Today was incredible! We opted to go to the Monkey temple. To get to the temple you have to get up to the top of a hill which provided amazing views of Jaipur.
This temple was built within the Aravalli Hills. It dates back to around the 15th century and is a popular Hindu retreat.
Within and around the temple there are an abundance of monkeys. We opted to have a monkey protector- Ravi who was able to show us how to handle the monkeys as well as keep them from misbehaving.
The monkeys are used to people and love anyone who is holding food. They ate peanuts and grass from our hands.
After the monkey temple we went into the old town to head to the market. We tried out our bartering skills and managed to get some items down by between 30-50% which we were pretty happy with. The market itself sold everything you could ever need from household items such as cookware to the most beautiful saris and fabric. The market was full of bright colours and absolutely jam packed with local people.
In the evening we went into the old city and had a look at the Hawa Mahal also known as the Wind palace. This building is stunning. It has 953 small windows which are decorated with intricate latticework.
After this we visited Jal Mahal which appears to float in the middle of a man made lake. It appears to be only one story however four story’s are submerged. It was originally intended to be a lodge for Madho Signh who constructed it in 1750 for his duck hunting parties. In the 18th century the palace was enhanced. It is now used as a exclusive restaurant. Unfortunately this is off limits for most of the public however the view from the river is incredible!
Finally we went to the Amber Palace. This was built in the 16th century. It had a lot of beautiful architecture including a gorgeous mirror room.
Fabulous xxxxx
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