Jaipur has always been my first love but due to various reasons, we had to settle down in Delhi after my retirement from the Navy. Akhila loves Jaipur too and with Mummy there, we escaped to Jaipur as often as we could to get away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. Mummy passed away in 2010 and I inherited her house. Initially there was a thought to break up the house and build a more modern one. But then, I decided to let the house remain as Mummy left it as it gives us a feeling that she is still there. We now go there almost every other month; in fact, I try to plan the trips towards the end of a month and beginning of the next one so that I can say that we are in Jaipur every month!
Enter the Corona factor and the lockdowns and we could not make a trip for 7 long months. I was itching to go and finally when we drove down last month, I felt like a tourist all over again revisiting the familiar sights full of sweet memories.
About 40 kms. short of Jaipur is the town of Achrol with a fort on a hill. Jaipur is a favourite movie location but Achrol had its share of fame with a number of scenes in the miniseries ‘Far Pavilions’ shot in and around the fort. However, Achrol is famous or infamous for something else. The story goes that if you are travelling by road and passing through Achrol, do not take its name or you are going to have a mishap. Long ago, my Mansi and Masarji had a car breakdown near Achrol. Thereafter, the story has been confirmed by many others including Capt RN Singh, Pranab Roy and a close family friend, Tej Narain Bhaisahib. All of them have had some incident or the other ranging from a puncture to a serious accident. So if you ever drive to Jaipur, be warned!
Six kms. short of Jaipur, we come to Amber which was the residence of Rajput Maharajas from the 10th century to 1727. The majestic fort was built on top of the older structures in the 1600s by Maharaja Man Singh who had 12 Queens. So he had 12 rooms built for them each connected by a staircase to his quarters but the staircases were for his use only and the Queens were not allowed to use them! Later, Maharaja Jai Singh II expanded the fort and also built the Jaigarh fort visible to the left of the Amber fort at a slightly higher elevation. The two forts are connected by an underground escape passage if a need arose. Jaigarh fort houses a huge cannon which was built within the fort precincts and was in its time the world’s largest cannon on wheels.
Just after passing Amber centre making our way up the narrow road manoeuvring through elephants giving tourists rides, we see a ‘mazar’, holy shrine of a saint, at which a friend told us to toss a coin for good luck and we have been doing that religiously from the car.
We now pass through a gate which is at a height where one can pause a bit to get a bird’s eye view of the sprawling city. A little further down the road, a right turn would take you to Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts. The latter is on the highest hill near Jaipur and gives a towering view of the city. ‘Nahar’ means lion, so Nahargarh stands for ‘abode of lions’ though another story says that the name is after a Nahar Singh Bhoma whose spirit haunted the place and obstructed the construction of the fort till a temple was built on the premises to pacify the spirit. Nahargarh was built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1734 and extensively used later by Maharaja Madho Singh to house dozens of concubines, far from the palace in Jaipur to escape the vigil of his official Ranis.
An interesting tale about Maharaja Madho Singh is that despite being very virile and potent and having his share of official wives and countless concubines, he left no male heir. This was because he was warned by his astrologer that if he produced a legal son, Madho Singh would die within six months. So while many boys and girls were fathered, they were all illegal and only one daughter was borne by an official Rani.
Continuing to Jaipur, on our left is the Kanak Vrindavan Mandir surrounded by abundant greenery. Then comes Man Sagar Lake at the centre of which is Jal Mahal, a small palace. In the evenings, locals flock to the lakeside reminding one of Bombay’s Marine Drive!
We pass through Zorawar Singh Gate also known as Dhruv Pole(Gate) and make our entry into the old City. Maharaja Jai Singh II was a renowned mathematician and astrologer and became a famous ruler. He had the City designed by the chief architect, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. With its wide roads and perpendicular sidelanes, Jaipur is considered to have been the only planned city of India till Le Corbusier designed Chandigarh in the 1950s. Maharaja Jai Singh shifted the capital to the City in 1727 and the City dutifully took its name from him.
Later, the Maharaja went to the court of Aurangzeb and the King was so impressed by the Maharaja that he gave him the title of ‘Sawai’ saying that he was one and a quarter times any man. All the Jaipur Maharajas took the title of Sawai from then.
In 1876, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, visited Jaipur and the City was painted pink to welcome him. The City has been kept pink and has been known as the ‘Pink City’ ever since.
Driving on, we turn right at Moti Katla Bazar and at the right corner in front of us is ‘Kale Munh’ (black faced) Hanuman mandir where you pray and whisper your wish in the ear of a priest and it will be granted. The road takes a left turn and on the right the boundary of the huge City Palace complex begins. If one were to go in, the first big building inside is Jaipur’s most famous temple, Govind Devji’s Mandir. The temple faces the City Palace from the balcony of which the Maharaja could do darshan of the deity with a telescope.
The City Palace to which Sawai Jai Singh II shifted his residence now has a museum and both the Palace and the museum are a must on a tourist’s agenda. For a long time in 1980s, a schoolmate and close friend, the late Yadu Sahai was the curator at the museum and occasionally took me to the Palace for a cup of coffee with Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh. Incidentally, Yadu’s father, Dr. Durga Sahai, was the personal physician of Sawai Man Singh, Sawai Bhawani Singh’s father.
Just outside the museum is another famous site, Jantar Mantar, the world famous observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh in 1734. It has 19 architectural astronomical instruments including the world’s largest sundial.
We continue our drive on the main road and come to Hawa Mahal, the iconic monument of Jaipur which is now a global symbol for the City. The magnificent structure was built in 1799 by Sawai Pratap Singh and has 365 windows with elaborate latticework, home to the Maharaja’s Ranis and concubines who could look out of the windows without being seen themselves.
We come to Badi Chaupar with Ramganj Bazar to the left and Tripolia Bazar to the right. We go straight on to Johari Bazar and immediately on the right is Purohitji Ka Katla, Akhila’s favourite shopping place for saris and other textiles open to hard bargaining! Then on the left is Haldion Ka Rasta where the renowned jeweller of old, Bhuramal Rajmal Surana had his haveli which was his home, shop and workplace for his artisans. He had four sons all of whom studied at St. Xavier’s and his second son, Vimal, was my classfellow. The corresponding street on the other side is Gopalji Ka Rasta which was a favourite with Mataji and Pitaji (my Nani and Nana) for delicious ‘kalakand’ and other sweets. Just outside the street is the office and shop of Durlabhjis known for their gemstone work. The well-known Rashmi Durlabhji was one year senior to me at Xavier’s and a good friend. Alas, he is no more.
Johari Bazar by itself can meet most of your typical Jaipur shopping requirements including kundan style jewellery, gemstones, Sanganeri and tie and dye saris, other textiles and Mojari shoes. At the centre of the Bazar is Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar to meet your chat, meal and sweet requirements including the delectable honeycomb like ‘ghevar’.
Towards the end of the Bazar are two Hanumanji temples facing each other, one on either side. We leave the Bazar at Sanganeri Gate and come to a T-crossing. Agra Road is to the left which can take you to two popular sites on either side of the road, Sisodia Rani Palace and garden built by Sawai Jai Singh II for his Maharani, and Vidhyadar gardens, built by the famous architect. A little beyond is the road to Galtaji known for its natural springs and a temple dedicated to the Sun god.
In front of Sanganeri Gate crossing is a building which was Pitaji’s High Court back in the 50s when we first came to Jaipur. Red Cross and a women’s hospital occupy it now. We turn right and have the Ram Niwas garden on our left. At the next crossing, we turn right to re-enter the old City through the New Gate and come to Chaura Rasta. To the right is a movie hall named Golcha. In my school days, it was called Prem Prakash and along with another movie hall, Man Prakash, was where we flocked to see English movies which were shown just once a week on Sunday mornings.
In early 1950s, an uncle of mine, Sarvesh Mamaji, opened a restaurant named Paradise opposite Prem Prakash. It didn’t last long as Sarvesh Mamaji gave too many free treats to friends and relatives including me!
Further up, there are shops known for the famous Jaipur razai (quilts). On the opposite side at this end of Gopalji Ka Rasta, there is a popular ‘gazak’ and ‘revri’ shop.
Facing us at the end of the road is Tripolia Gate which is normally closed and open only on specific occasions. A major one is probably the most famous festival of Jaipur, Gangaur, in honour of Gaura (Parvatiji), celebrated on Teej in March/April every year. Thousands of visitors, foreign and Indian, throng to the the area to watch the large procession which starts from the City Palace, out through Tripolia Gate on to Tripolia Bazar and goes around nearly half the old city ending at Talkatora which is at the back of Govindji’s Mandir. The procession includes elephants, old palanquins, chariots and folk artistes singing and dancing away. A few years back, Akhila and I went to see the procession and ended up following it all the way to the end, quite a walk!
Presently, we turn left onto Tripolia Bazar with myriad shops and on the right see a monument built in 1750, ‘Swarga Suli’ meaning heaven piercing minaret, towering over the shops. We come to Chhoti Chaupar where to the left is Kishenpole Bazar. On the opposite side of the Bazar, just off the Choupar is Maharaja’s Girls’ School founded by Sawai Ram Singh in 1866. Mummy was the Headmistress of the School for 17 years in the 1950s and 60s.
We continue straight into Chandpole Bazar and exit the old City out the gate with the same name as the Bazar. We turn left on to Station Road and pass the Central Bus Stand and Polo Victory, our third choice of movie halls of old. The entrance of the hall was decorated with many paintings of Polo tournaments.
Just before the Station at which I started and ended countless train journeys, there is a big crossing and on the left is a gate which leads to a complex called Khasa Kothi. On arrival in Jaipur in 1950, Pitaji was first put up here in the State Guest House before he was allotted his own house. We spent the summer of that year here. Those days, there was a dust storm every evening and we could see it approaching minutes before it struck. Some days, there would be a ‘peeli aandhi’ (yellow storm) while on others it would be ‘kaali’ (black) depending on the colour of dust.
Turning sharp left, we come to the popular Mirza Ismail Road named after the Dewan of Jaipur in the 1940s whose contribution in modernising the city was invaluable. Stylish shops and eating places abound on both sides and we travel quite a bit to a well-known crossing called Paanch Batti before coming to Niro’s which in Jaipur is one of the oldest modern restaurants functioning since 1949. It was our favourite haunt known for its slurpy ice cream sundaes with exotic names such as Honeymoon Special and Knickerbocker Glory. During a recent visit, I asked the manager if they still served them and he promptly brought a tall glass of each!
Opposite Niro’s, there is a lassiwala who people flock to in hundreds in summer to cool down with his various brands of lassi.
We continue and come to Ajmeri Gate which is the other end of Kishenpole Bazar. Further down is a crossing and a police station under a clocktower with a non-working clock! Next to the police station was the old Man Prakash now replaced by a mall. The next crossing brings us back to the New Gate but this time we turn right into the gate of Ram Niwas Garden and face the splendid Albert Hall built by Sawai Ram Singh in honour of Prince Albert’s visit in 1876. It houses a museum of archaeological and handicraft items. At night it is brilliantly lit by lights changing colors every few seconds. There is also a zoo in the Garden from which in my school days I used to hear the roars of lions every night.
We continue straight down the long Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg till we see the Moti Dungri fort resembling a Scottish castle atop a hill. The Fort overlooks the famous Ganesh temple with an icon of Lord Ganesh over 500 years old. Next to it is the much newer Birla temple which was completed in 1985.
A right here leads to the Rambagh Circle and the Rambagh Palace, only it is no more a palace but a hotel. Rambagh is another palace built by Sawai Ram Singh and was a royal guesthouse and hunting lodge till Sawai Man Singh II made it his residence from 1925 to 1957. The complex also has a French style bungalow called Lily Pool which was known for Maharani Gayatri Devi’s lavish parties particularly on Sharad Poornimas. There are tennis courts also where I first saw Maharani Gayatri Devi in 1952 looking resplendent in sparkling white shirt and slacks.
The hotel has a Polo Bar decorated with Polo sticks, balls, trophies and paintings. Yadu and I spent many evenings enjoying a glass of beer and snacks there.
Further down the road are the Rajasthan Polo Club and the Rambagh Golf Club, both venues of important tournaments.
A right turn at the circle and we pass the High Court and the Secratariat and come to the Statue Circle which was without a statue in my school days. There was some controversy about what statue to put there but now it has one of Sawai Jai Singh II holding a large astronomical document. The Statue Circle was the chief walking location in the past till the Central Park was developed inside the Rambagh complex. Pitaji used to come to the Statue Circle regularly for his morning constitutional and I accompanied him whenever I could. It remains a tourist attraction and many still prefer to walk there.
We continue straight on Bhagwan Das Road and come to my alma mater, St. Xavier’s. Started in 1943 as St. Mary’s by a group of priests, Sir Mirza Ismail gave the School its present name and site in 1945 and handed over its running to the Catholic Society of Jesus. The exceptionally devoted Fathers of my time specially my first Principal, Mann, and class teachers Mackessack and Pinto, are all up in heaven but the School has kept up its good name. The imposing multi-coloured stone building to which we shifted in 1952 is itself a sight to behold.
We carry on and reach Paanch Batti and repeat the stretch past Niro’s upto the police station where we turn right on Sawai Ram Singh Road and pass the famous Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ School. This School was the brainchild of the Sawai Man Singh II who named it after his favourite Maharani. It was the first public school for girls in Rajputana, later Rajasthan. It started in 1943 with 24 girls and had a Scottish lady, Miss Lillian G. Lutter as its founder principal. Under Miss Lutter the School developed to become one of the finest educational institutions in India and the lady acquired an iconic image. She was the principal for a remarkable 37 years.
Up ahead are two Colleges facing each other, Maharaja and Maharani Colleges, the former for boys and the latter for girls. Maharaja College is another ancient institution founded by Sawai Ram Singh II in 1844. Maharani came into being exactly 100 years later in 1944.
Just before the Colleges we turn right onto Ashok Marg and then left on Mahavir Marg. We reac a circle where we turn left on Hospital Road so named because it leads to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital.
And so we have come on the street where we lived when Pitaji was serving as the High Court Judge in Jaipur. Our first house was No. 4 for a year and then the larger No. 3 double storey house for 4 ½ years. When we came to Jaipur, No. 3 was occupied by Dr. Katre, Chief Medical Officer, whose son later became the Chief of Air Staff. We moved in after Dr. Katre retired.
No. 3 had a long driveway on which my friends and I used to play Cricket. All of us were studying in St. Xavier’s and included the brothers Vinode and Pramode Pareek, Krishen Bhargava, Vinod Jain and Ashok Sarin, all staying on Hospital Road, and Suresh Pareek and Yadu Sahai from the neighborhood. While most of us were in government houses and had to move out, the Pareek brothers’ father, Dr. Prabhu Dayal, had built his own house on Hospital Road and his eldest son, Dr. Satya Narain, continues to stay there with his family and two unmarried sisters who run a children’s school. I remember the telephone no. of the Pareeks which in 1950s had just three digits, 312. Four digits have been prefixed now but the last three, 312, remain!
Ashok Sarin joined the Air Force but unfortunately died in an air crash shortly after. Dr. Sarda, an eminent eye specialist also had his own house there; his son, also an eye specialist, married Admiral Paintal’s daughter who we meet every year at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
A small lane halfway down connects Hospital Road to Vivekanand Marg where Pitaji built his own house and named it ‘Ananda’. Opposite was Dr. Shravan Lal Purohit, father of Suresh Pareek. Dr. Shravan Lal became our family doctor and Suresh took over after the old man passed away. Suresh runs a dispensary in Chandpole Bazar and his treatment is a combination of allopathy, homeopathy and ayurved. He answers our call no matter what the time and, of course, there is no question of any fee!
Further down Vivekanand Marg was the house of Dr. PK Sethi of the 'Jaipur Foot' fame.
We leave Vivekanand Marg on Sawai Ram Singh Marg and turn left and left again on Shivaji Marg. Facing us is the gate of Diggi Palace, home of Jaipur Literature Festival. There is a naval connection here as well as the Palace’s owner is Ram Pratap Singh, son-in-law of Capt RN Singh. Just before Diggi Palace, we turn left and facing us at the end of the road is the house which Mummy built and I inherited.
We are home.
Lucky me!
P.S. Time to blow a little of my trumpet; if I don’t blow it, who will!
In our Senior Cambridge English Language exam, we had to write an essay and had a choice of topics which were fairly common. But there was one that seemed out of the ordinary, viz., ‘A foreign guest is visiting you. Describe how you will show him your city in three days’. I picked this one up and wrote my essay. On comparing notes after the exam, I discovered that nobody else had chosen this subject. I felt I had gone into uncharted waters and wondered how I would fare. I need not have worried; I was the only one to get an ‘A’.
Today after 66 years, I have gone around in just an hour. Hope you enjoyed the drive!
