Jaipur, City of Royalty

In every way, Jaipur was amazing. In 1883 the entire city was painted pink (the color of welcome) in preparation for a visit from Prince Albert, which earned Jaipur the nickname it carries to this day: the Pink City. It has another characteristic that's unusual for a city built in 1728: it was laid out on a grid pattern. Driving down the wide, straight streets, flanked by pink walls and complimented from time to time by beautiful stone archways over the road, I felt like I was wandering through a labyrinthine Dr. Seuss illustration.

But Jaipur was also one of the dirtiest and poor-seeming places we've been, which only added to the sensation of being lost in a Dr. Seuss book. The dusty roads were littered with trash, the sidewalks sometimes busy with begging children with dirt-smudged faces and people crippled by polio, navigating the city in ingenious ways (like seating themselves on skateboards and pushing along with their hands).

Our first stop in Jaipur was short. We stopped at the Hawa Mahal (the Palace of Winds) just long enough to take pictures of this rose-colored building with its 953 niches and windows surmounted by awnings that looked like cake frosting. Overall, the image the architecture called to mind was a cumulus cloud at sunrise. In functionality, however, the "Palace" of Winds was not anything that romantic. It was simply a facade built over the building in which the women of the royal household were kept in seclusion, and its delicate windows provided the only link they had with the outside world.

We didn't have the time to tour inside because we were in a hurry. You see, we had an elephant to catch.

The Amber Fort, about 7 miles outside of Jaipur, is a hulking fortress perched high above the valley below it, once the home of the area's original inhabitants, the Minas. The enormous, reddish ramparts far above us and the wide stone road switchbacking up the steep incline and passing under massive gateways along the way were nearly overwhelming. The distance and the steepness of the climb would have been as physically daunting to us as they had been to the Jaipur's enemies (until 1728 when it served as the state's capitol) if we didn't already have a ride arranged!

Our "lift" was a fleet of Indian elephants, whose heads, faces and trunks had been decorated with fushia flowers, green leaves and decorative, abstract symbols. To mount the elephants, we climbed onto their backs from a platform at least 10 feet above the ground. Each elephant was captained by a white-clad man in a red turban seated on the animal's neck and shoulders. We rode - two people to an elephant - on padding that served as a saddle and thankfully equipped with a little, protective railing. Even so, there were moments on the journey upwards when I felt in danger of falling off!

As we climbed, we had a stunning view of valley, the river, the ornamental ponds and the wall that rode all the surrounding hills like the knobs on an alligator's back. The wall, similar to the Great Wall of China was an ingenious solution for the pacifistic Hindus who had not wanted to execute prisoners of war and instead put them to work.

The Amber Fort was incredible, perhaps my favorite experience so far. Inside the immense ramparts stretched a wide, open stone plaza where vendors made sales from baskets of flowers in every color. We seemed to be climbing different stairs endlessly (like an M.C. Esher painting) as we made our way through the city of red stone. There were great pillars, pavilions and shaded viewpoints over the scenic arid landscape. Most incredible was the Shish Mahal, the palace of mirrors. There, unbelievably detailed decorations were inlaid into the walls with glittering mirrors. Our guide explained that, during the winter, the open walls were draped with insulating carpet and the women of the palace performed jingling dances in candle-light...and our imaginations took flight imagining how even a single candle, reflecting off the sparkling ceiling, gave the impression of being out under the boundless stars.

After zigzagging our way down the backside of the fort hill (in taxis since descending with a load of people on their backs is too hard on the elephants), we again climbed into our "Tourist" bus to head to the City Palace. In addition to being made into a museum open to the public, the palace continues to serve as the residence of Jaipur's royal family. The guide book says, the royal residence is "built in a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal styles which houses a museum with a superb collection of Rajasthani costumes and armory... It has an art gallery with an excellent collection miniature paintings, carpets, royal paraphernalia and rare astronomical works. My favorite part was the Pritam Niwas Chowk, or "Peacock Gallery," in which each of the courtyard's four doorways is painted with the brilliant patterns and colors of peacock plumage. One of the doorways even has sculpted peacocks, like vigilant, sentries, overlooking all who pass through.

After that, we visited the Jantar Mantar, "an astrological and astronomical observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh in the 18th century, which is remarkable for it's accuracy even in present times." From a distance, the instruments of the observatory called to mind a modern-day skateboard park, but on closer inspection, the objects (which had looked like a halfpipe and other bizarre-shaped obstacles to jump off), were actually beautifully-constructed instruments. There were 16 instruments in all, each with a specific purpose in the study of the movements of stars and planets. Several people in our group said the observatory was their favorite part of the trip. Glen said he could "feel" the history of the place at the Jantar Mantar. "You could just see the the men in their long robes out there, reading the instruments and excited about science," he said.

To see pictures from our trip, please visit the Inner Connections Yoga Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=268765&id=294275506729

About Inner Connections Yoga
Inner Connections Yoga, in Castle Rock, Colorado since 2002, is a place where the ancient traditions of Hatha yoga are brought into the experience of our modern lives. John and Jeanne Adams, the studio owners, help their clients to unite the interconnecting aspects of body, breath and spirit, and also connect yoga enthusiasts in a supportive, friendly community. Every year, Inner Connections leads a group yoga trip to an international location. Past trips have included Brazil, Fiji, Honduras and Costa Rica. For more information, please visit www.InnerConnectionsYoga.com.