India
Abhaneri
|
Bangles
|
|
Chand Baori
|
|
Magic Show
|
Agra
|
Agra Fort
|
|
Carpet Making
|
|
Fatehpur Sikri
|
|
Taj Mahal
|
|
Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah, aka Baby Taj
|
Delhi
|
Gurdwara Sis Ganj
|
|
Jama Masjid
|
Dhula Bagh
|
Dhula Bagh
|
Jaipur
|
Amer Palace (Amber Palace)
|
|
Bicycle Rickshaw
|
|
Jaipur Monkeys
|
|
Jantar Mantar
|
|
Bazaar
A Bazaar is a place where goods and items are exchanged among people for money or a barter deal. The word “Bazaar” originated from the Persian word “Bazar” notably meant as a “network of merchants, bankers, and craftsmen”, as in ancient times people of all stature i.e., the bourgeois, traders and artisans, all sat at one place to do their work. Although bankers and artisans have shops now and Bazaars remain only for vendors and their customers, the word has a vernacular acceptance throughout the world. Nowadays, the word Bazaar brings to mind a large group of vendors selling their wares in a single place. Today Bazaars are considered the heartbeat of a city and many have become popular tourist spots. |
|
Marriage Customs
|
|
The Pink City
The reason behind the terracotta-pink color of the city was due to King Sawai Ram Singh. In 1876, Queen Victoria’s son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII, Emperor of India) visited India and, since pink was considered the color of hospitality at the time, Maharaja Ram Singh had the whole city painted pink to welcome the royal guests. Lord Albert was said to have described Jaipur as the ‘pink city’, hence creating the name Jaipur is known by today. At the time of his rule, the Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh was one of the richest and most powerful men in the country. His true power was reflected by the law passed by him to maintain the pink color for any future buildings in the city. The law was passed in 1877 because legend has it that the Queen of Jaipur was extremely fond of the terracotta pink color. As the law stayed in effect, the infrastructure of Jaipur is still painted in the pink color today. |
Prince Albert Concert Hall
The Albert Hall Museum is named in honor of Prince Albert of Britain (Queen Victoria’s husband) and was constructed to entice him to visit Jaipur during his 1876 tour of the Indian subcontinent. It was important for Maharaja Ram Singh to have the prince visit Jaipur as this would strengthen ties to the British royal court. The Albert Hall Jaipur was designed by a British architect, Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, who combined India Islamic architecture with neo-gothic that was fashionable in the Victorian era. This style of architecture is referred to as Indo-Saracenic and the Albert Hall Museum is the finest example in Rajasthan. Prince Albert ceremonially laid the first stone of the building to be named after him and the ceremony took place on February 6, 1876. The complex was completed 10 years later in the reign of Madho Singh II who decided the Albert Hall Jaipur should be used as a museum instead of a government building as Madho Singh I had planned. |
|
Blockprinting
The oldest record of Indian block print cotton fragments were excavated at various sites in Egypt, at Fustat near Cairo. The recorded history of block printed fabrics dates back to the Indus Valley civilization, around 3500 to 1300 BC. During the Mohenjo-daro site excavation, needles, spindles, and cotton fibers dyed with Madder (a red dye or pigment obtained from the root of the madder plant) were excavated. The Mughals introduced the intricate floral motifs that are still widely used in the hand block printed textiles from Rajasthan. The block printing process begins with a fabric that is first washed free of starch. The next step sees the fabric pinned on the printing table. Meanwhile, the colors are prepared and kept on a tray containing glue and pigment binder to ensure a soft base for the color, and to allow it to easily spread on the block. These blocks are hand-carved in a myriad of intricate designs that are first made using chalk paste or a pencil on paper. Once the blocks are ready, they are dipped in the color and then pressed on to the fabric. This process is repeated over and over again until the length of the fabric is complete. Precision is demanded by the artisans to ensure there are no breaks in the motifs. If there are multiple colors, other blocks are used and the artisan waits for the first print to dry first. |
|
Stone carving
Stone was amongst the first material used by prehistoric man to create tools. Though items made from stone gave way to, items made from metal, stone continued to be one of the preferred material for making sculptures. The stone-carving tradition in India is one of the richest in the world. Guilds of masons and stone carvers have existed here since the 7th century B.C. The skills were handed down as family lore from father to son, a practice prevalent in some parts of the country even today. India has a rich tradition of stonework, as is evident from temples in Khajuraho, Konark, Martand in Kashmir and Ellora etc, which have richly carved sculptures and relief work on them. Large temple complexes of Ramashwaram, Dilwara and Tirupati not only are marvels in stone, but they reflect a high degree of sophistication reached by craftsmen engaged in stone craft. |