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Published: January 30th 2009
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One of the first things that grabs your attention upon your arrival in Rajasthan is how vivid and varied the colours are. The landscape is largely desert or semi-desert with flowering shrubs and trees punctuating the red and yellow background. The state is famous for its striking uniformly coloured cities. There is Jaipur - the pink city, Jodhpur - the blue city and Jaisalmer - the golden city. Watching the sun rise or set over these ancient places whilst muezzins make the call to prayer is a captivating experience. But the most eye-catching display of colours are those adorned by the people. The men wear large elaborate and luminous turbans in red, pink, green and orange. They sport substantial and well-groomed moustaches and often have both ears pierced with gold studs. They manage to pull this style off remarkably well (I suspect that an attempted emulation by a western tourist would look quite ridiculous). The women wear beautiful saris and salwar kameez in the brightest and most varied colours imaginable, decorated with gold and silver sequin patterns. They usually have their heads, and often their faces veiled, but this culturally ingrained modesty does not prevent them from decking themselves out with
the most lavish jewelery they can get their hands on. Bangles are worn from the wrists all the way up to the shoulder, fingers are hidden beneath gold rings studded with semi-precious stones. When a veil slips down you may catch a glimpse of extravagant and seemingly weighty neck, head and face jewelery.
Despite this, Rajasthan remains one of India's poorest states. Literacy rates are well below the national average, women are very disempowered and much of the land is infertile. But the rich landscape, history and culture ensures that is one of the most visited states in the country and it enjoys a very lucrative tourist industry serving both foreign and domestic visitors. The Rajasthanis are tough and unscrupulous businessmen and it is very difficult to come out on top from any transaction. They are clever and persistent and seem to learn lessons from every interaction. But outside of the main tourist areas we encountered some of the most easy-going, good humoured and respectful people we have met in India.
Up until independence in 1947, Rajasthan consisted of a collection of sovereign states, ruled by competing and frequently warring Rajput kings. Although largely conquered by the Mughals, they
returned to their old ways at the end of that dynasty. During colonialism they managed to retain their sovereignty as a back scratching relationship developed between the British and the Rajputs. The maharajas were stripped of their powers after independence but today the landscape is littered with the most magnificent forts and palaces dating back over the last 1000 years. Probably the best preserved and maintained of these is Meherangarh, the fort in Jodhpur. The Jodhpur royal family seem fairly unperturbed at being the first generation lacking a kingdom to rule over and are making a fervent effort to preserve and display their heritage. The majestic fort is now an excellent museum. It sits atop a rocky crag high above the blue city. The old city itself is very enchanting, its narrow winding alleyways running between 500 year old pale blue houses. There are however no traffic restrictions whatsoever and the alleyways are noisy and congested. Walking around is a hazardous experience and the pedestrian is posed with some difficulties in his quest for air. But to make up for this unpleasantness we were the recipients of more hellos in Jodhpur than anywhere else we have visited.
In the far
west, Jaisalmer lies in the heart of the Thar Desert. The golden city was built out of the golden sandstone which forms the landscape on which it sits. Jaisalmer fort is still inhabited by some hundreds or perhaps thousands of people. These people work almost exclusively in the tourist trade, operating guesthouses, restaurants or souvenir stalls. To stay inside the fort is very romantic but the intensity of the tourist's experience reaches its peak here with the notorious Jaisalmer hustle. Every corner of the fort is occupied by hawkers selling trinkets or pushing camel safaris, one of the main attractions of the region. Feeling overwhelmed by the scene in Jaisalmer we traveled to Khuri, a nearby village to see a camel man who had been recommended. We arrived in late morning and by 2pm we set out for the desert riding a camel each with our driver, Dinesh. He led the way northwards towards some large rolling sand dunes. Shiva and Moogli, our camels, were nice animals and we developed a soft spot for them despite their intense and frequent attacks of flatulence. The desert peaceful and beautiful, a welcome relief from the hustle of urban Indian life, from which
it is so hard to escape. We stopped on the dunes at about 5pm and Dinesh began busying himself setting up camp, unsaddling the camels and starting a fire to brew some tea. He took good care of us and had a good attitude. We'd feared he would behave like a big phoney, to use the parlance of Holden Caulfield, in a quest for baksheesh but he turned out to be quite a sincere guy. We enjoyed his company without having to go through all the usual get-to-know-you carry on. He whipped up a slap-up meal of curry, rice and chapati over a small fire fuelled by dead shrub wood. As the full moon rose over the desert we set up our beds on the dunes, Dinesh sleeping a respectful distance away. Sleeping out there on the dunes under the full moon was soothing and we enjoyed a deep and peaceful nights sleep. After breakfast Dinesh went off to find the camels who'd wandered off in the night (it is mating season after all) and we set off back for khuri, trying to get the knack off trotting on the way.
Rajasthan is home to sizeable muslim and jain populations
in addition to the hindu majority. All three religions have important pilgramige sites within the state. Pushkar lake is said to have appeared when Brahma dropped a lotus flower and so is highly revered by hindus. The lake is skirted by holy bathing ghats and one of the world's few Brahma temples stands on its shore. But the government have recently built a dam in the middle of the lake and emptied all the water into one half. They are quarrying sand out of the other half, and when they have taken all they can they will move the water into that half and quarry the other side. When that is finished they will take down the dam and hope that the monsoon rains will refill it to its previous level. Nobody seems to mind this apparent desectration and it represents yet another example of how hinduism can baffle the western mind. The division between the sacred and the profane is indeed blurry. The Dargah in nearby Ajmer is a significant muslim pilgramige site. This ornate marble complex houses the tomb of the 13th century sufi saint Khwaja Muin-ud-in Chisti. When we visited, the crowds inside and for 500m in
all directions were so thick you could hardly move. We enquired as to what festival or auspicious day we had arrived on but no, apparently this was just an average day at the Dargah. In the south of Rajasthan the 15th century Jain temples at Ranakpur are some of the most beautiful and serene we've seen. The main temple is supported by 1400 marble pillars, each one uniquely carved with images and symbolism of the jain theology.
But one of the most noticeable demographics of this multi-cultural society is the urban feral cow community. Any given Rajasthani town is home to a subtantial population of these beasts. In an amazing display of adaptability these cows, who have never seen a blade of grass in their lives, manage to thrive and multiply in this environment where they are fortunate to be held in such high esteem. They have no misgivings about disrupting traffic on busy streets and they subside on whatever comes their way. Kind benefactors feed them stale chapatis and other unwanted scraps, there is always something to be gleaned and if not, theft is a final option. It is surprisingly easy to pilfer an ear of corn or a
cucumber from a greengrocers cart if you stroll up alongside nonchalantly and try to blend in. The punishment for such a crime is never too severe. Old newspapers and cardboard boxes are unlikely but popular snacks and in hard times plastic bags seem to work well as an appetite suppresant. A recent autopsy on a cow found dead on one of India's city streets revealed a whopping 16 lbs of plastic in the stomach contents, prompting many municipalities to ban plastic bags, a step in the right direction for sure.
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Mary Lou Dayton
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Just wonderful pictures and commentary. Amazing things, things I never knew existed. What fine workmanship. Loved your pictures.