Trip to Rajasthan (7 – 21 November 2010)
In September we decided to take a trip together: my wife and I, her brother and his wife, and a friend. Our first trip together, and the destination we chose was Rajasthan. As usual I got hold of quite a few history books and gorged myself on facts from prehistory to the Aryan invasion, all the way to the Mughals, losing myself in a list of rulers' names.
We sketched out a route, the classic itinerary adapted to our timescale, and contacted Karni.
And finally, in November, we left. A little tension, a little anticipation. I had already been to India (25 years ago) and I expected changes. Over these years our cities have become, or feel, more dangerous… But the colours of Rajasthan??
The emotion is still fresh, and I certainly found more than I expected. The plain as you race from Bikaner towards the desert, the Thar Desert, the parks and the animals (the cranes of Kheechan). Here are the Hindu temples with their bright colours, their sounds and their cheerfulness. Here is Jaisalmer with its fort and the golden colour of the sand. And here, unexpected in their beauty, their richness and their quiet spirituality, are the Jain temples. I could lose myself for days observing the details of the columns, each one different from the others. And I would follow the worshippers in their quiet prayers as they draw symbols unknown to me with grains of rice.
Then we race south: mountains and forests. It's another India, with its formidable fortresses, walled cities able to withstand endless sieges, but which fell to the Muslim invaders, with the memory of the thousands of suicides of the Rajput women. Here, inside the fort, in its most protected part, is the palace with its treasures and its fairy tales. Then the blue city, Jodhpur; here is Udaipur with its lakes and its sunsets, too short and fabulous, with the red of the clouds chasing one another. Up and down valleys, mountains and forests as far as Pushkar with its fair: cattle and horses, camels decorated with patterns, acrobats, snake charmers, dancers and the people, proud and determined in their gaze. Here are the horse and camel shows, and the races, the table where the haggling is done, the funfair and the fruit stalls. Further on, food is being prepared, …
We end the trip with Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, with Amber Fort and the Jantar Mantar observatory, and with fabulous Fatehpur Sikri, a city that was resplendent in 1569 and suddenly died (or rather fell asleep, waiting for a new life). And then Agra. I was apprehensive about the Taj Mahal: could it disappoint me? Here is the light of dawn with its light mist and the pink silhouette. I would have stayed all day: the light changes, and so do the colours and the details it brings out. But it isn't only this: there is the Itimad-ud-Daulah mausoleum in Persian style and the austere Mausoleum of Akbar in sandstone and white marble, with the green of the park where deer graze.
But it isn't only this: it is a world rich in treasures. And then the people, always ready to have a chat, and the children with their lively eyes, full of hope. You realise that many speak more than one language correctly (not only English, which we and our students find so hard). India is the largest democracy in the world, with its fascinating and complex thousand-year history. It faces demanding problems, which it is tackling with determination.
We should learn from the Indians the spirit to face our own problems.
Only regret: the trip is over, and you would have wanted more….
And to lose yourself in the markets (not only in the tourist shops), and talk with the people again, marvel at the colours again, observe the faces of the women and the children.
MY ITINERARY – ARRIVAL – 07 November [Sunday] at 09:15 on EK 510
DEPARTURE – 21 November [Sunday] at 04:15 on EK 513
07 November [Sunday] – Arrival and night in Delhi – Hotel The Park
08 November [Monday] – Mandawa – Hotel Castle Mandawa
09 November [Tuesday] – Fatehpur / Deshnoke / Bikaner – Hotel Sagar
10 November [Wednesday] – Kheechan / Ramdeora / Jaisalmer – Hotel Rang Mahal
11 November [Thursday] – Khuri / Jaisalmer – Hotel Rang Mahal
12 NOVEMBER [Friday] – Osiyan / Jodhpur (Sardar Market visit) – Hotel Ranbanka
13 November [Saturday] – Ranakpur / Kumbhalgarh / Udaipur – Hotel Ram Pratap Palace
14 November [Sunday] – Udaipur – Hotel Ram Pratap Palace
15 NOVEMBER [Monday] – Chittaurgarh / Pushkar (Ajmer) (Pushkar Fair) – Royal Safari Camp
16 November [Tuesday] – Pushkar (Pushkar Fair) – Royal Safari Camp
17 November [Wednesday] – Jaipur – Hotel Shahpura House
18 November [Thursday] – Amber / Jaipur – Hotel Shahpura House
19 November [Friday] – Fatehpur Sikri / Agra – Hotel Clarks Shiraz
20 NOVEMBER [Saturday] – DELHI – NO HOTEL
21 NOVEMBER [Sunday] – departure very early in the morning
Written by the traveller and first published in Italian on our former Italian website. Translated from Italian.