This couple on their travel route visited Jaipur and went through the annals of the beautiful pink city. From the vibrant spice markets to the rich cultural history and the minefields of artistic output.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Jaipur, known as the Pink City of India, is the largest city in the state of Rajasthan.
00:07 Under the rule of Sawai Ram Singh, Jaipur was painted pink,
00:12 traditionally a colour associated with hospitality, for the grand welcome of Edward, Prince of Wales.
00:21 The pink colour is retained even today and residents have to preserve it.
00:27 After visiting Delhi, we left for Jaipur.
00:32 The traffic was very busy, a lot of honking and everything is mixed up.
00:40 In some parts the cars even come our way as wrong-way drivers.
00:46 We stopped halfway and a large herd of sacred cows passed by,
00:50 accompanied by a man with a stick and a big beautiful turban.
00:56 The Rajasthani women are performing Bhavai, a traditional dance carrying six water jugs on their head.
01:06 In the evening we saw a Rajasthani woman performing Bhavai,
01:11 a traditional dance carrying six water jugs on her head.
01:31 With our guide Jeet we visited the spice and vegetable market.
01:39 See the colourful chaotic streets of the city, ebb and flow with an intoxicating concoction of old and new.
02:01 Step aside for buses and motorcycles, avoid pedestrians and ignore bicycle rickshaws looking for tourists.
02:12 Step aside for buses and motorcycles, avoid pedestrians and ignore bicycle rickshaws looking for tourists.
02:35 Men and women sat on the street selling fruit and vegetables.
02:43 Havelis in Jaipur are one of the most dominant aspects of its heritage.
03:03 These are also known as traditional courtyard mansions used as residential units.
03:12 Most old havelis can be found in the walled city area.
03:18 These buildings are a reflection of the grandeur of yesteryear.
03:26 Many such buildings have now been converted into hotels.
03:34 Rhesus macaque monkeys are easy to spot in the walled city area of Jaipur,
03:43 since they tend to live around human settlements.
03:49 We saw some real Indian manual labour.
03:59 Jeet had arranged for a cycle rickshaw and we rode through the Sankarneri Gate in the city wall and back.
04:11 We Westerners don't really think it's appropriate for someone to pedal so hard for our fun,
04:38 but the bicycle rickshaw industry provides immediate employment for unskilled migrants.
05:03 The seats are quite small, but the view of the city and the experience of the heavy traffic
05:09 will make up for the inconvenience.
05:15 [Music]
05:35 [Cup clinking]
05:39 [Music]
05:57 After the bazaar we went to a company where everything was handmade;
06:04 printed fabric, woven carpets, clothing and wooden objects for the home.
06:14 Master block
06:16 Second block
06:29 [Music]
06:44 After printing, oxidized the colors under the sunlight takes 48 hours.
06:59 And how he put the knots you can see slowly.
07:03 You see the slowly here. First trench, second behind, third cross, put it down and cut.
07:13 Various techniques were shown to us.
07:19 [Music]
07:35 [Music]
07:57 And eventually carpets that we could buy. Credit cards no problem.
08:04 890,000 knots. 26 colors in this carpet here which he is going to show you now.
08:14 [Music]
08:31 The Amber Fort is close to Jaipur city.
08:36 There are two ways to get to the top of the fort; by elephant or by jeep.
08:43 We took a jeep because we had heard about how badly the elephants are treated and abused.
08:49 Some elephants still had paint drawings on their trunks from the Jaipur Elephant Festival.
08:58 On the way up we stopped at a Hindu temple Sri Jagat Siromaniji
09:04 that had very beautiful stonework, elephants, horses and many representations of goddesses.
09:15 We're in a jeep, we're going to the Amber Fort.
09:20 We stopped just before the fort and walked through the moon gate.
09:25 At the top of the moon gate two musicians played a large drum and a kind of trumpet.
09:33 The elephants take the winding path leading up to the sun gate; so named because it faces the east.
09:49 Jalep Chok
09:51 This was the place where armies would hold victory parades with their war bounty on their return from battles.
10:03 Shiladevi Temple
10:06 Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audiences
10:13 Here the Raja would conduct the businesses of court.
10:18 The Ganesh Pole, the most striking gateway, is dedicated to the Hindu elephant-headed god Ganesh.
10:26 The gate is covered with delicate frescoes and mosaics and set with finely carved lattice screens.
10:34 From behind the privacy of these screens, the royal ladies could watch the ceremonial functions in the courtyard below.
10:44 Satais Kacheri, colonnade of 27 pillars
10:50 The Shishmahal has walls and ceilings entirely covered with inlay works of mirrors and coloured glass.
11:10 The flame of a single candle, reflected in the tiny mirrors embedded in the Shishmahal ceilings,
11:17 transforms it into a starlit sky.
11:23 The Amber Fort is a remarkable blend of different cultures into one magnificent architectural style
11:36 with contributions from the Raiputs (Hindu) and the Mughals (Muslim)
11:43 Arambagh or Pleasure Gardens
11:57 Jaigarh Fort
12:06 The Baradari is a colonnaded pavilion where the king would mingle with the ladies of court.
12:15 Behind this were the twelve rooms of the twelve wives of the Maharaja.
12:25 There are many secret passages here so that the Maharaja could go to a favourite woman
12:33 without making another jealous.
12:39 Another snake charmer was on the way down. The cobra barely moved.
12:47 Jal Mahal, also called the Water Palace, appears to float in the middle of Mansagar Lake.
12:55 It is closed to visitors, so you can only admire it from the shore.
13:04 Luckily today was the International Kite Festival, Jaipur,
13:09 so the whole cave was full of Indians with kites.
13:17 You are supposed to fly them against each other and whoever keeps flying wins.
13:29 On the podium was a very old man that could fly 100 kites in a line.
13:36 Babu Gha, eminent kite flyer with some of our foreign tourists here on the stage.
13:43 Old tourists were placed on the podium and he made an attempt to fly with one kite, but failed.
13:57 There were cultural performances such as dance groups, orchestras,
14:08 a marionette player
14:14 and a dance group with peacock feathers.
14:19 The full recording can be seen in the YouTube special "Jaipur Cultural Dances".
14:31 The beautiful honeycombed facade of the Hawa Mahal is probably the most photographed building in Jaipur.
14:45 It served the purpose of letting the royal ladies observe everyday life
14:51 in the street below without being seen.
15:10 The Jantar Mantar Observatory is a collection of 19 stone astronomical instruments
15:17 for measuring time, predicting eclipses
15:23 and tracking location of major stars and the sun and the moon.
15:34 The world's largest sundial
15:39 and the largest star in the universe.
15:41 Large stone steps and pointer indicate exactly what time it is or what day.
15:52 An oblique slope indicates where the North Star is.
16:01 At the city's heart, the city palace continues to house the Jaipur royal family.
16:11 Ganesh
16:19 Gangajalis - the Ganges water urns
16:39 Chandramoul
16:58 Pritham Niwas Chowk is the inner courtyard with four small gates,
17:25 representing the four seasons and Hindu gods.
17:35 They are decorated with peacock motifs and even some 3D versions.
17:50 Here a guard showed us how a turban was put together. It was eight meters long.
18:02 The Ganges is the largest river in India. It is the largest river in the world.
18:15 We've been to the crafts demonstration area.
18:37 Dermukes showed how he made very small detailed paintings.
18:59 If you put a little water on the stone, you can colour.
19:15 After the grind mix gum arabic from Acacia tree.
19:19 For the miniature work I used this single hairbrush made of stural tail.
19:36 Next week we'll show you more of the Emperor fort.