Bikaner...briefly

Jenna and I have had a few whirlwind days around Rajasthan and have been unable to update the blog. We are currently in Udaipur, a city in the southwest part of the state. It is a beautiful place with a lake at its heart, surrounded by low mountains and green hills, much more lush than the rest of this arid state. It is also famous for being the location of the 1970s James Bond film Octopussy. (Hostels around here have the movie on a continuous loop.)

Nearly five days ago, Jenna and I visited Bikaner briefly for one night. Bikaner is a dry, dusty city known for its camel trade. (That was one reason the British never fully subjugated the Bikaner kingdom, for trading purposes.) It was not a wholly memorable town, but the fort was spectacular. Here are some images from our visit.

The mighty Durbar Hall in the fort, a place for public meetings and coronations. This picture does not doe it justice; it was simply one of the most impressive rooms we have seen in our extensive tours of Rajasthani palaces.

Jenna standing in front of a stone lattice screen (or jali), a feature seen frequently in these Rajasthani forts. The screens were constructed so women of the maharajah’s court could walk around the palace without being seen by people standing on the outside.

A board of nails displayed in the fort, used by Hindu mystics more than 100 years ago. They mystics would enter trances and then stand and even dance on the boards and NOT draw blood. My own test proved the nails remain very sharp. (Don’t worry; I have received my tetanus vaccination.)

A beautiful hallway off the maharajah’s bed chambers. A guard allowed Jenna and I to take a peek inside, saying, “No Indians allowed here. Only foreigners.” Of course, he expected a tip for his generosity.