India 7: Jaipur

Despite what these blog posts would suggest, I did in fact do archival work while I was in India. It just doesn't make for interesting photos (especially since none of the archives I worked at allowed photos!). My last trip was in September, when my friend Ravi and his family invited me to accompany them to Jaipur in Rajasthan.

As in Kolkata, Ravi went to Jaipur to conduct a workshop inviting Christians there to join in reaching out to those around them. I had the privilege of briefly sharing with this group too, but it was mainly Ravi and local leaders from Campus Crusade for Christ who led us in worship and teaching. The need for Christ to bring peace among peoples and transformation in hearts was underlined by recent events when we arrived: the center of the city was shut down due to clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the past several days. (In fact, the authorities shut down mobile internet connectivity in the city, too, to prevent outrage fueling reprisals among the various groups on social media!)

Oliver approved of the proceedings.

Relaxing (with tea, of course) with the Campus Crusade leaders after the workshop, in the hills above Jaipur.

After our one-day workshop, while Ravi attended a conference of Christian leaders from across Rajasthan, I took the opportunity to see the sights. Principally, I explored two fortresses which overlook Jaipur, sitting atop hills just outside the city. The first, Amer Fort, is often referred to as "Amber Fort" because of its sandstone walls. Since the fortresses are up a bit (Amer Fort is the lower of the two), you have to climb a lot of stairs.

Members of GAS: Goats Against Stairs. 

However, all that climbing allows for amazing views of the incredible lines of fortifications which stretch all across the hills:

The Amber Fort was built in the 1600s, and served as the seat of the Rajput Maharajas who ruled the region. Below are pictures of the Ganesh Gate, dedicated to one of the most popular and well-known Hindu gods, the elephant-headed Ganesh. The gate separates the public portion of the palace from the private residence.

Ganesh Gate

Door of the Ganesh Gate

Beyond the Ganesh Gate, in the private portion of the palace, you find not only perfectly manicured gardens, but also the Hall of Private Audience (Diwan-i-Khas), where royals would entertain special guests.

Garden facing Diwan-i-Khas (from above)

Enlarged to see the intricate decoration of the walls of Diwan-i-Khas.

Diwan-i-Khas from the garden

Surrounding fortifications, seen from rooftop of Amber Fort

Decoration in the Ladies' Chambers

Conveniently, a tunnel connects Amber Fort to the fortress which looms on the hilltop above it, known as Jaigarh Fort. Thankfully I didn't have to rely on torchlight to get through. Built in 1726, Jaigarh improved the security of Amber Fort, but it also protected a massive cannon foundry, which had operated for decades thanks to iron ore deposits in the surrounding hills. Also due to some fortunate politicking: according to the explanation at the fort, the Mughals closely guarded their mastery of gunpowder weapons after conquering north India from Afghanistan in the early 1500s. However, they sent the ruler of Amber Fort to wage a campaign in Afghanistan in the mid-1500s, and the rulers brought gunpowder and its attendant weapons technology back with them. (You'll see the gunpowder connection below.) Jaigarh sits at the very top of the hill, offering an unparalleled view.

Jaigarh looking down on Amber Fort

The view from Jaigarh

Looking down on Amber Fort, from Jaigarh Fort.

The fortifications snake around a small reservoir.

The cannon foundry was obviously successful, as it produced cannons both small and large:

Cannon cast in 1599

This big 'un is called Jaivana. Cast in 1720, it is 20 feet long, weighs 50 tons, and can fire a cannonball 22 miles.

Man standing in a poor position vis-a-vis Jaivana.

And the ever-present monkey, guarding Jaigarh.

From the heights at Jaigarh, you can see down to the city of Jaipur proper, by Man Sagar Lake. In the middle of the lake, you can make out an island with a palace on it:

Except it's not exactly an island with a palace on it: it's more of a palace-island. This is Jal Mahal (water palace), built in 1750, and it actually goes even further down into the lake, with 4 submerged stories! I don't really understand the engineering of all that, but it's really pretty.

Jal Mahal from eye level

On the way out of Jaipur at the end of a lovely week, we were accompanied by the elephants (which you can hire to take you up the hills to Amber Fort). Elephants are cool. I had to photo out the car window, so apologies for the poor quality.

My sincere thanks to Ravi and his family, yet again, for inviting me to join them on this incredible trip. In my next blog post, I will offer more information about what Ravi and his colleagues are doing, and how I got to offer a tiny bit of help.

***
For the video today, I pull out one of the big guns; my favorite of the short films viewed from the Satellite of Love on MST3K.