Is Gandhi the father of the nation just because he saved his country from the grips of Imperial colonisation? Romain Rolland begs to differ: “Mahatma’s fight is the fight of all of us.”Son of a Jainist father and a wealthy but non-Brahman family, Mahatma studied law and went to South Africa to practice it. He witnessed the cruelty thousands of Indians including himself in this land received. Inspired by Tolstoy, he established a farming colony and recruiting factory workers, he paralysed the...
Read more...We are travelling from Jodhpur to Udaipur in the Rajasthan area of India which is rich in wonders left behind by the Babur Empire. We are stopping in Ranakpur by the lake between the two cities. This is the city named after Raja Rana Kumbha and considered one of the five holy places of Jainism.We are welcomed by a gigantic temple in hundreds of hues of white surrounded by the forest, with its multiple-storey marble entrance, and towers that look like pine trees. This the Chaturmukha Jain...
Read more...The capitol city of the state of Rajasthan, Jaipur was built in the 18th century as the first planned city of India: it is one of the most visited places in the tourist haunt called the “Golden Triangle,” along with Delhi and Agra. This place, named after Maharaja Jai Singh, is called the Pink City on the account of all buildings painted in pink, inspired by the color of sandstone used in the construction of the Babur buildings. Jai’s city is one of the most touristic places in India today...
Read more...A castle resting on the hill of Jodhpur, the second biggest city of the state of Rajasthan, and far in the horizon, the houses painted in blue in the old town surrounding the castle. The city was built in the 15th century by Rathore Dynasty and named after its then ruler, Jodha who was one of the 24 sons of Ranmal. The construction of the castle also dates back to the same period. Its name is composed of two nouns in Sanskrit: “Mihir” means the Sun, whereas ‘garh’ means castle (one cannot...
Read more...After visiting the Gandhi monument we then go on with our sightseeing to some of the most important places in Delhi, which are similar to the examples of Islamic architecture we have known in Rajasthan: tombs, minarets, mosques.Qutup Minar: Masoned upward to the sky, Qutup Minar is the world’s tallest brick-work minaret which is 73 meters high and made with brown-red stone. The Qutub Complex, consisting of other mosques, tombs, the steel column, and the madrasah along with the minaret, is...
Read more...The city palace built on the eastern shore of Pichola lake; not a single palace, but a complex of buildings composed of many palaces. One can find both Rajastani style and Babur style in its architectural design. It is a group of buildings also influenced by the architectural styles of Europe, Middle Age, and China. We are again back in the 16th century: Having defeated by the Babur Emperor Ekber, Maharana Uday Sing ordered the construction of a city that will immortalize his name here,...
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