Day 3
We spent the forenoon browsing through the streets of Jaipur
seeing the craftsmen working on marble statues in Khazaane-walon
ka Rasta and making bangles in Maniharon ka rasta.
In the old times, different streets were allotted for different
professions. And apart from the stray shops that have come up of
late, the tradition still continues. In fact, lifestyle in the
older part of the city (the walled Pink City) still depicts the
flavour of the old times. Except for the increased crowds and
motorized vehicles plying over the roads, nothing seems to have
changed here. I have covered it in detail in
my notes on the
lifestyle and culture of Jaipur together with visuals of
Chhoti Chaupar.
 After
a quick bite, we visited the beautiful cenotaphs of the rulers of
Jaipur at Gaitor and then drove up the hills to the Jaigarh
fort.
The world’s biggest cannon on wheels, Jaivaan was truly
intimidating – it’s 9’ high, 20’ long and
weighs 50 tons! Made in the fort’s foundries, it was used
only once – that too a test firing as the Jaipur rulers were
pretty pally with the Mughals.
 An
old guide with a weather-beaten face told us that "the
cannonball weighing 150 kgs landed 40 kms away, making the brave
tremble and aborting the pregnant women." Phew!
Another of Jaigarh’s attraction is the elaborate water
filtering and storage system, which in its watery depths also
housed the royal treasury.
 By
now, it was dusk and we drove to Nahargarh (Tiger fort).
The fort's location is like a tiger standing on the crest of a
hill and overlooking the city below. Over a beer, we saw a
majestic sunset, typical of this desert state. The panoramic view
of the sprawling city of Jaipur from here, especially after
nightfall, is simply breathtaking.
Sonia wanted to brush up her Hindi and on our way back, we saw
the late-night movie in the grand interiors of Rajmandir
theatre.
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