Called the blue city after the blue colour wash of the houses in the old town.
(Blue originally meant people were high caste Brahmin)
I just love this photo. Near the market.
The Mehrangarh Fort dominates the town.
Rough Guides called this "the most spectacular citadel in Rajasthan".
On the wall, just inside Loha Pol, the 6th gate, are the hand prints of Maharaja Man Singh's widows. He died in 1843.
As the wives left the palace for the last time to commit sati on his funeral pyre, they placed their hand prints on the wall.
This was the last mass sati by wives of a Marwari Maharaja.
This palanquin has the Peacock which is the national bird of India.
Even the cleaners look so elegant in their sari's
Umaid Bhawan Palace - "A colossal Indo-Saracenic heap" (Rough Guides)
Commissioned in 1929 by Umaid Singh the second last Maharajah before independence,
primarily as a famine relief project. It kept 3000 labourers employed for 16 years.
His descendants retain much of their wealth, influence and respect.
(Photos of polo with Prince Charles etc)
The palace now has 3 purposes - a fairly dull museum, the residence for the royal family and a luxury hotel.
The hotel has art deco furniture and fittings, sweeping staircases and lots of guilt.
To see them, none guests need to spend a minimum of 2000 rupees at the bar.
While we were there, some new guests arrived to check in and a band played a welcome as they were deposited by their limousine.
Women shopping at the cloth market.
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