India: A Royal Past

 

India's history is rich with stories of maharajahs (kings) and maharanas (queens). As I've travelled through Rajasthan, I've stopped in many cities and visited their impressive forts and palaces. They are each built in their own unique way, showcasing the time they were built and the influences the builder had from other styles of architecture.

The Royal Gardens at Amber Fort

First was Amber, outside the city Jaipur. The fort was started in 1592 by Maharajah Man Singh. The royal family there reigned for over 800 years! The fort is set on a high hill looking over the beautiful Lake Maota. It has four main sections, which each have their own courtyard. The first, Jaleb Chowk, is the main courtyard where soldiers would show off their loot when they returned from battle. Carved marble screens above the courtyard let women see the action because they weren't allowed in that area (only men were).

The Jai Mandir (Hall of Victory) was the most impressive because of its mirrored walls and ceiling.

After Jaipur, I visited Pushkar and saw its market and ghats (see my previous post), then it was on to Jodhpur. Jodhpur is called the Blue City because many of the buildings in the old, and new, part of town are painted blue because of religious significance. The blue paint is also supposed to repel insects. But when entering the city, I assure you that your eyes won't be noticing the colour of the walls... Your gaze will instead be drawn upwards.... and upwards... to the towering fort above you, Mehrangarh.

Despite the fact that the royal family no longer governs India, this fort is still run by the Jodhpur royals. It houses many royal artifacts, like a collection of elephant howdahs (chairs that sit on top of an elephant for royal family members to travel in style). You can see the rooms decked out as they were hundreds of years ago with stained glass windows and mirrors. The fort was first built in the year 1808.

An Elephant Howdah

The Maharajah's chair in the Royal Entertainment Room

Udaipur was next, a beautiful city built around a lake with buildings that seem to rise up out of the water. The fort, Kumbhalgarh, is found two hours outside of Udaipur in the hills. It's known for having the second longest wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China. Unlike Mehrangarh, it is empty of artifacts, so we visited it to see its impressive views over the hills and a sand-duned desert. It was also great exercise to walk up the windy pathway and through the four gates that helped keep this royal family safe.

The wall is wide enough that eight horses can ride side-by-side!

We unfortunately didn't have enough time to visit the city Jaisalmer, which has its own interesting design. Look it up online; it looks like a giant sandcastle!

As I'm learning more about India's history as I go, I can see how it's steeped with pride and honour. The buildings help you realize what life would have been like hundreds of years ago, and little details teach about the culture.

For example, I noticed beautiful peacock designs used in many of the palaces and learned this noble creature is India's National Bird.

Elephants are a symbol of royally and were used by the royal families in celebrations, as well as during war. Many of the buildings have scenes with elephants fighting or dancing carved into pillars.

Over the last couple of hundred years, the Royal Families have lost all but their ceremonial powers as India has transitioned into becoming the world's largest democratic country. 

India: The Great Bazaar

A Snake Charmer!

I've enjoyed wandering through the markets in India with all their food stands of sizzling deep fried snacks and saris and bangle bracelets.

One of the things I love most about India is the clothing. Women usually wear saris or a salwar kameez. Saris are long pieces of fabric, usually silk, between 5 m and 9 m long, and 1 m wide. They are folded, wrapped and tucked around the woman without the need for pins or buttons. They come in every possible colour and make the streets of India alive with brightness.

A salwar kameez is another common choice for women, which is a dress-like tunic (or long shirt) worn over pants. Some men still wear the traditional dhoti, which is like a loincloth, pulled up loosely between the legs, but it's more common to see men in cities wearing dress pants or jeans with a button-up dress shirt.

I noticed that in Delhi, more women wore pants and long-sleeved shirts like women do in Canada, but in the smaller towns, saris seen to be the norm. You'll notice in my pictures that I've tried to dress conservatively to respect the Indian culture, either by wearing long skirts or pants with loose-fitting tops. I also generally carry a shawl with me, which is common.

               

Pushkar, where these photos were taken, is a city between the larger cities Jodhpur and Jaipur. It is most known for its ghats, or holy bathing areas. Hindus will visit Pushkar to bathe in the lake that they believe cleanses the body. You can see wet saris spread out to dry in the sun after people have washed in the sacred water. One of the ghats is famous for being a place where Gandhi's ashes were spread.

Pushkar's Ghats

India: The Land of Spice

Throughout India, much like the huge variety of languages people speak, different regions are known for different specialities. Curries, Dahl, Tandoori, and Naan, India is know for its food, and fulfils its reputation of being the 'Land of Spice.' Here are a few basics to help you figure out a menu at an Indian restaurant.

Rice: the base for most Indian dishes, particularly those from the South. It comes in a wide variety, from Assam's sticky rice to Kerala's red grains. The most popular, though, is basmati, a long-grained rice exported to many other countries.

Roti: thin flatbreads, also called chapati that accompany many Northern Indian dishes. You can use it to scoop up the food or put vegetables inside and roll it, kind of like a crepe.

Dahl: all throughout India (and Nepal), this is a staple. It's made from cooked lentils of all colours, split peas, or beans, like kidney or black-eyed peas. It can be eaten on its own or scooped onto rice with curried vegetables.

Vegetables: are found in almost every dish! Many Indians are vegetarian, so vegetables are prepared in many ways to provide variety. They can be cooked sukhi (dry) or tari (in a sauce) with spices, and can be fried, curried, baked, roasted, mashed... you name it! Common ones I've seen are potatoes, cauliflower, onions, carrots and peas.

Tandoori: despite the many vegetarians, there are several popular meat dishes called 'Non-Veg,' mainly made from chicken, lamb, and goat. Tandoori is my favourite, cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, that's from areas in Northern India.

Spices: dishes can come from mild to hot, but you'll notice that they all have a lot of flavour! Common spices are chilli, curry, cumin, turmeric, pepper, and various masalas.

In India, it's common to eat with your hands, or more specifically, your right hand only. You can use the bread as a kind of shovel to help get the food into your mouth.

There's no better way to learn something than by doing it, so not only have I dove in to all kinds of new food, but I also tried my hand at a cooking course. It was a ton of fun, and I'll arrive back home with the new recipes to add to my cookbook! Here's a look at my new cooking skills in action!

Dahl: We cooked mixed lentils, made a garlic-onion-ginger-chilli paste and fried it together with a few spices like cumin, fennel, and turmeric.

The Dahl simmering away!

The Channa Masala simmering.

Channa Masala: We sauteed onions, pureed tomatoes, garlic, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and spices, then added chick peas. We let it cook for about a half hour on low. In the meantime, we cooked basmati rice for the base of the Briyani.

Next, we cut chunks of onion, cauliflower, potato, ginger, and tomato to heat for the Briyani sauce.

Then all there was left to do was enjoy it!

Briyani

The meal we made!

At the end, we gave a huge thank you to our teachers, Deepa and Hemat for giving us the gift of food. We can't wait to try the recipes out at home for our friends and family! I hope I've inspired you to go out to an Indian restaurant and try something new, or to eat again one of your favourite Indian dishes!

India: The Most Beautiful Building in the World

After Delhi, I took a bus to Agra, home of the great Taj Mahal. The 'Taj' has been called the most beautiful building in the world because it is perfectly symmetrical with its four tall minarets. All four sides are identical, built from translucent marble and adorned with semi-precious stones.

The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan to honour his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. The Emperor was later overthrown by his son, and imprisoned across the river behind the Taj Mahal. It's said that he had a view of the Taj from his prison cell in the Agra Fort. When he later died in prison, his body was buried in the Taj with his wife's.





Visiting the Taj Mahal was an incredible experience. It's a picture that I've seen hundreds of times, but being there in person was very different. It didn't even seem like the same building, it was so weird to see it in person. After touring the grounds during the day, Mr. Elder and I set out on a small boat on the river to watch the sun set behind the magnificent building. I couldn't believe that we were the only people out there; it was stunning! Here are a few more pictures from the trip:

The traffic arriving in Agra.

Our hotel had a view of the Taj Mahal from its rooftop.
We arrived at nighttime, but could just make out its silhouette. 

Watching the sun set on the Yamuna River.

Introduction to India

  

India is the seventh largest country in the world in land size, with the second largest population of over 1.2 BILLON people! Its capital city is New Delhi, but its largest populated city is Mumbai, previously called Bombay, with 20.5 million people. To put that in perspective, the entire population of Canada is 34.8 million, so one city in India has more than half of our entire COUNTRY'S population! Needless to say, there are a lot of people who live here! So it's no surprise that our short trip in India has a focus on its people and history.


Over the next few  posts from India, I'll delve into its history further, but just for a quick overview, India had a long-standing monarchy with royal families and palaces. Many countries were interested in taking control of India and claiming it as their own, which is exactly what happened in 1858, when it officially became a British colony until 1947, when it gained its independence. Many British influences can still be seen around the country in ways such as the architecture, and the side of the road they drive on.


Unlike most counties in the world, India doesn't have one official language. Instead its citizens speak one or more of the 400 languages spoken in India! English is taught in many schools and so far, it hasn't been too difficult to communicate.

I started my tour of the country in its capital, New Delhi. Some of the sites I saw were the Lotus Temple and the Qutb Minar complex.

The Lotus Temple is a beautiful building constructed for people of Baha'i faith. All people are welcome in it, though, no matter what their beliefs or religion. It is a space for relaxation and reflection, so you have to be silent inside. It was absolutely breath-taking.







 

The Qutb Minar complex was built by the sultans of Mehrauli in 1193 to commemorate their achievements. Two of the main highlights were the Islamic mosque and the great tower, or 'minar.' It is 73 m tall, and you can see how each storey is designed differently with uniquely shaped balconies. It's red-coloured sandstone is attractively carved.

Nepal's Got it All!

Prayer flags at a Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu

As you can see from my other posts and pictures, Nepal is a beautiful country that had so much to offer travellers. The people are very friendly, polite, and humble. Even in the busy shopping district where our hotel was, the shopkeepers would call out hello as we passed, but weren't pushy about us buying things. On our trek, the Nepali people went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. We felt very welcome and safe.

A Hindu temple built in 1690. 

In terms of things to do, Nepal is teeming full of variety. You can trek in the mountains, visit sacred lakes, explore the jungle, and see historical sites in the cities. After spending many days in Kathmandu, I finally got around to see the famous Hindu and Buddhist temples.

With so many positives, it's hard to see a country that's suffering from so much poverty. I saw many homeless people living in the streets, and children out begging instead of being in school. We had to be careful about where we ate because sanitation is a huge concern in Nepal and we didn't want to get sick from someone touching our food who hadn't washed their hands with soap, or our food being contaminated by unclean water.

The Buddhist temple, Swayambhunath,
also named "Monkey Temple" because many
monkeys live there and are considered holy.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, Nepal ranks 177 out of 195 countries in the world for average income, making it the second poorest country in Asia (behind Afghanistan). An approximate 7 million Nepalis lack adequate food, basic health care, and education. Mr Elder and I have been looking into charities that support building schools in Nepal and supporting people in earning their own income to improve their quality of life.

We once again found ourselves in a country undergoing a huge moment in their history. The second democratic election Nepal has ever had took place near the end of our trip here. We hope that the results will help put the country on the right path to building a positive future for its people.

Nepal: The Heart of the Jungle

The view from the drive to Chitwan National Park

Nepal is more than just mountains when it comes to landscape. Just five hours south of Kathmandu, close to the border with India, is the Chitwan National Park. It's near 1000 square kilometer jungle is full of forests, grasslands, and marshes. Chitwan actually means "the heart of the jungle" and it's one of the best places in Asia to see wildlife.

We spent a quick two days here hoping to see some of the protected animals. We also learned a bit about the Tharu people and took in a cultural show.


The evening we arrived, we saw the traditional homes the villagers live in, round thatched roofs and walls made from bamboo and mud. Then, we were treated to an hour-long traditional dance performance. The highlights were the stick dances. For men, this dance prepares them for fighting their enemies, and for women, it celebrates the end of the rice harvest. There was also a dance to honour the wild peacock that's found in the park. It was entertaining and the costume was exquisite.

Then early the first morning, we set out by canoe on the Rapti River. The air was chilly, but the river water was warm, meaning that mist formed and hung above the water. It was absolutely magical. Our guide pointed out many birds, deer, and crocodile found around the river's edge.

                   

All was silent except the early morning sounds of the animals as we paddled down stream. Around the bend in the river we made out a figure on the pebbled cove of a small island. It turned to look at us, and through the mist, we saw a Royal Bengal tiger. With a flick of its tail, it sunk down into the tall grass and disappeared so quickly we aren't able to get a picture, but we were incredibly fortunate to have seen this shy and rare creature!

In the afternoon, we headed out on a jeep safari, where it was less magical, but we were able to see more of the forest. We stopped at the breeding centre for gharial crocodiles, which are endangered. They breed them here and release the young ones into the wild. They have long snouts mashed full of teeth for catching fish.

In the jungle, we were also fortunate to find endangered one-horned rhinoceroses, especially this mother and her baby!

And we didn't even need to go into the forest to see this python that had wandered into someone's home right beside our hotel bungalow! The villagers worked together to capture it into a bag and return it to its natural habitat.

Another Magical Nepali Experience