Our first stop was the state of Rajasthan which is rich in magnificent palaces, ancient, crumbling  forts, colorful bazaars, and tourists everywhere.   The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was shot here. More on that later. The desert dwellers of this part of India wouldn’t have survived without camels which have been used for transportation, beasts of burden, and as a source of nourishment from their slightly salty tasting milk.

Chittorgarh, a fort begun in 728 AD, was our first stop. It is the largest of the many Rajastan forts. In 1303, it was under siege by Sultan Khilji, who wanted the land as well as the beautiful queen of the present king. STUDENT ALERT: Remember that the Trojan War was fought over the beautiful Helen of Troy after Paris, the Spartan, kidnapped her. This story had no Trojan Horse to end the war. In the Indian story, when the beautiful queen Padimi realized that her husband’s defeat was inevitable, she and 13,000 of the women in Chittorgarh committed mass suicide by immolation (death by fire), rather than be dishonored by the approaching soldiers. Today, the fort’s filled with ruins of palaces, temples and hungry monkeys. We were warned not to put our hands in our pockets because that is a signal to the monkeys that you have food to give them, and they come to get it.  Several students were hissed and snarled at through the clinched teeth of disappointed monkeys.

On the way to Udiapur, we stopped at several Hindu temples, which I didn’t photograph.  One complex is Nagda which is known as the mother and daughter-in-law temples that dates back to the 11^th century.  The site was different because it was rural, in the midst of fields.  We saw it at sunset which was stunning.  Eklingji which has  108 (a Hindu lucky number) Hindu temples on the spot where a special blessing was given by a sage to the founder of the Mewer dynasty. We were there at dusk and no photography was allowed.  There were flower sellers at the entrance where we removed our shoes. The complex was sited between two existing buildings narrow at the front and spreading out behind the entrance and main temple.   The construction was marble and granite blocks. As we walked toward the temple, I noticed the high stone walls and cobblestone block walkway, I thought of pictures I have seen of the narrow streets of old Jerusalem, which I have not visited. This temple was to honor Shiva, who is one of the three main gods of Hinduism.  The flickering lights, the sound of the gong, chanting, and  the smell of incense were a continuing assault of the senses.

Nemaste…………T I I