Monuments of India

Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur

It is touted that the Umaid Bhawan Palace was built as a drought relief measure by Maharaja of Jodhpur Umaid Singh. The idea was to make a luxurious private residence for the Maharaha in order to create employment for the starving people of Jodhpur. I find it ironic. Imagine a man thinking of making a 347 room luxurious villa for himself out of the misery of the people is he supposed to serve. Surprisingly the Maharaja is glorified till this day as a philanthropist for his `noble gesture'.
Umaid Bhawan Palace's construction was begun in 1929 and employed 5000 men for 16 years. Of course these men were paid. But the money Maharajas in India had was not theirs in the first place. It was state money. Money of the people they ruled over. Money the Maharajas generously helped themselves to from time to time to fund their extravagant lifestyles. It did not occur to the Maharaja to put the money to dig wells, to harvest water, or in funding the various traditional skills of his poverty stricken public. But he was a Maharaja and what else could he think about than a palace of luxury. Today Umaid Bhawan Palace is divided between a luxury hotel, a museum and residence of the Maharaja's successors. It still remains the largest private residence in the world.

Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort is the only fort in the world with a living population. 25 percent of Jaisalmers population reside within this fort built in 1156 by the Rajpur ruler Jaisala. The human pressures on fort are evident and the fort has crumbled in small portions before. The drains are clogged, there are hotels and resturants inside the fort, there are temples and priests, not to mention a sizable population of cows and dogs. The fort is on the World Monuments Watch list of 100 endangered sites worldwide. I asked a shopkeeper who had a shop and a house in the fort if he would like to shift elsewhere. He said , ``who would want to leave a place one has lived in all their lives''. Efforts to rehablitate the residents is obviously up against a dead wall. As is evident in the pictures below the Fort now resembles any other congested by lane of any crowded city.

Havelis, Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is know for its Havelis. They have intricate carving and facades. As you walk down the lanes and bylanes of Jaisalmer you will come across scores of these old Havelis. Some of the famous ones are open to tourists for a fee charged by present day owners of the Havelis.

Mandir Palace and Tazia Tower- Mandir Palace is part hotel, part private residence and part museum. The present Maharaja resides here in Badal Vilas. Its from here that the pagoda shaped Tazia tower arises. The present maharaja is fond of horses and alsation dogs. You see both of them when you enter the Mandir Palace. You also see elegantly carved windows, doorways and rooms.

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Patwon Ki Haveli- It is the most incricatly carved haveli. It is five storied. It has a museum depicting the life of the rich in the olden days. The haveli also has handicraft shops on the ground floor.

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Nathmalji Ki Haveli- It was built jointly by two feuding brothers-Lallu and Hathu for the Prime Minister of the State. It is a unique haveli as both the brothers worked separately on the haveli, one on the right side and the other on the left. Both the sides differ in their design and carvings but the Haveli is a harmonious whole.