Day 184 – Jodhpur, India – 7:10 PM

After three days enjoying the temperate weather and stunning landscapes of Manali, I re-boarded an overnight bus bound for Delhi. My bus pulled from the gravel parking lot and slowly worked through the local streets of New Manali. The mountain passes that left me aghast days earlier now passed by my window in a blur. I knew before long I would be among the noise and congestion of India’s capitol and largest city. As we meandered south, headlights and taillights replaced the long shadows of the setting sun. I managed a few hours of restless sleep, trying to change my body position every so often to avoid blood loss in my limbs. Dawn emerged from the darkness and daylight followed soon after. A layer of haze hung low over the city and filtered out much of the light. I exited the bus thinking of the list I saw recently that listed Delhi as the most polluted city in the world.

I boarded an auto-rickshaw and we worked through the early morning traffic to central Delhi’s Paharganj neighborhood. I walked into the lobby of a hotel and booked a room without much trouble. My stay in Delhi was merely a stop over and less than 24 hours later I stood on the platform at New Delhi Station waiting to board a train to Jaipur, my first stop in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The white and maroon engine pulled into view followed by over a dozen cars. I stepped onto Coach 11 and found seat 54. I placed my large pack overhead and positioned my small pack on the floor between my legs. We slowly puttered out of the station and picked up speed once clear of the city limits. Breakfast, tea and coffee were served and that day’s issue of The Times of India was distributed throughout the coach. Passengers came and went as our train stopped momentarily at stations along the route.

Shortly before noon, we pulled into Jaipur Junction, the city’s main rail hub. I grabbed my belongings and stepped down onto the platform. From my research, I knew there was a tourist information center on the main concourse. I slung my bags and walked in that direction. I was hardly surprised by the crowds that weaved through the station. One thing I have noticed in India is that no matter the time of day railway stations are abuzz with activity. I proceeded to the tourist information center and opened the large glass doors that led inside. I noticed the cool breeze emitted by the air conditioning and sat across from a gentleman behind a small wooden desk. He wore a red ball cap and blue button down shirt whose top three buttons were undone.

After polite introductions I informed the man behind the desk I needed an accommodation in Jaipur for three days. I rattled off the names and locations of a few I had researched. He listened and then rattled off a few of his own. We discussed prices and locations of each. As I sat looking at a map of the area, a police officer walked inside and sat down next to me. We exchanged smiles and I ran my possibilities by him. He listened, and then suggested Moonlight Palace Hotel, a destination popular with travelers and close by the rail station. He called Moonlight Palace and handed me the phone. The man on the other end of the line quoted me $13.51 USD per night. He suggested I come see a room and then make a final decision. He organized an auto-rickshaw and told me to sit tight until it arrived. I thanked him and hung up. I shook the hands of the three gentlemen in the tourist office and proceeded to the parking lot lined with rickshaws. I turned down offers for a ride and waited for the driver reserved by Moonlight Palace.

A short while later, a bearded man approached and said “Paul” in a questioning tone. I nodded and stood up. We exchanged handshakes and he introduced himself as Kahn. He slung my large pack over his shoulder and we walked to his rickshaw. My bags and I piled in the backseat and Kahn sat in the driver’s seat. The afternoon heat bore down as we puttered along local roadways to my potential accommodation. We turned off the main road that intersects Jaipur and proceeded down a quiet, dusty street. A few pieces of litter tumbled down the sidewalk thanks to the early afternoon breeze. The rickshaw came to a halt outside the Moonlight Palace Hotel and I walked inside. I proceeded to the welcome desk and inquired once again about vacancies. The receptionist shook his head yes and I asked to see an air-conditioned room. The nightly rate and clean conditions were sufficient for my taste and I completed the check-in process.

Prior to departing Moonlight Palace Hotel, Kahn asked if I needed transportation to the points of attraction around the city. I nodded my head yes as none were within walking distance. We agreed to reconvene at 2pm and begin exploring the city. Over the course of that afternoon and the following day Kahn shuttled me to several different locations in Jaipur and the surrounding area. Many cities have common points of interest that draw the attention of tourists. Museums, cathedrals, ancient buildings and public squares can be found on any map. However, Jaipur is one of only five cities in India that is home to Jantar Mantar, a group of several stone and brass instruments used to view the movement of celestial bodies and display the time of day using the sun. Due to their cultural and scientific impact on society at the time, the instruments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. I walked onto the Jantar Mantar grounds and my eyes darted between the numerous abstract-looking structures that appeared before me.

The arrangements were built by Rajput King Sawai Jai Singh and completed during the mid-18^th century. The instruments, used regularly until 1800, were believed to be more accurate than other devices due to their size. However, as time progressed, the accuracy of the structures was called into question. Many of the instruments foundations have begun to sink into the earth thus causing their parts to become misaligned. Even still, I walked around the grounds awe struck.  Much like the Temples of Kajuraho, I could not fathom how these structures came to be. It must take someone very intelligent to conjure up that idea in their head, turn it into a plan on paper and construct it into a working instrument. I felt as though I needed a pencil and paper to figure out how each worked.

The one instrument that stopped me in my tracks was Vrihat Samrat Yantra, the world’s largest stone sundial. It reaches a height of 88 feet and its face is angled at 27 Degrees, the latitude of Jaipur. As a result, it is accurate to within two seconds of the local time. Again, how someone thought of this idea centuries ago still eludes me. As the years progressed, the instruments fell into disuse and disrepair. The first restoration effort began in 1902 during British colonial rule. A larger project commenced in 2006 and continues today.

I walked around Jantar Mantar for over an hour and then returned to Kahn and his rickshaw. We pulled away from the curb and in the direction of our next stop. A museum and two forts were on our itinerary. While I looked forward to all that remained, I doubted any would turn the gears in my head as much as the instruments of Jantar Mantar.

 

* Photographs from Jaipur are accessible within the India portfolio section found on the Perpetual Footsteps homepage.