A little apprehensive that Jaipur was going to be a tourist trap, be as that may, post covid it has been hit very hard. The huge bus-parks that roll in the tourists stand empty. Numbers are down, there is an air of desperation when we step off the train.
Jaipur is Rajasthan’s pink city - the ruling Maharaja had the whole city painted salmon pink -symbolising hospitality. It has been meticulously planned following a grid system where every element, even the road widths are based apparently on the number 9. All signage on the shop fronts is identical Hindi font. It is a very uniform, low-rise city.
The air quality is poor. Probably from the multitude of motorbikes and from cooking on wood.
We hooked up with Kumar, a local guide to help us get to grips with this huge place. We spent the whole day drifting around the old city tasting street foods and meeting artists and makers. As always I really enjoyed scraping beneath the surface and discovering some of the hidden gems.
Education Bookshop
Jaipur temple visitors
We met a father and son who handmade bronze pots. Unfortunately the son will be the end of this family tradition. There’s no money to be made from this anymore due to the availability of cheaper machine-made steel pots - just as functional but not as beautiful.
We went down Bell Puri Alley - every shop sells the Puri on an industrial scale.
This is the local court, for the residents to settle their own disputes instead of going to a formal court. Each side picks 2 people for a Jury and the public the final one.
A local screen-printer who prints the Temple prayer books
Being a paper obsessive, I couldn’t help but notice piles of printed ledger paper in a doorway. I just had to see more, it was a bit of a squeeze …
Guillotine Room
Printing Room
Delivery time.
The Marble section of the city is easily recognisable. It’s engulfed in a cloud of white dust so thick you need a mask. Each carver learns to carve a particular God. They carve that same God for the whole of their career.
The lime and chilli’s hang outside every business to ward off ill-feelings from their neighbours. They are replaced every week.
The dried leaves hanging across the shops are the remains of Diwali celebrations.
Jaipur is also famous for its jewellery and semi precious stones.
Silver Jewellers
Jewellers
Tailors
Towards the end of the day we met a local potter (the Master) and his family. We climbed up to the roof tops to fly kites with the children. There are hundreds of kites everywhere in Jaipur, in the sky, in the trees and in the streets. The boys and men fight them. We lost.
No.1 Kite Flying Team
No.1 Kite Flying Team’s proud Parents
Our final stop of the day was this street food vendor. Fried potato fritter mashed in a chickpea curry. Topped with mint sauce and tamarind. Oh my goodness, no wonder there is always a big crowd around this place. A little bit of heaven in a bowl.
We found Jaipur to be a friendly and fun place to explore.