Jaeghar Fort and Jal Mahal

Alright. First blog post in a bit. The last big stop Shweta, Praveen, Tuk Tuk, and I made in Jaipur was at Jaeghar Fort, situated in the Aravilli mountain range that flanks the eastern side of Jaipur. The fort was commissioned by Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, and the same king that commissioned the City Palace in Jaipur. The drive up to the fort was white-knuckle. The road that twisted up the side of the mountain was barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and we had to come to a stop to inch by oncoming cars many times. Of course, this didn't stop people from bombing up and down the road in their cars, cycles, and scooters. Below is a picture of the ride into the fort after we passed through the main gate. The gentleman in front on the cycle was our guide. Praveen hired him on the turn onto the road up the mountain. Praveen also hired a guide for our City Palace tour. Thanks, Praveen!

This is the view of the Aravilli mountains and the Darbhawati River from one of the turrets of the fort. This could be where the river is dammed. You can see that the fort wall extends down to the river on the left and all the way over that hill in the distance (and probably further).

This is a gun turret that's part of the same turret where the above photo was taken.

This is probably the most famous feature of the fort, the Jaivana cannon, cast in 1720 from a four metal alloy. It is the largest wheeled cannon ever constructed, and took four elephants to move. It is 20 feet long and weighs 50 tons. The cannon was believed to only be fired once. It shot a 110 pound cannonball a distance of between 7 and 25 miles. Consider this was 1720! (That's our tour guide in the foreground. I got to ride on his cycle to the next destination of the fort.)

Rains coming.

Some monkeys playing and hanging out inside the fort. I like how the little ones bounce right off the wall. This is also above the fort's innovative rainwater storage facility, which is still in operation today. When it rained, the first rainwater was captured in a separate run-off area from the other water in order to keep the rest of the water clean.

Photos weren't allowed in some of the buildings and exhibits. A lot of these had fantastic photos of what went on in and around Jaipur in the modern era, specifically detailing military exploits and leaders. They also had a weapons collection. Below is a photo of one of the places where Jai Singh II would have dinner and entertain.

This is the courtyard that the above room faces. The musicians were stationed in the structure against the wall. People could dance up a storm here, literally.

It rained a couple of times while we were at the fort. Here we are waiting with everyone for the rain to let up. The building to the right was one dedicated to history and where photos were not permitted.

A cup of tea while we wait for the rains to clear.

This is one of the views of Jaipur and Man Sagar Lake, as we careen down the mountain. In the middle of the lake you can see the Jal Mahal, or Water Palace, so named because it emerges directly from the water.

This is on Praveen and myself's walk along the park that runs along the Jaipur side of Man Sagar Lake. It was a festive atmosphere. People were celebrating the rain season, I think. One bus drove by with people on top and they were blasting music and playing drums. There were food vendors selling coconut water, coconut slices, grilled corn on the cob, and other things.

This is the Jal Mahal. Earlier I posted a photo of the Hawa Mahal, or Air Palace, in Jaipur city proper. This is the Water Palace. It's five stories tall, so at least two of the stories are underwater. This was also commissioned by Jai Singh II.

After Jaipur, we drove to Shweta's home town of Ajmer, to stay at her parents' house. This is a hotel along the highway where we stopped beforehand for some tea and a bite to eat. My next post will be about Shweta's family and a day trip to Pushkar. Peace!