Day One & Two: New Delhi & Jaipur

Today going to write about my Golden Triangle trip in India. India's golden triangle is a tourist circuit which connects the national capital Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and known as Golden Triangle because of the triangular shape formed by the locations of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan on a map. The Golden Triangle is now a well traveled route providing a good spectrum of the country's different landscapes.

In this trip, i'm travelling with my bestie,Sirin. We took a flight from Dubai to Delhi with Air India. Emirates do flying to Delhi but usually the flight is full so we don't want to take a risk so we bought full fare ticket to safe us with all those hassle.

Both of us basically just back from operating flight, but we always try our best to match our flight roster and travel more often.

The flight took about 3 hours and 20 minutes, both of us slept throughout the entire flight. By the time when we arrived Delhi, it was already night time so we didn't do much apart from dinner and walk around the night market nearby our hotel. The next morning we ate the breakfast in the hotel and ready to check out as we going to stay in Agra for second night.

We start the day by visiting the most famous mosque in the Delhi, called Jama Masjid. This mosque is one of the largest mosques in India, and situated in Old Delhi. Its construction was started in 1644 and completed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. There are tons of Hindus and foreigners in the mosque. Ladies need to cover the head and not allow to wear footwear inside the premises.

Jama Masjid is principal mosque in Delhi, the place where the city’s Muslims traditionally gather for Friday communal prayer.

An open courtyard facing the eastern gateway of the mosque building is at least 99 metres square and can accommodate 25,000 people. The eastern gateway itself was originally reserved for royal use exclusively.

The view from the top of the mosque. We also learnt that in 2006 and 2010, Jama Masjid was the scene of two violent incidents possibly connected with terrorism. In 2006, 13 people were injured when two bombs went off in shopping bags left in the courtyard, and in 2010 two people were wounded in an attack by gunmen on a tourist bus parked outside the mosque.

After spending some time in the mosque, we continue our trip to Jaipur. The drive from Delhi to Jaipur take about 5 hours so we hired the driver. This driver also will bring us around the Jaipur.

On the way we to Jaipur, we stop by this place that full with monkeys so we feed these monkeys. I slept entire the trip because somehow my body still trying to recover as I quite tired and exhausted from my previous trip.

After 5 hours, we arrived in Amer Fort. Amber Palace, Amber Fort, Amer Palace and Amer Fort are all different names but referred to the same place. Amer is from Hindi. This palace is built in 1592. The royal family had been residing here until Jai Singh II decided to move the capital to Jaipur and a new City Palace was built.

With its large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace. Mughal architecture greatly influenced the architectural style of several buildings of the fort.

Made out of sandstone and marble, Amber Fort consists of a series of four courtyards, palaces, halls, and gardens. At its entrance lies the primary courtyard, known as Jaleb Chowk. It's here that the king's soldiers assembled and paraded themselves around. Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) and Chand Pol (Moon Gate) lead into this courtyard.

The gardens.

The entrance to the fort.

A popular way of reaching the top of Amber Fort is to ride on an elephant from the car park to Jaleb Chowk. If you do go ahead with it, expect to pay 1,100 rupees per elephant which can carry two people at a time. The rides take place in the mornings from 7am until 11.30 am.

Next we continue to Jal Mahal. Jal Mahal is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city. The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber. There is no boat service to bring you to the palace. But is a good places to walk around, get some pictures and buy the souvenirs.

Jaipur is the prime attraction of Rajasthan which is known for its remarkable history and famed as the Pink City. Being one of the earliest mapped cities in India, the remarkably well-preserved heritage of Jaipur boasts ancient forts, old markets and royal palaces. Showcasing excellent charm and architectural grandeur, there are myriad places to explore in Jaipur and the City Palace of Jaipur happens to be one of the prime tourist attractions in the pink city.

Lotus Gate also known as Summer Gate of Pritam Nawas Chowk. The Lotus Gate representatives the summer season and the repetitives pattern of the lotus petals is suggestive the same. It faces the south east and is dedicated to the heavenly couple- Lord Shiva and Goddess Pavarti.

We loved the gorgeous blue Sukh Niwas or the Hall of Rest and the Chandra Mahal was indeed a treasure trove of artistic beauty. Painted in Wedgewood blue and decorated with white lining, Sukh Niwas is used as the drawing and dining space of the Maharaja. Fully ornamented with Mughal miniatures, silver and glass tables, it is breathtakingly beautiful in the filtering sunlight. The aura like sunshine pouring in through the balconies often create ripple like shadow patterns on the blue room and makes one feel like being submerged in clearest of the seas.

The Rang Mandir on the third floor of Chandra Mahal is a room full of mirrors and the Shobha Niwas on the fourth floor is known as the Hall of Beauty. Completely decorated with mirrored walls, Shobha Niwas too sports blue tiles which are designed with mica and gold leaves. The Chhavi Niwas or the Hall of Images on the 5th floor is a monsoon retreat of the Maharaja and the elegant Sri Niwas takes up the 6th floor.

As you can see most of the city were in pink color. They said with Prince Albert enticed to Jaipur, the Maharaja set about beautifying his city and this included repainting the entire city. The colour chosen was a terracotta pink as this colour historically represents welcoming and hospitality.

The crowning Mukut Mandir (rooftop temple) gives away breathtaking views and the city stretches unhindered until the hazy Aravalli Hills in the horizon.

Next, we stop and take picture with Hawa Mahal. Due to time constraint, we only able to take picture with the building structures. The name of Hawa Mahal means 'Palace Of Winds' and very popular because it unique five-storey exterior is akin to the honeycomb of a beehive with its 953 small windows called jharokhas through which the breeze flows in and keeps the palace cool. The main function of the palace was to allow the women of royal family to watch the street without common people spotting them. The windows are angled to allow a good view of the market area where religious ceremonies and processions take place.

Our final stop in Jaipur is Galtaji Temple before we drive to Agra. This temple is outlined by the striking Aravalli hills, it consists of several shrines, holy kunds, pavilions and natural springs and it also have unique in its architecture and has been constructed like a palace. It is situated in the Aravalli hills and is bound by thick plush trees and bushes.

The temple complex is inhabited by a large tribe of monkeys that also bathe and swim there, as well as accept food from visitors. These rhesus macaques were featured in National Geographic Channel's ‘Rebel Monkeys’ series and ‘Thar Desert - Sacred sand’ episode of Wildest India Series, which was very interesting to watch after having visited the temple on a day when the monkeys were quiet and subdued.

As I was walking from the Galta Gate to the Shri Sitaram Temple, I found that the entire path was dotted with small shrines- some dedicated to the Sun, and some dedicated to Lord Krishna. Along with these temples, the monkeys also became my constant company, as some even followed me around.

In India, the cows considered as the holy animal. Hindus, however, are vegetarians and they consider the cow to be a sacred symbol of life that should be protected and revered.

We continue to drive from Jaipur to Agra. The drive will take about another 5 hours. After the whole day tour in Jaipur, I slept in the car on the way to Agra.

Love,

Elene