DAY 2 : INDIA : Mandawa

Weather : fine, smog and 31o



Delhi to Madawa

 

Breakfast of parathas and Southern Indian rice pancakes at Nidra Hotel



With our trusty driver, Radhey
 

A 6 hour drive today with our driver, Radhey, who will transport us through Rajasthan. He is very enthusiastic about our trip together ("Now we are family!") and gave us a lively commentary as we drove west from Delhi. 

 

 

Grazing sheep and goats along roadway

 

 

Colourfully-dressed women balancing goods

 

 

Camels carting mustard seed chaff for fodder

 

HUGE loads of goods threatening to spill - and some did!

 

There was continual activity along the route as Rajasthanis play out their lives in a very public way – whether it be food stalls, men crouched in groups playing cards, children bathing in water troughs, workers cutting slate or making bricks in outdoor workshops, temporary makeshift camps for road constructions workers and their families and women gracefully walking along the road balancing all manner of cargo on their heads.

We were fascinated by the range of animals and their important roles. Camels were the predominant carriers of HUGE carts of the ever-present mustard seed crop lining our route. Donkeys pulled smaller carts of soil and stones for road works. Cows were shackled or roaming along the road, carefully tended by householders, as they are their only source of fuel. All the dung is collected and patted into large shaped pancakes and neatly stored in large piles for burning. Herds of goats, sheep and young calves also feed along the highway usually accompanied by brightly dressed women, who graze their animals far from home in this dry, desert area.

 

Hanif, our tour guide, in Mandawa

 

 

Beautifully restored havelis

 

Inside one of the havelis - with frescoes fading

 

Our destination today was Mandawa , a small town in the Shekhawati region. It is famous for its beautifully painted havelis, which are large Rajput (Hindu architecture) houses , built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.This area was originally part of the Spice Route and merchants built spectacular homes, employing local artisans to paint scenes and designs on the exterior and interior. We had a fascinating walking tour with a local guide and were able to go inside many of these buildings and experience life in Mandawa in its heyday. Unfortunately many of the houses are now empty but some have been restored to their original glory by the local art school.

 

The Castle Hotel Mandawa - just like the Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

 

A relaxing swim in the hotel pool

 

 

 

Internal courtyard lights

One of the best examples of restoration in the area is the Hotel Castle Mandawa, where we are staying. It was originally the home of the original maharaja. (The maharajas were stripped of their titles and pensions by the government in the 1970s). The Maharaja’s family still own the castle. It is owned by 2 brothers – one side is derelict and the other side a profitable hotel with fabulous accommodation and surroundings, including an impressive swimming pool, which we availed ourselves of immediately on arrival. In some ways it has the feeling of the Exotic Marigold Hotel.

As I type this there are sounds of distant Hindi music floating from a wedding we saw being set up on our walk and the call to prayer from the local mosque.

M&M
mm_smith@bigpond.net.au