My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur and Thar Desert

As a part of my Rajasthan tour with my family members, we first visited Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan and thereafter visited Udaipur and Mount Abu. We left Mount Abu in the morning of 28th December and started our journey to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. In my previous three posts I have shared my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited with my family in Jaipur, Udaipur and Mount Abu. In this post I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur and Thar Desert.

1. Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

We reached Mehrangarh Fort in the afternoon and we had taken lunch on the way. This fort is located on the top of the hill which is at a height of about 122 meters above the surrounding plains. It was built in the year 1459 by Rao Jodha Rathore who founded the city of Jodhpur in the same year. This fort is having seven gates, the brief details of which are mentioned below.

(i) Jai Pol i.e. Victory Gate built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies.

(ii) Fateh Pol which literary means Victory Gate was built to commemorate the victory of Maharaja Ajit Singh over the Mughals.

(iii) Gopal Pol, the second pol after Fateh Pol.

(iv) Dedh Kangra Pol still bear the scars of bombardment by cannonballs. 

(v) Amruti Pol is in between Dedh Kangra Pol and Loha Pol.

(vi) Loha Pol is the final gate into the main part of the fort complex.

(vii) Suraj Pol is the inner most gate which provides access to palace complex and Daulat Khana Chauk. 

Within the fort you will find several beautifully crafted and decorated places. You will also find various paintings, palkis and other articles used by Royal Families inside the palaces. There are five palaces inside the fort. 

(i) Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace)

(ii) Phool Mahal (Flower Palace)

(iii) Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Palace)

(iv) Sileh Khana (a place of storage of weapons or the armoury)

(v) Daulat Khana 

                            ☝ Daulat Khana

👈Inside Daulat Khana

👈 Palki (Traditional means of transport in those days. Palki was used as a means of transport mostly by Royal families which was carried on shoulders by four to six persons for transportation.)

                  Beautiful Paintings inside the Palace 👉

After completing our visit to Mehrangarh Fort we proceeded to hotel for taking dinner and for night stay. On the next day morning i.e. on 29th December 2023 we proceeded towards Thar Desert.

2. Thar Desert

We reached the tents of SAM Desert in the afternoon where we were allotted tent for staying overnight. After keeping our luggage in the tent, we proceeded to enjoy the evening in Thar Desert. In the Thar Desert we enjoyed camel riding. We were there till sunset. Sunset was beautiful in Thar Desert. Before Camel riding we had Desert Safari which gave us thrilling experience. Sunset view in the desert was very beautiful. We have taken photograph of sunset view in the desert. Camel riding was also a thrilling experience for me as I was doing camel riding for the first time. I was very much scared of falling down. However, I enjoyed camel riding with my wife. After sunset, we came back to our tent in SAM Desert.

                                       

                                        Sunset in Thar Desert 👉 

It was a unique experience of staying in tent in the desert and that too during extreme winter. Daytime was comfortable due to sunlight. After coming from Desert Safari, we assembled in the central place where a stage was arranged for cultural programme. That place was almost equidistance from all the tents in the camp. Snacks and tea were served during cultural programme. Traditional Folk Dances were performed by the local artists. We enjoyed the cultural programme with snacks and tea. There was a bonfire kept in the middle of the stage. Ghoomar Dance, Bhavai Dance and other folk dances of Rajasthan were performed by the artist.  

               Bhavai Dance Performed by the Artist 👉

Artist was performing dance with seven pots kept one over other on her head.

After cultural programme we all assembled in one tent for dinner. That tent was specially made for taking meal. After taking dinner we went to our respective tents. In a chilled winter it was really thrilling to spend one night in the tent. In the next day morning after taking our breakfast we proceeded toward Jaisalmer.

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)  

 

 My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Mount Abu

As a part of my Rajasthan tour with my family members, we first visited Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and thereafter visited Udaipur. We left Udaipur in the morning of 27th December and started our journey to Mount Abu. In my previous two posts I have shared my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited with my family in Jaipur and Udaipur. In this post I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited in and around Mount Abu.

1. Brief Information about Mount Abu

We started our journey to Mount Abu from Udaipur on 27th December 2023 in the morning. We were about 27 persons in a group tour travelling to Mount Abu from Udaipur by bus. We enjoyed the beautiful sceneries of hilly terrain during our journey to Mount Abu. We have seen monkeys sitting on the branches of tree. We have seen the beauty of Aravalli Mountain range when our bus was moving towards Mount Abu through the hilly road on high altitude. Mount Abu is a hill station set on a high rocky plateau in the Aravalli range and is near to the Gujrat border. Climate is relatively cool in Mount Abu. 

We have visited Delwara Temple, Shree Guru Shikhar Dutta Temple, Sunset Points and Nakki Lake. 

2. Delwara Temple

We reached Hilton Hotel in Mount Abu in the afternoon, and we checked in that hotel. After keeping our luggage in the hotel room and taking lunch we proceeded for day tour of Mount Abu. First, we visited Delwara Temple which is a group of five Jain Temples. Photograph is strictly prohibited inside the temple. Among those five temples, Vimalashahi temple is the oldest temple and was built in 1231 AD. Other four temples are Luna Vasahi Temple, Pittalhar Temple, Shri Parshwanath Temple and Shri Mahavir Swamy Temple. The architectural design and minute artistic works and carvings done on the walls, pillars, ceilings, doorways and panels are remarkable and appreciable. 

3.  Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple

After finishing our visit to Delwara Temple we proceeded to Shree Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple which is at a distance of about 15 km from Mount Abu. Guru Shikhar, a peak in the Arbuda Mountains and is the highest point of Aravalli Range, Rajasthan. The peak is dedicated to Guru Dattatreya and therefore the name of the peak is Guru Shikhar. You have to use staircase to reach the temple because vehicle cannot move after a certain point. 'Palkis' can be used on payment by the persons who find it difficult to walk through staircases.  You will find lot of eateries before reaching the temple. You will find large number of shops displaying various local made products including various articles for decorating house. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of various mountains from the temple which is at the highest point of Aravalli Range.  Adjacent to the temple is the Mount Abu Observatory operated by the Physical Research Laboratory. 

4. Sunset Point

After finishing our site seeing at Guru Shikhar Duttatreya Temple, we proceeded to the sunset point. Vehicle cannot go up to the spot and therefore we left the vehicle on roadside and started walking uphill to reach a place from where we can spot the setting sun. One has to walk uphill for a good amount of distance to locate the spot. Because of partial cloudy weather we could not see the sun setting beyond the hill. You can view the sunset beyond the hills only when the sky is clear. From that spot you can have the beautiful view of mountain and river flowing through the valley. You will find few stalls selling mineral waters, cold drinks, tea and snacks. Though we could not view the sunset, but we enjoyed the natural scenic beauty of the hilly terrain. You can see in this photograph that my younger son is watching and enjoying the beauty of the sunset point. 

5. Nakki Lake

After enjoying the sunset point, we proceeded to Nakki Lake. By the time we reached Nakki Lake it was complete dark. However, the lake was visible due to lighting on the street and shops on the side of the lake. This lake is the first man-made lake in India. It is an important tourist destination of Mount Abu. This lake is having a length of about half a mile and width of about a quarter of mile. This lake is having a depth of 20 to 30 feet. There is a Toad Rock on a hill near the lake. There is an arrangement of boating in the lake. There is a pathway on the sides of the lake. There are sitting arrangements on the sides of the lake where one can sit and enjoy the beauty of the lake. Raghunath Temple and the palace of Maharaja of Jaipur are also on the hills near the lake. There are few fountains inside the lake. You will find many shops and eating outlets near Nakki Lake. Though we have seen Nakki Lake during night but it's better to visit this Lake in the evening during daylight. One should visit this lake with sufficient time in hand so that one can enjoy boating and complete site seeing of this place. Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in this lake on 12th February 1948. After finishing our site seeing at Nakki Lake we proceeded to hotel for dinner and night stay.

6. Conclusion

We have covered the above places in a half day which is too short to satisfy our pleasure in visiting these places. Actually, half a day is required to fully enjoy the site seeing of Nakki Lake alone. To cover the above places complete two days are required. We could not visit Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary which is having wide and varied range of fauna and is known for its biodiversity of flora. One full day is required to properly see this wildlife sanctuary. 

Mount Abu is well connected by rail and road. Nearest railway station to Mount Abu is Abu Road railway station located at a distance of about 28 kilometers from the main city. This railway station is having rail connectivity with New Delhi and Mumbai. Mount Abu does not have any airport. Nearest Airport is at Udaipur which is at a distance of 185 kilometer. Ahmedabad Airport is at a distance of 221 kilometer from Mount Abu.  

 We checked out from the hotel in the morning of 28th December 2023 after finishing our breakfast. Then we proceeded to Jodhpur for visiting Mehrangarh Fort. Very soon I will come with another post in this blog on my tour to Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. 

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)  

My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Udaipur 

As a part of my Rajasthan tour with my family members, we first visited Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and we were in Jaipur from December 23 to December 25, 2023. We left Jaipur in the morning of 25th December and started our journey to Udaipur. In my last post I have shared my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited with my family in Jaipur. In this post I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places that I visited in and around Udaipur.

1. Brief Information about Udaipur

We reached Udaipur in the evening of 25th December 2023 by tourist bus from Jaipur. On that day we stayed and enjoyed our X-mass evening and night in the hotel named Keshav Global Hotels & Resorts. Historically Udaipur was the capital of Mewar, and the city was founded by Udai Singh II in 1559. He shifted his capital from Chittorgarh to Udaipur after Chittorgarh was conquered by Akbar. Rana Amar Singh of Mewar accepted vassalship to Mughal rule in 1615 under Emperor Jahangir. Udaipur remained the capital of Mewar and became a princely state of British India in the year 1818. At present, Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar is the 76th custodian of the Mewar dynasty. Udaipur is called the White City of Rajasthan because of white colour prominent in different marble palaces of the city which were built by Rajput kings. Udaipur is also known as the 'City of Lakes' because of its sophisticated lake system. It is having seven big lakes surrounding the city which are Fateh Sagar Lake, Lake Pichola, Udaisagar Lake, Swaroop Sagar Lake, Rajsamand Lake, Doodh Talai and Badi Lake. To solve the problems of water shortage and poor sewage system, the rulers of Mewar constructed seven artificial lakes and all the lakes are interconnected with each other. Udaipur is also referred to as the 'Venice of the East'. We have visited Fateh Sagar Lake, Saheliyon ki Bari, Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal and City Palace. 

2. Fateh Sagar Lake

Fateh Sagar Lake is an artificial lake named after Maharana Fateh Singh of Mewar. This lake was first constructed in the year 1678 by Maharana Jai Singh. The bund which formed the lake was washed away after 200 years due to floods. Maharana Fateh Singh in the year 1889 built the Connaught Dam which enlarged the lake. There are three small islands within the area of Fateh Sagar Lake of which Nehru Park is the largest island. There is a public park with an impressive water-jet fountain in another island. Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) is in the third island. Total area of the lake is four square kilometers, and its maximum depth is 13.4 m i.e. 44 ft. This lake is encircled by the Aravalli hills on three sides which helps in feeding the lake with water during monsoon. It is now one of the major sources of drinking water to the city of Udaipur. We have enjoyed motorboat ride in this lake. One can enjoy speed boat ride in Fateh Sagar Lake. 

3. Saheliyon Ki Bari

Saheliyon-ki-Bari was built from 1710 AD to 1734 AD by Maharana Sangram Singh for his daughter, the princess who loved rain. This garden was for royal ladies including queen with her forty-eight maids who accompanied the queen in her marriage. Saheliyon-ki-Bari means "Garden of maids" and is located on the banks of Fateh Sagar Lake. This garden was designed by the king himself and presented it to the queen. This garden is embellished with numerous fountains in its four water pools, chiseled kiosks and marble elephants. The lush green lawns, flowerbeds and marble pavilions enhances the romantic ambience of this garden. Maharana Bhopal Singh in the later years built a pavilion of rain fountains so that one can have an illusion of rain dancing in cadence with dancing maids. These fountains were imported from England. 

The main reservoir has four black marble kiosks in its corner and one white marble kiosks in its center. You will find sculpted birds on the top of these kiosks that spurts water from their beaks producing the rain effect. This pavilion is also known as 'Bin Badal Barsat' means 'Rain without cloud'.  This garden is open from 8 am in the morning to 4 pm in the evening. The entry fee is Rs.20 per person for Indian citizen and Rs.100 per person for foreign citizen. Saheliyon-ki-Bari has five sets of fountains viz., Swagat Fountain, Savan Bhado fountain, Kamal Talai fountain, Rasleela fountain and Bin-Badal Barsat fountain. After entering the garden, you will be welcomed by Swagat Fountain (Welcome fountain) which is the first fountain after entering Saheliyon-ki-Bari. Savan Bhado fountains creates an illusion of rain during the monsoon season. The Kamal Tarai (means Lotus Pond) Fountain is a set of fountains that surround a lotus pond. 

      

 

  

4. Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal                                                  

We visited Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal after finishing our visit to Saheliyon-ki-Bari. We have enjoyed a cultural show in Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal. We have enjoyed Puppet dance (kathputli) and Folk dance performed by the artists in that cultural programme. The timings of the programmes are 12 Noon - 1 pm, 6 pm - 7 pm and 7:15 pm - 8:15 pm. Ticket cost is Rs.120 per person for Indians and Rs.180 per person for foreigner. There is a Lok Kala Museum in the same premises which is open from 9 am to 5:30 pm. One has to buy ticket for entering into the museum. There is a facility of combo ticket for both cultural programme and museum which is Rs.170 per person for Indians and Rs.260 per person for foreigner. 

Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal is a cultural institution founded by Shri Devi Lal Samar in the year 1952 for promoting and popularizing folk art, folk songs and folk literature. His mission was to preserve and promote rich cultural heritage of Mewar Region. He was awarded with Padma Shri by the Government of India. 

                                     Puppet dance (kathputli) 👉

5. City Palace

City Palace i.e. Rajmahal in Udaipur is a palace complex built over a period of 400 years by Maharana Udai Singh II and successors Maharanas of Sisodia Rajput family. Its construction started in 1553 which is concurrent with the establishment of Udaipur City because of shifting of capital from Chittor to Udaipur. Maharana Udai Singh II inherited the Mewar Kingdom in 1537 when Chittor was its capital. Because of the indication of losing control over the Fort at Chittor during war with Mughals, he decided to shift capital from Chittor to Udaipur at the location near Pinchola Lake which was well protected on all sides by forests, lakes and Aravalli hills. The palaces within the complex are interlinked through a number of chowks (quadrangles) with zigzag corridors to avoid surprise attack by enemies. 

The main entry to the City Palace is through the Badi Pol (Great Gate) leading to the first courtyard. Amar Vilas is the uppermost court inside the Palace complex having wonderful hanging gardens with fountains, towers and terraces. Badi Mahal which is also known as Garden Palace is the Central Palace. There is a swimming pool which was then used for celebrating Holi festival i.e. festival of colours. Bhim Vilas has a gallery of a collection of miniature paintings that depicts the real-life stories of Radha-Krishna. Durbar Hall was used as a venue for official function such as State banquets and meetings. The gallery of the hall was used by the Royal ladies to observe the Durbar proceedings. Weapons of the Maharanas and some of their portraits are depicted here. In 1974, a part of the City Palace and the 'Zenana Mahal' were converted into a museum which is now open for the public. 

                                            

6. Conclusion

In addition to the above places, we have visited Wax Museum and seen Sukhadia Circle on the way. Sukhadia Circle is a large roundabout in the city and also a popular recreational centre. There is a 21 feet high three-tiered fountain at the centre of a small pond inside the Sukhadia Circle. There is a facility of boat ride in the pond and also an option for camel and horse ride around the Sukhadia Circle. This time we could not enter inside the Sukhadia Circle because of tight tour schedule. One can spend evening in this circle. In addition, there are many other places of interests which are worth visiting. There is a Bird Park at Gulab Bagh where you can see various species of birds including Blue and Gold Macaw. You can visit Shilpgram which is a rural arts and crafts complex. You can visit Mansoon Palace, Ahar Museum, Jagdish Temple and Lake Palace. This city is well connected with several major Indian cities via rail, road and air. 

We enjoyed our stay at Udaipur. On December 27, 2023, we checked out from the hotel at Udaipur in the morning and thereafter we started our journey to Mount Abu. Very soon I will come with another post in this blog on my tour to Mount Abu. 

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)  

 My Rajasthan Tour - Visit to Jaipur

Rajasthan is the largest state of India and is also known as the "Land of Maharajas".  Rajasthan is known for its majestic palaces, forts and monuments. The State is geographically dominated by stretches of Thar Desert and Aravalli Range. The state was formed on March 30, 1949, when Rajputana was merged into the dominion of India. This time we planned our tour to Rajasthan for 10 days starting from December 23, 2023. We started our tour by first visiting to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and is also known as Pink City. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II was the founder of the city of Jaipur who ruled from 1699 to 1744. He planned Jaipur City in six blocks separated by broad avenues based on the principals of Vastushastra and another similar classical treatise under the architectural guidance of Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, Architect from the present day Naihati, West Bengal, India. He was initially an accounts-clerk in the Amber Treasury and later promoted to the Chief Architect by the King. I would like to share my experiences and brief information about the places in Jaipur that I visited with my family. We were in Jaipur for two days. 

1. Lakshmi Narayan Temple: 

We have visited Laxmi Narayan Temple during evening on the first day of arrival at Jaipur on December 23, 2023. Lakshmi Narayan Temple is popularly known as Birla Mandir. It was built by B.M. Birla Foundation in 1988. This temple is made of white marble. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi and God Vishnu (Narayan). There is a fort behind this temple called Moti Doongri Fort which is on the hill which looks like a pearl drop. Moti Doongri means pearl hill. In the local language, Doongri means a small hill. There is a famous Ganesh Temple inside the Moti Dongri Fort. There is a palace inside the fort which is a replica of Scottish Castle and was once the royal home of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh.  This time we could not visit this fort. 

2. Jantar Mantar

On the next day i.e. on 24th December we visited Jantar Mantar. Jantar Mantar literally means

calculating instrument. The name Jantar is derived from a Sanskrit word 'Yantra' means instrument and the word Mantar is derived from a Sanskrit word 'mantrana' which means calculate. Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the King Sawai Jai Singh II in 1729. The monument was completed in 1734. It is having the world's largest stone Sundial and is UNESCO World Heritage Site. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II constructed five Jantar Mantar in total which are located in New Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. All the five Jantar Mantar were completed between 1724 and 1735. There is a small sundial for the calculation of local time. Difference of time in minute is written on the board which is added to local time to arrive at Indian Standard Time (IST). During our visit to this place the difference in time that was written on the board was 26 minutes.  

There is an instrument called 'Yantra Raj' in Jantar Mantar which is an adaptation of a medieval instrument for the measurement of time and positions of celestial objects. This instrument is used for measuring ascendants, altitude, time and the position of the Sun and other celestial objects in the sky. It can also be used in computing celestial positions and their changes. Other major instruments of Jantar Mantar are Samrat Yantra, Disha Yantra, Chakra Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra, Rama Yantra, Dingash Yantra, Utaansh Yantra and Rashiwalay Yantra. 

3. City Palace

We visited City Palace on 24th December 2023 after finishing our visit to Jantar Mantar. The construction of the City Palace started under the rule of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1729 and completed in 1732. He shifted his capital from Amber to Jaipur in the year 1727. This Palace is a royal residence and former administrative headquarters of Jaipur State. Mughal and Rajput architectural styles in combination was used for the construction of this palace. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum is inside this palace and this palace is still the home of the Jaipur royal family. Vidyadhar Bhattacharya was the architect who designed this palace. There are several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices of the Museum Trust inside the palace complex. Chairperson of the Museum Trust is Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur. Princess Diya Kumari as Secretary and trustee runs the Museum Trust. She is also founder of the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation which works for the empowerment of underprivileged and underemployed women of Rajasthan.  

There are three main entry gates to the City Palace named Udai Pol, Virendra Pol and Tripolia gate. The Tripolia gate is reserved for the entry of the members of royal family into the palace. Common people and visitors are allowed to enter the palace complex through the Udai Pol and the Virendra Pol. The Udai Pol leads to the Sabha Niwas (Diwan-e-Aam) which is a hall of the public audience. Sabha Niwas was modelled on the lines of a Mughal Hall of audience, the Diwan-e-Aam. The Virendra Pol leads to the Mubarak Mahal Courtyard, which in turn is connected to the Sarvato Bhadra i.e. Diwan-e-Khas through the Rajendra Pol. Sarvato Bhadra was used as the Diwan-e-Khas i.e. the Hall of Private Audience where the ruler could hold the court with the officials and nobles of the kingdom privately. Entry of public was not allowed in Diwan-e-Khas. Today, it is used for royal festivals and celebrations.  

  👆 Rajendra Pol

Two huge sterling silver urns of 1.6 meters height and each with the capacity of 4000 liters and weighing 345 kilograms are placed in Diwan-e-Khas. These two sterling silver vessels found place in Guinness Book of World Record as the world's largest sterling silver vessels. It took two years between 1894 and 1896 to create these silver jars by two silversmiths of Jaipur. Each silver urn (vessel) was made from 14000 melted silver coins without soldering. These vessels were used by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II to carry the water of the river Ganges to England in 1902 for using it for drinking purpose during his entire journey and stay in England for attending the coronation of King Edward VII. These silver vessels are named as Gangajalis.  

Chandra Mahal is the oldest building in the city palace Complex having seven floors. Aurangzeb gave the title 'Sawai' to young Jai Singh which means "one and a quarter". Since then, the Maharajas have pre-fixed their names with this title. There are various galleries of the museum i.e. Sabha Niwas, Textile Gallery, Sileh Khana (Arms and Armour Gallery), Painting and Photography gallery. 

4. Amber Fort or Amer Fort

This fort is located in Amer which is at a distance of about 11 kilometers from Jaipur and was built by Raja Man Singh I in the year 1592. Jai Singh I expanded the fort in the early 1600's. Improvements and additions were made by successive rulers over the next 150 years till the capital was shifted to Jaipur during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. It is located high on the hill i.e. Cheel ka Teela of Aravali range of hills. Amer or Amber derives its name from the Ambikeshwar Temple built atop the Cheel ka Teela. Amer Fort is popularly known as Amer Palace which is the great example of Rajput Architecture. However, some of its buildings have influence of Mughal architecture. This palace and Jaigarh Fort are connected by a subterranean passage which is an escape route during war to enable the royal family members and others to provide safe passage to Jaigarh Fort.  

Amer Fort is divided into four courtyards. The main entry is through the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) which leads to the first main courtyard. You will find Sila Devi temple in the first courtyard which was the place of worship of Rajput Maharajas since the reign of Maharaja Mansingh in the 16th century. there is a Suhag Mandir where the ladies of royal family used to watch functions held in Diwan-i-Aam through latticed marble windows called jalis. The Second courtyard houses the Diwan-i-Aam or the Public Audience Hall where the king held audience to hear and receive petitions from the public. 

 The private quarters of the Maharaja, his family and attendants were located in the third courtyard. The entry to this courtyard is through the Ganesh Pol. This courtyard has two buildings, Sheesh Mahal and Sukh Mahal separated by a garden laid in the style of Mughal Gardens. Sheesh Mahal was built by Maharaja Man Singh and completed in the year 1727 which is the foundation year of Jaipur State. There are numerous tiny mirrors, pattern mosaics, coloured glasses embedded on the walls and ceilings of the Sheesh Mahal because of which a single ray of light entering the Sheesh Mahal is able to lits up and illuminates the entire hall naturally. The Sheesh Mahal has been built so that the queen can see the star while sleeping inside the Sheesh Mahal.   The fourth courtyard has many living rooms for the residences of the queens who were visited by the king at his choice without being known to the queens other than the queen to whom the king visited.  This was possible because all the rooms open into a common corridor.                   

👆Ceiling of Sheesh Mahal

5. Conclusion

Jaipur is the first planned city of India and was planned by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. The city derives its name from Sawai Jai Singh, founder of the city. This time we could not visit Hawa Mahal and Jal Mahal though we have passed through these two places. Dal Baati Churma, Laal Maas, Ghevar, Gatte ki Sabji, etc. are the delicious dishes which one can try in Jaipur or any other places in Rajasthan. Before going to Jaipur my friend suggested me to have a taste of Lassi at Lassiwala in Jaipur. This time we could not taste Lassi at Lassiwala due to hectic schedule given by our tour operator. But next time I will definitely taste lassi at Lassiwala. This time we have tasted Lal Maas and Dal Bati Churma during our Rajasthan tour. We enjoyed our stay at Jaipur. On December 25, 2023, we checked out from the hotel at Jaipur in the morning and thereafter we started our journey to Udaipur. Very soon I will come with another post in this blog on my tour to Udaipur. 

(Note: The historical facts mentioned in the article are collected from Wikipedia and some other sources in public domain.)  

Talking to Self

1. Manoj is in the habit of doing both morning walk and evening walk on daily basis. One day he was doing evening walk alone in a big ground. During the walk he was talking to self. Then suddenly he realized that he started talking to self which anybody passing nearby can hear. But luckily nobody was there nearby.  Have you ever talked to yourself when you are alone? I am sure most of us are in the habit of talking to self when alone. You will find hardly any person who never do self-talk when alone. Talking to self or self-talk is very important for every individual during all the stages of life. Self-talk is a process in which an individual talk to self without involvement of any other person. Generally speaking, no talk is possible without the involvement of at least two individuals. But in self-talk there is an involvement of only one single individual. 

2. Self-talk is having many advantages if used properly. Self-talk helps an individual to introspect which ultimately helps in self-rectification. A person is completely frank and open during self-talk. Every individual is most frank with self than with any other person, however close that person may be. During self-talk, a person generally talks about the things from his or her memory. During self-talk a person feed some thoughts in his or her subconscious mind which later on become his or her belief. Therefore, be careful while doing self-talk as any self-talk doing repeatedly for 21 days and more can feed your subconscious mind with the thoughts that you are repeating during self-talk. Positive self-talk affects our ability to control emotions and mental health. 

3. One can cherish memorable moments through self-talk which helps in refreshing both mind and body. Self-talk helps in building personality by raising our self-esteem provided how we use self-talk. Self-talk can also inject negativity in our mind if one talks negative during self-talk. Repetition of same sentences during self-talk consistently for several days feed our sub-conscious mind with those thoughts which may be reflected in our action.  

4. One can make self-talk very effective for the achievement of goals. Make it a habit to do self-talk in the morning after waking up and before going to sleep. Your self-talk should be linked to your goal. During self-talk you should ask what you want in your life. Never complain during self-talk. During self-talk you should ask what you want in your life. Never tell anything which you don't want. Self-talk should be always in affirmative and should be focused on what you want. It should not be focused on what you don't want. For example, if someone is facing financial problems, then what should be his or her self-talk? It should be focused on financial abundance instead getting out of financial crisis. 

5. Before starting a day in the morning, one should do self-talk. Before asking anything from the universe, first express your gratitude to the universe for whatever you are having. For example, you may thank the universe for having good health, compatible spouse, lovely children, good parents, good house to live in, etc. Then you ask for what you want further in your life. Before asking for yourself ask for the world, mankind, society and family in which you are living. Then you ask for yourself. Expressing gratitude during self-talk is the acknowledgement for what you are already having. You may ask for the achievement of your both short term and long-term goal during self-talk. Always talk with yourself about the things that you want to have in future. Whenever you talk with yourself regarding your personality, talk about your desired personality which you want to have. Talk with yourself about your desired personality, desired health, desired house and other belongings, desired relationship, desired futures, etc. 

6. Our self-talks may be positive self-talk or negative self-talk. Positive self-talk is having many benefits. Positive self-talk may impact our daily life by improving our emotions, behaviours and general wellbeing. Positive Self-talk helps in forgetting bad memories or at least help in reducing the intensity of bad memories. Positive self-talk helps in increasing our confidence as we affirm our talents and skills during self-talk. Positive self-talk helps in reducing stress and anxiety, whereas negative self-talk is a cause for tension and anxiety. Positive self-talk helps in improving our mood which makes us feel happier even during crisis situations. It also helps in developing resilience and capacity to endure in difficult situation. It also helps in improving relationships with others.   

7. On the other hand, negative self-talk is having adverse effect on our mood and thought process. It increases our stress and anxiety. Negative self-talk leads to low self-esteem which may adversely affects the quality of an individual's life leading to persistent feelings of sadness, depression, anger and guilt. Negative self-talk reduces the confidence of a person which is detrimental to the overall performance of an individual. Negative self-talk feeds negativity in our sub-conscious mind which may act as a deterrent in finding out solutions to a problem. Whereas positivity helps an individual in finding out solution to every problem while on the other hand negativity makes an individual to find problems in every solution. Therefore, positive self-talk enables an individual to improve problem solving abilities. Negative self-talk deteriorates problem solving ability of an individual. 

8. Optimistic persons always think positive and talk positive while pessimistic persons always think negative as well as talk negative. Doing positive self-talk consistently for a long period can make a person optimistic. Let us cultivate the habit of doing positive self-talk and encourage others to develop this habit to create an atmosphere of positivity in our locality and society to make it a better place to live. 

 Bicycle Riding - A Good Activity During Post Retirement Life

1. The bicycle was invented over 200 years ago and has been a major mode of transport for 140 years. Cycling is one of the best exercises for persons of all age groups i.e., from 5 years to 80+ years of age under normal health conditions. Even during old age one can continue to do cycling. One never forgets cycling once learned. Cycling is not only exercise but is also a mode of transport for short distance travel which is not only cheap but also pollution free. Parking of cycle is very easy as it does not require much space for parking.  One can do cycling on a very narrow trackway. Let us discuss about the best timing for cycling, safety measures to be taken during cycling, benefits of cycling and steps taken by few countries to promote cycling.

  2. Best Timing for Cycling: You can do cycling anytime of the day as per your convenience and comfort. But in Tropical Countries it is better to do cycling in the early morning because morning whether is comfortable and sun is less intense compared to other part of the day. Cycling in the morning is preferable because one can breathe fresh natural air and the traffic is less on the road compared to other part of the day. Riding is safer during morning. Morning ride increases your blood circulation which makes you feel fresher. Morning ride also improves your work efficiency. If you are having busy schedules during morning, then you can prefer to do cycling during evening hours when the intensity of the Sun is low.

3. Safety measures to be taken during cycling: Risk of accident is there in cycling which may cause injury. Therefore it is essential to take certain safety measures while riding a bicycle. Following safety measures are suggested for safe cycling.

(i) Wear a properly fitted helmet while riding bicycle as helmet can protect your head from injury if you fall from bicycle due to accident. 

(ii) Install a rearview mirrors on handlebars of bicycle to see the movement of traffic behind you. While changing your lane or direction please observe the movement of traffic behind you so that you can change the lane or direction safely. Before changing lane give indication well in advance to alert the traffic behind you.

(iii) Never ride with headphones. Never talk on mobile phone while riding bicycle as it may divert your attention from road traffic which may cause accident.  

(iv) Ride your bicycle on lane earmarked for riding bicycle. If bicycle lane is not earmarked, then prefer to ride bicycle on the side of the road where traffic is less without disturbing the pedestrians.  

(v) Wear reflective materials while riding bicycle on road so as to increase your visibility to the drivers of other vehicles on the road. This will reduce the risk of accidents on road.

(vi) Before riding the bicycle check the various parts and equipment of your bicycle. Ensure that your tires are properly inflated and breaks are in proper conditions. Also ensure that your chains and gears are in proper conditions and without any defect. 

(vii) Always keep your hands on handlebars of your bicycle so that you can have full control over the movement of your bicycle while riding. 

(viii) While riding bicycle on the road follow the traffic rules and make use of hand signals whenever and wherever necessary. 

4. Benefits of Cycling: Cycling is a low-cost vehicle which is pollution free as well as can be used as a physical fitness tool. Cycling is good for maintaining physical fitness. The benefits of cycling are detailed hereunder.

(i) We all know that the risk of heart disease increases with the increase in age. Cycling is a low-impact aerobic exercise that improves our cardiovascular fitness and strengthen heart muscle.

(ii) Cycling enhances blood circulation. It also reduces the risk of cancer , diabetes and kidney disease. 

(iii) Cycling helps in burning fats and building muscle especially in our legs and hips. It helps in improving our stamina.

(iv) Regular cycling helps in preserving balance and coordination. It also improve lower-body function which prevent us from falling. 

(v) Cycling helps in strengthening and protecting our joints. Regular cycling helps in preventing knee joint pain which is very common in old age.

(vi) Cycling helps in boosting our mental health. The risk of cognitive degenerative deceases increases with age which can lead to depression and anxiety. Riding bicycle outside in an open air during morning refresh your mind and also give you fresh air and good dose of vitamin D which helps in improving your mood and reducing stress level. Vitamin D is required for absorption of calcium which helps in improving bone density. 

(vii) Cycling helps in strengthening our immune system that reduces the chances of getting sick. 

(viii) During pandemic due to spread of corona virus, bicycle was the safest mode of transport due to lesser risk of infection as compared to public transport. 

5. The General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) has come out with a resolution in Favour of cycling and urged countries to promote everyday cycling. European Parliament has taken a policy decision to promote cycling within the countries in Europe and aims to double cycling in Europe by 2030. They are going to increase investment in safe, separated cycling infrastructure and integrate cycling into urban framework. Copenhagen, Denmark is known as the best city in Europe for cycling. For making Germany more bike friendly, the National cycling Plan (NCP) 3.0 was launched in 2021 to boost cycling and making it more attractive and safer. The first National Cycling Plan (NCP) was launched in 2002.

In some European Union countries, there is a system of placing bicycle inside public transport i.e., trains, regional buses and trams so as to enable people to travel from door -to -door over longer distances by combining public transport with cycling. Such measures reduce the use of car to travel long distances in Europe which helps in reducing carbon emission. In some European countries backside racks on buses have been introduced so that a greater number of bicycles can be carried in such buses. 

6. Cycling is good for all age groups starting from the age of five. Our activities get reduced after retirement as we do not have nine to five schedules that we had during working life. To live a long and healthy life it is necessary to have some physical as well as mental activities. Bicycle riding is a good option for both physical activity and mental pleasure. If you have any severe medical problem, then take the advice of your doctor before starting bicycle riding. Chose bicycle which will suit your physique and comfort.  Bicycle riding is not only good for our physical and mental health but also good for our environment. 

    

 How to make post-retirement life happy and fruitful?

  

Why many persons are not happy during their post-retirement life despite having financial freedom and having no liability towards their children. Even after achieving most of the things in life and free from financial problems, persons are not happy. Let us find out the reasons why many persons are not happy during their post-retirement life.   

Let us find out the reasons for happiness: 

Before finding out the reasons for unhappiness let us find out the reasons why the persons should be happier during their post-retirement life. 

(i) The foremost reason for happiness is not having any Boss during post-retirement life. You are your own boss. You have all the 24 hours at your disposal which you can utilise as per your desires and convenience.

(ii) Another reason for happiness is reduction in stress level after retirement as you are free from job related stress during post-retirement life. 

(iii)  You are not answerable to anyone except yourself. During working life, you were answerable to your boss for your performance. You were even answerable to your client.

(iv)  During working life your plan for going to vacation tour was subjected to sanction of leave by your boss. You are now free to plan your vacation tour any time during the year as per your convenience. 

(v) You can choose to do any work as per your interest and liking which was not the case before retirement.

Reasons for Unhappiness During Post Retirement life: 

Despite having strong reasons for happiness why some persons are unhappy during post-retirement life? Generally, most of the unhappiness are mental and not due to external factors. Let us discuss the reasons why many persons are unhappy during their post-retirement life.

(i)  Having regret for non-achievement or under achievement during the past life is one of the main reasons for unhappiness. Many persons are having regret for not getting promotion, not getting reward for their performance, etc. Living in the past and continuously remembering the failures during past life makes a person unhappy in the present.

(ii)  Expectation of recognition and respects from ex-colleagues and other persons is another reason for unhappiness. Many persons expects that they should continue to get respect from their colleagues even after retirement. But that is not the reality. When a person does not get respect as per expectation, they become unhappy. 

(iii)  Many retired persons are in the habit of giving free advices to family members and friends. A person become unhappy when nobody listens to his or her advice. Habit of giving free advices invites unhappiness in one's life. 

(iv)  Spending most of the time in watching television also invites unhappiness. Watching news in television for long duration feeds negativity in our sub-conscious mind which ultimately creates unhappiness.

(v)  Excessive talking also leads to unhappiness. Many persons at this stage talk more about their own achievements during their student and working life which nobody want to listen. This creates frustration and unhappiness.

(vi)  Non utilisation or improper utilisation of free time due to lack of engagement is another reason for unhappiness. Lack of engagement creates negative thoughts in the mind which create unhappiness.

How to make your retirement life happy and fruitful? 

 If you have to make your retirement life happy and fruitful then you have to follow certain dos and don’ts. Let us first discuss about Do's and thereafter we will discuss about Don’ts. 

What you should do to make your retirement life happy and fruitful?

(i) Take Care of Your Health: It's very important to take care of your health. You can enjoy your post-retirement life if your health is in good condition. Health means not only your physical health but also your mental as well as spiritual health. Maintenance of your physical health is very much essential to do your day-to-day activities without any difficulties. It will reduce your dependency on other person and will help you in enjoying your vacation tour. As regards maintenance of good physical health, I have explained in details in my previous blog the link of which is given hereunder. You may click the link the following link to have details on maintaining good physical health during post-retirement life.

https://post-retirementlife.blogspot.com/2022/04/physical-health-during-second-innings.html

It is also very important to take care of your mental as well as spiritual health. Need for taking care of one's mental and spiritual health has been explained in my previous blogs the link of which are given hereunder.

(i) https://post-retirementlife.blogspot.com/2022/04/mental-health-during-second-innings-of.html

(ii) https://post-retirementlife.blogspot.com/2022/03/spiritual-health-during-second-innings.html

(ii) Develop Good Friend circle: It is very important to develop good friend circle near your surroundings. It is better to start developing friend circle well before your retirement so that you can have some friends after retirement for your socialisation. Friend Circle's composition should be diversified, both in terms of professional and cultural backgrounds so that you can enrich yourself with their wide experiences. Have a regular meeting and get together with them.

(iii) Have a vacation tour, picnic and other amusement: Plan for vacation tour at reasonable frequency with your spouse. Have both short tour and long tour at certain interval which is comfortable to you. At least once in a year you should go for picnic with your friends and family members. Have a visit to nearby museum, park and other amusement centres for your recreation. 

(iv) Make daily contribution to your life: Please make an endeavour to make value addition to your life. Please remember one thing that your scope for progress doesn’t stop on retirement date. There is a scope for progress even after retirement. There is always a scope for progress till you are alive. Ensure daily contribution to your life for making it meaningful. Extend your helping hand to your spouse in day-to-day routine household work. If you have a long-term plan for making some value addition to your life, ensure to make daily progress in that direction. For example, if you have decided to author a book which may take one- or two-years’ time to finish, then make a strategy to have a quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily target to ensure consistent efforts in the direction of your goal. 

(v) Pursue your hobby: Every person is having at least one hobby which one could not pursue during working or professional life. It is better to pursue your hobby during post-retirement life which will make your life happy and meaningful. It will also give you meaningful engagement.

(vi) Pay back to Society: From childhood to adult stage most of the investments were made for our personal development. During our working and professional life, we worked for our livelihood for the development and welfare of our family. This is the time to pay back to society when we don't have any liability towards our children and passive income is sufficient to take care of our expenditure. You may pay back to society by doing some charity or philanthropical work which will give you peace of mind. 

 

(vii) Mix with the persons of all age group: There is a general tendency of a person to mix with the persons of having same age group. It is advisable to mix with the persons of different age groups so that you can enrich yourself with the varieties of experiences of persons of different age groups. Persons of younger age group may also be benefitted by enriching themselves with your experiences. Mixing with young generation will abreast you with the latest development and trends in the society.

 (viii) Develop your listening skill: It has been observed that with the growing age a person is in the habit of talking more and listening less. Please develop the habit of talking less and listening more. Talking more without listening to other person antagonise the other person and you miss some useful information which that person wants to convey. If you talk less and patiently listen to other person then your image gets uplifted in the heart of that person and you get enrich with the information provided by that person. Please remember every person wants that he or she should be listened patiently by others. If you also want the same then you have to develop the habit of listening to others with patience. 

 What you should not do during post-retirement life 

(i)  Never give free advices to anyone even to your family members. If you are in the habit of giving free advices then you will be ignored and avoided by other persons including your family members. Such situation will bring unhappiness in your life. Never give advice to anyone unless someone seeks your advice.  

 (ii) Never permanently stay with your Children's family. Avoid staying with your Children's family because your independence may get compromised to some extent. If they request you to stay with them for some time which may be helpful to them then you may stay with them to extend your helping hand. During your stay with your Child's family maintain arm length distance and never interfere in their family matters. Give them their personal space so that you will also have the personal space for yourself.

 (iii) While talking to your children and grandchildren never say ‘during our time’ because today's time is also yours since you are living today. Live in present instead of living in the past. Never glorify past at the cost of present. There is a general tendency of many old age persons to glorify the things in the past and criticising the things in the present. Please remember that human civilisation progresses with the passage of time. With the passage of time human civilisation rectify the mistakes done in the past. Therefore, in general the present is always better than the pasts.

 (iv) Never visit your previous office for mere socialisation. If you do so you will get frustrated and demoralised. If you have any personal work for which you need to visit your previous office then you should restrict your visit to that purpose only. Please remember that in whatever position you might have been retired but your presence in the office after retirement is not welcomed. 

 (v) Never boast yourself in a friend circle about your position and importance in the office before retirement. Nobody is interested to know your position and importance in the office before retirement as we all know that the brand of a fused bulb is hardly matter to anyone. Please remember you will be judged in your friend circle based on your attitude and behaviour at present. 

 (vi) Never be overenthusiastic in knowing what is happening in the office after your retirement. I have seen some persons who are very enthusiastic to know what is happening in the office after their retirement, who got promotion, who did not get promotion, etc. These are none of your business. Your over enthusiasm to know the present happening in the office may diminish your image amongst your friends who are still working in the office.

 (vii) Never bother about the persons who are ignoring you. Instead of focussing on the persons who are ignoring you it is better to focus on your family members and friends who are taking care of you. Never give undue importance to the persons who are ignoring you. It is better to ignore such persons who are ignoring you.

By following certain dos and don’ts as explained above one can make post-retirement life happy and fruitful.