"Daan Paatra" at Pushkar

Spotted at Pushkar: a collection box (Daan Patra) for Gau Seva (the welfare of cows). A young bull stands next to it, looking quite annoyed with life :)

Holy Cow Container, India -
Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia [CC BY-SA 2.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The cow is depicted with a peacock feather decoration for her horns, indicating the linkage of cows with the cowherd God Krishna of the Braj region. The Braj region (Brajbhoomi) is the land associated with Krishna's birth and major events in his life. While there is no official geographical demarcation, it lies more or less within the golden triangle circuit that is popular with tourists. Pushkar is nearby.

The cow is depicted with auspicious symbols (the Om and the Swastika) on her body. She is adorned with jewellery, denoting her special status. Similar decorations can be seen in many Rajasthani miniatures, particularly the Pichhawai paintings depicting Krishna as a cowherd. 

Rajsamand and the Golden Age of Flying Boats

Have you been to Rajsamand Lake? It is just an hour north of Udaipur, past the religious centre of Nathdwara.

Rajsamand Lake, Wikimedia Commons

Rajsamand was built in the 17th century by Raj Singh, the ruler of the Mewar kingdom. Not surprisingly, he named the lake after himself (I like to believe it was not megalomania, but the desire to be permanently remembered for a great dharmik task of religious and social significance).

Raj Singh rather poetically used the word 'samand' (ocean or sea) to describe the lake. If you visit the lake, you will see why. It is a large lake, about 6 kms long, and 3 kms wide, with a depth of 60 feet. In a land-locked state that receives only 1% of India's total rainfall, the lake does seem like an ocean.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the lake was a blessing to the local populace, for irrigation and as insurance against drought.

But in the late 1920's, Rajsamand suddenly became a very glamorous place. Seaplanes of the Imperial Airways began landing in Rajsamand, on their way from London to Singapore or Sydney. They carried the rich and famous of Europe. After the horrors of WW-I, wealthy Europeans travelled around the world in luxurious seaplanes, celebrating life. It was the Golden Age of Flying Boats. Seaplane flights were long and slow, but offered passengers lots of space, comfortable beds and 5-star service. The all-male cabin crew were usually poached from luxury steamships and knew how to pamper their clientele.

Poster for Imperial Airways, 

Imperial Airways seaplanes had very little fuel capacity. On a typical trip from London to Sydney, there were 31 stops, and the journey took 16 nights. To make each stop worthwhile, Imperial Airways tried to find lakes that were not just fuelling stations, but also beautiful and exotic. Landing in Rajsamand, passengers were ferried to the shore by boats, and then took the train to Udaipur, where they stayed the night. Meanwhile, the plane refuelled and took in fresh supplies.

Seaplane at Rajsamand

The "airport" at Rajsamand had a passenger lounge, a weather station, a wireless station, fuel depots and two residential bungalows. Planes were anchored to the lake (one of the anchors was found a couple of decades ago, when the lake dried up, but it was then tossed back into the water and now no one knows where it is).

For nearly 2 decades, Imperial Airways seaplanes flew into India, stopping at Karachi, Udaipur, Gwalior and Calcutta. In those days, there were not many long runways, so the seaplanes, which could land pretty much anywhere with a nice stretch of water, became hugely popular.


But after WW-II, there were a lot more long runways available in military bases around the world. And there were many military aircraft too, that became available for passenger use.

In nearby Jodhpur, Maharaja Umaid Singh created a small air-strip in the 1920's, which was expanded and used in WW-II by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Umaid Singh himself was a Level A certified flyer, and as Air Vice Marshall, he was in command of the Jodhpur base during the war.

After the war, when passenger flights resumed, Jodhpur became the airport of choice for Imperial Airways, and Rajsamand's glamorous days came to an end.

Ranthambhore Visit April 2018

My fourth visit to Ranthambhore in the last 10 years, and great sightings of tigers.

Here is one of the young tigresses we saw. Look at her alert face, ears pricked, stalking!

Summer (April-June) is a great time to visit this park, so what are you waiting for?

The colourful bazaars of Udaipur

If you start walking past the Jagdish Temple, into the little lanes, you will come across a wealth of colour: Udaipur's market for fresh vegetables.

Here's a glimpse of the market, from Steve and Wendy Johnston who visited this week.

Many of the stalls are run by women. Right now the market is full of fresh winter veggies.

Indian gooseberry (amla), waiting to be pickled

Chukandar (beetroot); both the tuber as well as the greens are used in Rajasthani curry recipes

There is a community of basket makers in Udaipur, who supply these bamboo baskets

The namkeen shops sell very popular savouries

And the sweet shops are especially enticing!

More namkeen (savoury snacks) and sweets

And what's a bazaar without a couple of cows!!

If you'd like to explore the market, check out the Ghat and Bazaar Walk on the Udaipur Magic website: http://udaipurmagic.net/udaipur-bazaar-ghatwalk.html

Odhani dyeing, Jodhpur

Pink and orange are definitely the colours of Rajasthan. In Jodhpur I went to see this community of dyers. They were working with odhanis (scarves / dupattas) that day, laying them neatly in rows for drying.

The colours used to be natural once upon a time, of course. But these days the colours are synthetic, and sustained exposure can harm your skin. The women wear arm-gloves while handling the wet cloth, but their fingers are exposed to the dye. Some of them veil their faces, not from modesty, but to protect it from the harsh Rajasthani sun. 

The Painted Havelis of Shekhawati (1)

Every once in a while, exotic cliches come alive. Peacock posing against faded wall, in the village of Mandawa.

Photo credit: Gaurav Jain, Delhi Magic

Some of India's most wealthy Marwari business families have their havelis in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Birla, Piramal, Dalmia, Goenka etc are known to all Indians. Today many of the havelis lie abandoned, making for a surreal walk through what must be the country's largest open-air art gallery.

Evening in the Blue City, Jodhpur

A quiet turning in the lanes of Brahmpuri. Sunset hour. Magical.

Photo credit: Deepa Krishnan

Puppet Making in Rajasthan

- By Deepa Krishnan

I was walking in Jaisalmer, when I came upon a man making  string puppets (marionettes).

The puppeteers are Bhats of the Rajasthani Nat community, who are storytellers in the bardic tradition. The Bhats not only make puppets, but also use them to perform folk tales set to music and song.

Rajasthan's puppetry tradition is very old. The Bhats trace their history back to the legendary king Vikramaditya of Ujjain, who is said to have ruled central India in the 1st century BCE. Vikramaditya's famous Throne of Wisdom, called the Sinhasan Battisi, had 32 talking dolls, which (according to this book) are possibly the earliest account of puppets made by this community in India.

In olden times, the Bhats went from village to village with their puppets, enacting much beloved legends. Royalty and noblemen patronised specific Bhat families, and in return, the puppeteers composed ballads in praise of their patrons. In other words, the Bhats were to kings, what PR agencies are to corporates :)

Prithiviraj Chauhan, who ruled Ajmer and Delhi in the 12th century, was a major patron of the Bhats. Ballads celebrating his daring elopement with Samyukta, and his battlefield exploits against Muhammad Ghor, were performed by the Bhats all over north India. Prithviraj was routed, captured and put to death by Ghor, but balladeers and puppeteers went on to construct an elaborate myth about an archery competition, where a blind Prithviraj shoots an arrow unerringly at Ghor and strikes him dead. The legend of Prithviraj Chauhan's revenge on Muhammad Ghor has endured for more than 800 years, and is a widely accepted version of the truth.

Scene from Prithviraj Raso: Samyuka is love-struck by Kama's arrows

The revenge of Prithviraj against Ghor, Phad Painting

Another major patron of the Rajasthani Nat community was Amar Singh Rathore, a hot-headed 17th century nobleman from the house of Marwar (Jodhpur). He was exiled by his father after a fight; and found employment in the Mughal court, where he became the subedar of Nagaur under Shah Jahan. In this new employment, he squabbled with another courtier, and stabbed him right in Shah Jahan's court. In the melee that ensued, he narrowly escaped from Agra Fort with his life, after jumping across the moat on a horse. Later, one of Amar Singh's clansmen inveigled him back to Agra Fort and stabbed him.

I do not see Amar Singh's life as particularly heroic; in fact, I only see a quarrelsome guy with a strong instinct for self presevation! :) :) But that is not how the bards sing it. The puppeteers of Nagaur tell a stirring tale of what a dashing hero he was, and what a martyr his horse was. They sympathetically present his terrible betrayal and stabbing, and tell a grand tale of how his body was rescued from Agra Fort. The puppeteers of Nagaur have made Amar Singh Rathore into a Rajasthani legend. His story is popular in the desert regions of Rajasthan and performed with much dramatic flair at religious fairs even today.

Scene from Shah Jahan's court: Amar Singh Rathore is insulted by Salabat Khan

In spite of the popularity, influence and wide geographical spread of Rajsthani puppet shows, puppetry as a craft is dying today. The reasons are easy to find. Today, there are no royal patrons (in fact, the decline in patronage set in right from Mughal times). With the advent of radio and television, traditional rural performances have competition from modern entertainment channels. The wide availability of mobile phones has brought a lot of new music within the reach of audiences in remote locations. Old themes / folk tales do not appeal as much to the new generation as Bollywood. 

The Bhat community has adapted themselves to modern times. Some performers have incorporated tunes from popular Bollywood movie songs into their repertoire. Instead of long ballads, they have produced short-duration performances aimed at tourists (who typically have very short attention spans).

But many have given up their oral performances, and morphed simply into makers of colourful wood-and-cloth puppets. They are often seen in the bigger cities of Rajasthan, where tourists buy their attractive products. Rajasthani puppets are typically about 2 feet tall, but many are smaller as well. The local word for them is kathputhli. The word kath means wood, and puthli is a doll.

Beautifully decorated kathputli

Puppets are made out of soft wood, usually something like mango wood. While the carving of the wood is usually done by men, women make the decorative fabrics and clothes for the puppets. Puppets used for performances are usually never destroyed; even when they are broken. Instead, they are consigned to the river, to float away.

Puppeteers live in Nagaur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur and Jaipur, but wander all through Rajasthan performing and selling their dolls. If you are visiting any major city in Rajasthan, you will definitely be able to see a show.  And do stop to buy some of these colourful dolls - they make great souvenirs from Rajasthan to take back home!

The beautiful doors of Pitam Niwas Chowk, City Palace Jaipur

There are four doors in the Pitam Niwas courtyard at the City Palace, each of which is a work of art.

The most famous of them is the Peacock Door, dedicated to Vishnu.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

 Here's a closer look at the carved peacocks above the door:

Photo credit: Thomas Hart

The other doors are also beautiful: this one is called the Lotus Gate and is dedicated to Shiva and Parvati.

Photo credit: Thomas Hart

My favourite is the Green Gate, dedicated to Ganesh: it is not as ornate as the others but the colour and graded texture created by shades of green is just wow.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

And here is the last one, the Rose Gate dedicated to the Goddess:

Photo credit: Flickr

Each one is a gem, don't you think?

The Hill Forts of Rajasthan, Aravalli Range

I clicked this photo from one of the many viewing points in Amer Fort. You can see the Aravalli Hills in this photo. Beginning in Gujarat, near Ahmedabad, the Aravallis stretch across Rajasthan in a north-easterly direction, ending in Delhi.

The Aravallis are India's oldest mountain range. They define the ecology of Rajasthan, by providing a barrier to the Thar desert; they prevent the desert from growing. Several rivers originate in the Aravallis.

Many of Rajasthan's superb forts are located on hilltops in the Aravallis. Last year six of them were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites: Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Ranthambhore (Sawai Madhopur), Jhalawar, Jaipur, and Jaisalmer.  I've marked them out on a map below.

More information about the forts and how to visit them is in my article here.

The gorgeous Noor of Ranthambhore - sighting in October 2014

I got these photos of Noor aka Mala (T-39) from Robert and Katie Cowan. They were in Ranthambhore last week. Isn't Noor just gorgeous?

Here's another photo: you can clearly see the "beads" on her back. This characteristic pattern is what gives her the name "Mala", which means garland. Noor and her two cubs have been among the star attractions of Ranthambhore this season.

Noor is the daughter of the Sultanpur tigress T-13 (Chhoti), and the granddaughter of the legendary Machhli (T-16). Noor's first cub is a male called Sultan (T-72); born a couple of years ago when she mated with Ustad (T-24).  This year she has had two more cubs with Ustad. 

The grass has started to dry up in Ranthambhore in many places, although many places are also still very green.  In this photo below, you can see that Noor looks well-fed and healthy; and there are reports that she has been having good hunting success.

In my previous trip to Ranthambhore, I had excellent sightings of Noor; but that was just a few days after Sultan was born, and she was super skinny and hungry at that time. Take a look at my previous encounter with Noor here. http://delhimagic.blogspot.in/2012/06/tiger-sighting-at-ranthambhore-may-2012.html

The City Palace at Jaipur

City Palace is a complex of palaces, pavillions, gardens and temples spread over several acres, located to the northeast of central Jaipur. It was commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1729, who wished to shift his capital from Amer to Jaipur, due to water problems and an increase in the population. The City Palace, and in fact the entire city of Jaipur, was planned by an architect from Bengal, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya was guided by the Vaastu Shastra and the Shilpa Shaastras (ancient Hindu treatises on architecture, arts and crafts). But the Palace is also a fusion of Mughal and European styles with Rajput architecture.

Today, part of the Palace is a museum, as well as the residence of the current royal family. The most prominent structures in the complex are the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.

Royal carriages at the City Palace, Jaipur

A collection of royal carriages at Jaipur's City Palace

The Leheriya - Jaipur's famous tie and dye

The monsoon season marks the beginning of Chaumaas, four auspicious months from July to October. In Rajasthan, these rainy months are associated with wearing leheriya sarees and turbans. Leheriya is a tie-dye (bandhani) pattern of diagonal stripes. 'Leheriya' means waves, and the design is evocative of soothing water. When diagonal stripes are added in the opposite direction too, the design is called "mothra".

Leheriya cloth is sold with its ties still in place as proof of its authenticity. A small section of the cloth is unfolded to display the pattern to prospective buyers.

The gorgeous Badal Mahal at Junagarh, Bikaner

The fabulously coloured Badal Mahal, Palace of Clouds, with its blue and gold and red depiction of monsoon clouds, and Krishna-Radha.

Ghotua - a traditional sweet in Jaisalmer

If you go to Jaisalmer, try this shop - they're famous for their namkeens and mithais. 

Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia, Sweet shop in Jaisalmer

I tried the ghotua and thought it was fabulous. I could only eat a little though, it was super sweet. Ghotua is a mix of gram flour (besan) and condensed milk solid (khoyaa/ mawa), it is cooked together patiently over a low flame, mixing and stirring often. That's what ghotna means, to mix in a circular fashion, so the laddoo made at the end is called ghotua. I think there's ghee in it also, and saffron or cardamom, not sure.

Ghotua! Gives you a sweet rush!

Blue City, Jodhpur

The Brahmpuri locality of Jodhpur has blue houses of the Brahmin community. Seen from ramparts of Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. Later, we went walking in this area.

Aluminium trunks for sale in Jaipur

Aluminum trunks for sale in the market. These are very popular for storing a wide range of things - clothes, bedding, books, household implements etc. May be gifted along with a bride's trousseau. Some vendors such as biscuit-wallas also use aluminum trunks.

Age at marriage in India

Today I saw an article where Iraq is considering allowing child marriages. And recently there have been numerous stories in the press about Narendra Modi being married at 17. It set me thinking about marriage trends in our country.

Not many people know that when Gandhi married Kasturba, he was 13, and she was 14. That was in 1882; and it was quite the norm at that time for people to marry young.

Gandhi and Kasturba

Based on his own life experiences, Gandhi concluded that child marriage was a "wicked custom" resulting in uneducated girls, early motherhood and sickly children. 

Gandhi refused to accept commonly held beliefs about protecting women's chastity through early marriage. "Why is there all this morbid anxiety about female purity?", he said. "Have women any say in the matter of male purity? We hear nothing of women's anxiety about men's chastity. Why should men arrogate to themselves the right to regulate female purity?"

More importantly, he said "It is good to swim in the waters of tradition, but to sink in them is suicide".

Thankfully the average age of marriage in India has improved vastly. When the British left India in 1947, the average age of marriage was 13 or 14. Currently we're at 21.2 years as the effective age of marriage (the age when marriage is consummated). We've come quite a distance in the last 60 years, especially if you look at the size of our population, and what it takes to change a whole nation's average in 50 years. It's nothing short of a revolution. But an average is just that; an average. It means there are many people below it. There are still many young brides and many young mothers.

Tougher implementation of legislation seems like the place to begin. There is legislation in place, called the Prevention of Child Marriages Act. The legal age of marriage today is 18 for girls and 21 for boys, and offenders are punishable with fines and imprisonment. If the boy is over 18 years of age at the time of marriage, he will be treated as an offender and can be punished. The guardians or parents of the child, including any member of any organisation or association that associates with child marriage or is negligent about preventing it can be punished. Those performing, participating or abetting child marriage can be prosecuted. Child marriages also can be legally annulled.

While the legal bedrock is necessary, prosecution is not the real solution. The underlying social and economic issues need to change. Thankfully again, there is a long history of social change and reform in India. While we protest today's wrongs, we must also rejoice that things are better for us today than there were yesterday. The country is changing. Women are changing. The old guard is actually bewildered by the speed of change.

The photo below is of Lakshmi Sargara, from Rohet near Jodhpur. In what is thought to be the first case of its kind in India, Lakshmi had her child "marriage" legally annulled in 2012.  She was married at the age of 1 to a boy 2 years old. When she turned 18, she appealed to the courts to declare her marriage void. The Jodhpur court supported her claim. She is now married to a man of her choice.

Photo and story source:
 http://aajtak.intoday.in/story/i-will-marriage-my-own-1-724297.html