I have always thought of Rajasthan as “haunted” – with huge stretches of deserts, old and decaying forts, camel herders, dry brush and howling winds bringing up swirls of sand…and much of this has to do with Hindi films namely Lamhe and more recently, Dor.
But truth be told – Rajasthan has seen many bitter battles and invasions and it stands to reason that some of the past-violence could have had some influence on its present day status – by haunted, I didn’t mean ghosts walking the corridors – but more like a memory lingering painfully in the hearts of local folks, a sense of loss, desire and want – a sigh that refuses to die…something faraway and mysterious…
I was not sure what to expect when I visited Jaipur – but whatever it was, I was not expecting to fall in love.
THE FORTS OF JAIPUR
The forts have their own charm. Their own story and their own little world inside the fortified walls and glittering interiors. If they could speak, there would stories of love, pain and loss – of war and defeat, fear and insecurities…but today these forts remain like a skeleton – only an indication. to paint a complete picture would require a study of history books and vivid imagination.
During my brief stay, I visited various forts and palaces and the Observatory – and I am happy to say that Rajasthan more than pleased my travelers senses – visually, culturally and practically!
I was surprised, I don’t know why, to find opulence of this kind – I mean, I have seen palaces and forts in different parts of the world, but the forts of Rajasthan took my breath away. See what I meant by breaking myths? I think it was more prejudice than myth – but that is another story!
Even more surprising, again I cant explain why I felt this way, was the fact that they were geared to welcome tourists, taking care about the essentials – clean toilets (and free to use), free drinking water – cold if you please! Inside this Fort, was a coffee shop – Cafe Coffee Day too!
