This post is part of a series on ‘Walks in India‘.
Place: Old City, Jaipur
Highlights: Royal Cenotaphs, Jaipur City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Old City(Pink City)
Season: October to February, when it is not hot.
Time of the day: Evening – 9.30am to 1pm
Distance: Approximately 4kms
Difficulty: Easy
Map. This is an interactive map of the walk. Zoom in to get a closer look. Click on the blue markers to identify of each location.
View Walks in India – Old City, Jaipur in a larger map
Map of places to see and walking in Jaipur
The Walk.
The Walk begins from Royal Cenotaphs at Gaitor, just outside the old city. The fine marble structures host cenotaphs of kings of Jaipur and their descendants, starting with Sawai Jai Singh II from mid 18th century. The cenotaphs located amidst a few leafy ficus trees have interesting marble carvings of Krishna and other mythological characters. You can also look up to the views of Nahargarh Fort from here.
Get into Old City when you are done with Gaitor. It is a zig-zag of narrow roads here. If you loose your way, just ask for Hawa Mahal, and it should not be hard to find someone to help you. The long way is likely to be uneventful, but you would see a few temples and many old structures where you may feel like stopping briefly. Once you get near Hawa Mahal, you get a good feel of the ‘Pink City’, as Jaipur is called. All the buildings on the main road are painted in the same shade of pink and every shop looks the same as its neighbour. It is a busy area with shops selling every possible thing, most of them looking ancient. Many buildings in the Old City look very old, and some of them dilapidated. But these buildings have the ancient Rajasthani architecture with arches and chhatris(umbrellas), giving them a charming old-time feel.
Get into Hawa Mahal and peek through its tiny windows. Hawa Mahal was the place where the queens would spend their time watching the streets. To get best views of Hawa Mahal, climb the building opposite to it, which can give you a perspective from a good height.
Walk along the lanes behind Hawa Mahal to get to City Palace. The large enclosure of City Palace is full of old buildings, where pigeons keep fluttering in large groups. The big City Palace can keep you occupied for more than an hour. Get in and see the Diwan-I-Khas, Diwan-I-Aam, huge silver vessels, arts and crafts gallery, arms museum and four seasons gates. The Palace has a restaurant where you can break the walk for a cup of coffee or some snacks.
Just a little ahead of City Palace is Jantar Mantar, a collection of astronomical instruments built by Maharajah Jai Singh II. Make sure you hire a guide here to be able to understand the significance of each of these structures.
Further, continue walking on the market streets of Old City at Tripolia Bazar. You will see a narrow and tall tower called Swargasuli or Iswari Minar Swarga Sal. Climb the tower through its dark ramp with little ventilation, which might make you feel a little claustrophobic. It is one of the tallest structures in Old City, and gives you an uninterrupted view on all sides. You can easily spot Hawa Mahal, City Palace and other nearby landmarks, and Nahargarh Fort at a distance.
Walk westwards on Chandpol Road and reach Chandpol gate, which is one of the major entrances to the walled old city. You can see the restored walls of the Old City here. The walk ends at Chandpol.
This post is part of a series on ‘Walks in India‘.
Place: Varanasi
Highlights: Boat ride, Life on the Ghats, Burning Ghats, Ganga Aarti, Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Season: October to March, when it is not hot.
Time of the day: Morning 6 to 9 or evening 4 to 7.
Distance: Approximately 3kms
Difficulty: Easy
Map. This is an interactive map of the walk. Zoom in to get a closer look. Click on the blue markers to identify of each location.
View Walks in India – Ghats of Varanasi in a larger map
Map of places to see and walking on the ghats of Varanasi
The Walk.
Varanasi is known as the oldest living city. A lot of places and structures you see along the ghats are indeed very old. Do the walk in morning hours to witness the sunrise from a boat on the Ganges. The evening hours see more activity on the ghats, and you can conclude your walk by attending the Ganga Aarti at 6pm.
Start early in the morning from Dasawamedh Ghat and hire a boat to take you all the way south to Assi Ghat. Watch the sky turn from dark to crimson at sunrise as the boat takes you over the river.
Get down from the boat at Assi Ghat and start walking back along the river towards Dasaswamedh Ghat. See the life go by as you walk through the ghats. The people and the activities you see can vary a lot depending on the time of the day. Prabhu Ghat is where you find washermen washing clothes and drying them on the banks. Harischandra Ghat, close to Dasaswamedh is where the dead bodies are burned. Kedar ghat has steep steps leading to a brick-red and white striped temple. Munshi ghat has attractive ancient buildings, and view point from atop that fort gives a nice view of the the area along the ghats where the boats are stationed.
Through other ghats, you can witness many other things, like water buffaloes bathing in the river, mynas pecking food grains given by pilgrims, people making offerings to sun god, mendicants meditating, pilgrims taking holy dip, just to name a few. Kedar Ghat and Tulsi Ghat are some of the other ghats that you pass through during the walk. Activities in the ghats are endless and you keep seeing new things each time you return. There are many chai shops and a few juice centers on the way where you can fill yourself, provided you are not very hygiene conscious.
Most pilgrims tend to congregate near Dasaswamedh Ghat, which is close to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. You can spend some time here watching people in pooja, performing shraddha karma or other rituals. Further ahead is Manikarnika Ghat, another burning ghat where the dead are cremated. Come back to Dasaswamedh from Manikarnika and walk away from the river for a visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
You can end the morning walk at Dasaswamedh Ghat with breakfast in one of the many restaurants in the lane leading into the town. If it is evening, sit at Dasaswamedh and witness a session of Ganga Aarti, which lasts till 7pm.
++ More about Varanasi on paintedstork.com
* Perceptions of Varanasi
* Seeing the ghats
* Ganga Aarti – worshiping in the Ganges at Varanasi
* Life on the ghats
* Images of Varanasi
* Varanasi Information
This post is part of a series on ‘Walks in India‘.
Place: Rishikesh
Highlights: Hanging bridges(Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula), Temples, Small shops, Wooded stretch, Ashrams(Swargashram and Parmarth Niketan), Ganga Aarti.
Season: October to March, when it is not hot.
Time of the day: Evening – 3.30pm to 7pm
Distance: Approximately 3kms
Difficulty Level: Easy
Map. This is an interactive map of the walk. Zoom in to get a closer look. Click on the blue markers to identify of each location.
View Walks in India – Rishikesh – Laxman Jhula in a larger map
Map of Places to see and walking in Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh
The Walk
Begin the walk from the slopes above Laxman Jhula. This area is a hangout of western backpackers, which means you will see a mandatory German Bakery, restaurants selling cuisine from all over the world, a few bookshops, internet cafes and shops selling all kind of souvenirs. Once you get near the bridge, walk down to River Ganga by descending the steps and spend some time sitting on the rocks or playing in the water. The River is usually shallow in most of the places between the hanging bridges – Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula.
Cross Laxman Jhula, taking your time to admire the river upstream emerging from the mountains, widening itself and mellowing down just after the bridge. The bridge tends to be busy – cows occasionally join the crowds of people crossing the bridge, which seem to amuse the first time tourists from the west. And their reactions of having their ‘India Moments’ – in shooting the cow with a digicam or a camcorder – can amuse you. A few monkeys keep performing acrobatics along the bridge, or on the trees near them.
Across the bridge, located on the south bank are the tall Trayambakeshwar Temple and Swarg Niwas. Visit them if you wish to or turn right after the bridge and head towards Ram Jhula. Just after the bridge are a few tea stalls and shops that block your views of the river. Riverbed behind these shops is has some fine sand where you can walk down, or sit and kill some time.
Walking further on the path takes you to a peaceful wooded area. Lookout for birds here. Jungle Babblers are almost always seen, and a few hornbills and parakeets if you are lucky.
Buildings start appearing again when you reach Swargashram area near Ram Jhula. If you want to refuel, nearby Chotiwala restaurant is a good place to stop for coffee or a quick bite. Turn right here to go towards the river and to Ram Jhula. Walk on the bridge. You can see a few children selling small packs of tiny wheat balls on the bridge for feeding the fish – Masheer – that are gathered in a big group in the waters below, waiting for the feed. Buy a few packs and drop them into the river one-by-one.
Cross the bridge, turn left, get down to the river and take the boat ride to return to south bank again. Walk westwards on the small lane crowded with gem shops, internet centers, cafes and travel agents. Walk past Geetha Bhavan till you reach Parmarth Niketan Ashram. If it is 5.30pm or later, you will see a few people preparing the river bank for the evening’s Ganga Aarti – a ritual of worshipping the Ganges. Sit somewhere on the steps leading into the river and wait for the Aarti to begin. Aarti starts at 6pm and continues till 7. Watch people gather and pray together and sway the lights(aarti) to the tune of the prayers.
Once it is all over, sit back for a few minutes and enjoy your quiet moments on the river bank, listening to the soft gurgling sound of the river.
It is time to head back from here. If you are staying in town, you can catch a rickshaw to get back from the Taxi Stand on the other side of Ram Jhula.
++ More about Rishikesh on paintedstork.com
* First person report on walking in Rishikesh
* Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh
* Babas of Rihikesh
* Rishikesh Images
* Rishikesh Information