top of their their heads, I could block out the occasional car zooming past on the nearby road, and easily picture myself in a scene from ancient times.

When the oxen driver gets tired of walking he is able to rest on a seat that is rigged up on the log which the oxen are pulling.

It was to much for our friend Kristen to resist a ride when it was offered to her.

On to Rajasthan

Train travel in India is an experience in itself.  We travelled mostly in sleeper cars where you typically share a curtained compartment with 8 other people.  Of course, that is if people who are on the waiting list don't get on the train.  In which case you may end up in close quarters with an extra family until it is time to fold the sleeping bunks down, at which time the unreserved family is left to their own devices.  The trains are reasonably clean, and if you are on a budget and have the time, it's a great way to see India.

The next morning found us in Rajasthan in Northwestern India.  For many westerners, this is the India they have heard of, the land of kings, where Maharajahs built massive forts, kept a large harem, and travelled by camel and elephant. 

 We found a very nice hotel in Udaipur with a fantastic rooftop restaurant view overlooking the city and the lake it is built around.  I took advantage of the view to snap the photos below:

Udaipur turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip, being located further away from Delhi and Agra where the Taj Mahal is located, it is more laid back than the hustle and bustle of the more easily accessible tourist areas.  The nearby forts and temples are truly impressive, but I'll save those posts for another day. 

Life on the canals

The people who live along the canals literally have the water right at their doorstep.  This is where the women scrub their clothes, and then slap them on a flat rock.  It is also where the pots and pans are washed.  The family too, bathes in the canal. 

The canals are often surrounded with miles of rice fields. This woman is drying rice or some other grain in front of her house.

Wild ducks were abundant in large flocks. We also noticed some people had fenced off small areas in front of their homes where they kept captive ducks.

Tourism is big business in Alleppey as witnessed by the hundreds of houseboats docked along the canal. More than once we passed boat building drydocks where they were building more. Fortunately there are so many miles of canals and lakes that we did not run into any houseboat traffic jams.

Boats of Alleppey

Alleppey, in the state of Kerala, is sometimes referred to as the Venice of India due to the seemingly endless maze of canals and lakes in and around the surrounding area.  I have not been to Venice, but I think the similarities must end there.  Though more laid back than other places, this is still definitely tropical India with it's rice paddies, banana plantations and the streets full of crazy, honking traffic and the occasional cow in the road. 

Because of it's charm and beauty, Kerala has become a very popular tourist destination. They come to view the wildlife in the sanctuaries, trek in the hills or just relax on some of the best tropical beaches in India. One of the main attractions however is a cruise in the canals and backwaters around Alleppey and Kochin.

We were surprised and a little disappointed when we first saw the boat that had been scheduled for the three of us.  We had hoped for a smaller, more intimate traditional boat with a thatched sunroof.  It turned out however, to be a good choice, with our very friendly Captain and the ability to sit or stretch out under the shaded rooftop.

The ultimate cruise is an overnighter on one of the picturesque houseboats which range in size from this modest one to three story floating luxury mini hotels, where you have A/C bedrooms, and are pampered and treated to a freshly caught fish dinner.

The traditional wooden boats come in all sizes, from the big floating houseboats to the small canoes like this one docked under a magnificent Banyan tree, though more often than not they did not have outboard motors attached. Because the only access to many of the houses is by foot path or water, people who live on the canals use these canoes as their main mode of transport.  There are also the public ferries which are always packed with people, though I have to say some of these boats did not look very seaworthy.

We saw quite a few of these medium sized working boats loaded down with everything from cooking gas tanks, to bricks and sand, some loaded down with so much that it looked as though the slightest wave would sink them.  These boats typically did not have motors, but were propelled by human pole power.

High in the Nilgiri Hills

As we continued our climb, we had more photo ops of the landscape which our group took full advantage of.

The Nilgiri Hills were originally inhabited by the Toda tribe, of which there are still a few existing villages, though I understand their numbers are diminishing. They have their own religion and have unique thatched temples.

When we reached the summit we had a fantastic view looking out over the valleys below.  Hanuman (the hindu god in the likeness of a monkey) apparently also likes this view as he gazes out over the landscape from what the locals call monkey rock.

We had a couple of very friendly local dogs accompany us on our hike. This one also appreciated the view, who without any hesitation sought out the most precarious overlook to settle down on.

Passing through the village on our way back to Ooty we passed this boy who was having a lot of fun skating down the steep streets on his homemade cart made of sticks and ball bearings for wheels.