It’s my last (for now) blog post from India after my quest for snow leopards in Ladakh and now completing the infamous “Golden Triangle” journey in the north of the country: Delhi and its many architectural highlights, Agra with the incredible Taj Mahal, and finally Jaipur, the so-called Pink City, which I combined with a visit to Ranthambore National Park and the Chand Baori stepwell.

Ranthambore

Heading south-west from Agra, it’s just a few hours drive to one of India’s most famous national parks. Its claim to fame? The large population of Bengal Tigers, with around 80 of the vulnerable cats hidden somewhere behind one of the entrance gates into the various sections of the jungle landscape.

Having said that, the park is home to a lot more than tigers, its animal population also includes leopards, sloth bears, deer, hyena, and crocodiles for example, plus hundreds of bird species and of course a large variety of flora.

Getting a glimpse of most of the mammal species here is a difficult task, although I caught the back of a sloth bear for a few seconds, which was considered to be quite a rare occurrence. Having said that, my focus was on finding tigers, which also proved to be rather difficult (or maybe I was just unlucky).

Safari’s here are quite different than in most of Africa, and arguably worse in a few ways. The park is divided into zones with somewhat differing terrain and likelihood for sightings, and assignment is by lottery or “influence”. Timings for entering and exit are strict and you need to be back at the gate by sunset, meaning you rush back at least 30 minutes from deep inside the park. That’s obviously when the light starts to get good, and more crucially, when tigers wake up from their afternoon nap in the bushes… Capacity is limited - which is a good thing - but most of the tours are in a big bus with dozen of people, who are often not so acquainted with expected behavior in a natural environment in search for elusive animals. Luckily there is the possibility to book a private small jeep, which I’d 100% recommend.

Other than that, the park features beautiful landscapes, and quite interestingly, a fort with several of its associated remnants scattered throughout - and some alligator decoration.

Rantambhore Fort

The fort is undoubtedly worth a visit, ideally straight after your morning safari - it’s literally in the middle of the park. Together with the many hillside forts of Rajasthan, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its origin goes back over 1000 years.

It is home to several temples of the era, and a long winding path brings you to the nearby market area of the village located at the edge of the park, where the monkeys wait to steal food.

Some of the people I met while exploring, which were happy to be photographed.

Padam Talao lake with the hunting palace used by the royal family of Jaipur in the past. It’s also home to the second largest Banyan Tree in India, just behind, with the fort on the hill in the distance.

Back to Tiger Search

It was my last game drive after 3 full days, and I still had not seen a Tiger - even my guide was getting nervous… so we didn’t spend much time at the fort or looking at or for other animals anymore.

Signs

We saw the evidence, such as the scratches on this tree, but had yet to find the culprits, despite the high tiger density in the park. I attributed this to the timings of the game drives when tigers sleep, and the fact the portion of the park allocated for each tour are sometimes quite small, with more or less random drives back and forth in the hope to find one.

The lucky moment happened at the very end when we spotted this Tiger sleeping in the very distance. This was shot at 600mm, and after he didn’t move for 20 minutes it was time to leave…

We got lucky a second time though, on the way to the park entrance we spotted two more Safari cars racing to a location by a small river, where a 6-year old Tigress called Shakir (T111) rested in a much better spot.

Bengal tigers are among the largest cats in the world, with males growing up to 3 meters in length with a 1 meter shoulder height, and a weight that can reach in excess of 250 kg. There are only around 4000 Bengal tigers left in the wild, and more than half live in India.

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Even though I’d have wished for a little more interesting behaviors, she did raise her head once for this photo before we had to rush to the entrance to avoid missing closing time, which seemingly comes with a big fine. Maybe the fastest off-road drive I’ve been through, with a few moments of airtime.

I might come back to see more of this magnificent species, but would probably pick a different park this time. Although the rules are seemingly similar all around, I heard there are some options to improve the experience…

Chand Baori Stepwell

With a small detour to the north you can visit this incredible stepwell on the way from Ranthambore to Jaipur. It reaches almost 30 meters in the ground, making it one of the oldest surviving and deepest in the country. Its construction was finished more than 1100 years ago, albeit with several modifications and restoration projects since.

These types of wells played a major role on the Indian subcontinent from the 9th century onwards, but some are even older. They were often used to ensure access to water during draughts, but also served as resting place and sometimes had broader cultural and religious significance.

The well is famous for its cascading steps that reach down in a diamond-like pattern, and the beautiful arches around the perimeter. This arcade also houses many carved stones and other leftover sculptures from a nearby temple that was destroyed during the course of history in the area.

The Pink City

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, was my final destination of this India trip, and I had two days to explore the city and its surroundings, starting with the Amber fort located in a town on the outskirts.

Amber Fort

The fort lies by Maota Lake, seen here with the historic Saffron Garden and the defense wall running along the mountain ridge in the background.

Although it is an example of Rajput architecture, it also features Mughal elements, particularly the Sheesh Mahal and its garden seen on the right. On the left is Ghanesh Gate with its latticed windows on the top, through which ladies could observe festivals or other activities on the courtyard below in a concealed fashion.

It was primarily constructed from red sandstone and marble and part of the same UNESCO entry as the Ranthambore fort, together with four more forts in the region.

Unmaintained

One of the decaying structures surrounding the accessible part of the fort.

I also spotted this man playing a beautiful local instrument here, the name of which I sadly forgot - if you know, leave a comment.

The other side of the fort overlooks the town of Amer with some of its beautiful Hindu temples and their ornate architectural elements.

Stairwell Symmetry

In this village to the foot of the fort lies another stepwell called Panna Meena ka Kund built in the 16th century, again featuring beautiful stairway patterns - unfortunately not allowed to be walked on nowadays.

Back towards the city lies the man-made Man Sagar lake, created as a reservoir in the late 16th century, featuring a rather interesting structure in the middle - the Jal Mahal.

The so-called “Water Temple” was originally a Rajput style hunting lodge for the royal family, and actually houses up to four more stories underneath the water level. These were submerged over time as the water level rose. Today, it’s unfortunately inaccessible, but the lake is home to a variety of birdlife, and sadly, like many of India’s inshore waters, too much trash - having said that, a restoration project for the ecosystem and also the palace has been ongoing for several years.

At night the structure is beautifully lit up, almost creating the impression it is still in use today, particularly with the beautiful trees in the central courtyard.

Hawa Mahal

Despite the appeal of the Amber fort and the Jal Mahal, it’s probably this building that holds the “most well-known” title in Jaipur. This beautiful facade is part of the palace of the city, and was built in 1799.

The lattice facade once again served the purpose of allowing women to observe street life without being noticed themselves. In fact, the structure is the back (not the front!) of the women's chambers of the palace, and has a rather narrow side profile: some parts are just deep enough to allow a person to stand at the window.

Its nickname “Palace of the Wind” derives from the cooling Venturi effect created by its architectural features. Just like much of the other buildings in the city centre, it was built using the characteristic red and pink sandstone.

Speaking of which, here are a few more impressions from the same road running through the city all the way to the Sanganeri Gate in the south.

If you keep driving down the same road, you will end up at Patrika Gate, but not before stopping at the Albert Hall museum, built and opened in the late 19th century and housing mainly artifacts from India’s past - I didn't visit the inside though.

Patrika Gate

This gate was built in 2016 by the eponymous newspaper group and serves as an entrance to Jawahar Circle Garden.

It’s the photogenic interior with painted walls and wooden doors that made it popular. Although some people say it’s not worth visiting - maybe because it’s seen as “commercial” rather than “historic” and because it’s located almost 30 minutes from the city centre - I thought it was quite beautiful. Especially so if you manage to visit at a quiet time with no people; I only encountered a couple taking pictures, which kindly gave me the opportunity to add a model to my own photo.

Back in the city, the last spot to visit was the 18th century city palace of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. On the way there though we stopped at an interesting place just outside the palace - in fact, another UNESCO World Heritage Site - which I was not aware of: the Jaipur Jantar Mantar. A collection of huge stone-made astronomical instruments meant to be used with the naked eye, built along four other such locations around the region.

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This is the world’s largest stone sun dial, and can be used with an accuracy of about 20 seconds by a skilled observer.

Most of the 19 instruments were designed to measure and predict movement of planets and calendar events.

City Palace

Having spent way more time than planned at the astronomical instruments (so cool!) the city palace visit was shortened a bit, but here is the Chandra Mahal, the royal residence until today. The family owns vast properties, runs a business empire and still has political influence.

Other than that it features interesting galleries of textiles, armors, and even a clock tower. One of the most distinct features are the beautiful gates at the inner courtyard seen below.

Works of Art

There is also an amazing painting and photography gallery, where I bought a few small pieces so delicate they are drawn by brushes of single hairs of squirrels, using natural colors. This artist has been working for the royal family for seven generations.

Dera Amer

My last stop in Jaipur was this refugee camp for elephants that in the past carried people up to the fort, damaging their feet on the hard stone, and their backs from the weight in the process. The heavy jewelry also cut into their ears and necks, leaving visible marks.

Today, two such elephants are housed here, living a quiet life with their mahout (caretaker) and a few other animals, getting fed by visitors to the camp set up by the Singh family, which partly finances the operation. Many other elephants still suffer from these practices, but it takes a lot of money to purchase them from their owners and then care for them during a long lifespan. It’s sad to see, as I’ve grown very fond of elephants, partly after my trip to Amboseli - they are incredibly gentle and intelligent animals.