Jaipur to Agra - Chand Baori

Thursday, 18 September 2014

The road from Jaipur to Agra is a slow two-lane road that winds through a number of small towns.

Camel carts were relatively common, but it was difficult to get a good picture from our mini-bus.

These tree protectors were unique to this part of India.
I'm not sure if the main source of damage is livestock or vehicles -- both seem likely!

Pollution of this sort is all too common throughout India. This is why the "dust" is largely black soot. Low-quality coal is the primary fuel for industry.

Chand Baori

Along the way from Jaipur to Agra, we made a short diversion to see the Chand Baori -- one of the oldest (8th or 9th Century) and deepest (19.5 m, 63 ft) stepwells in India. We were interested in the stepwell, our guide (stationed at the stepwell) was far more interested in telling us about Hindu gods and the artwork in the galleries, which has been collected from nearby places.

In the dry parts of India -- most notably Gujarat and Rajasthan -- stepwells collected water in the monsoon for use throughout the rest of the year. The steps assured access to the water regardless of the level.  I can't imagine carrying water up those steps!
The gallery around the top of the stepwell is a relatively recent addition.

The air temperature near the water could be as much as 5°C (9°F) cooler than the surrounding countryside, so the royal family had a pavilion where they could take advantage of this.

This view of the pavilion gives a better sense of the steps as seen on the right side of the photo.

Here we are staring into the sun for the required photo-op. All except for Ross and John are wearing shirts and kurtis custom-made the previous evening in Jaipur. (About three hours from ordering to delivery at the hotel.) The women's kurtis are made with block-printed cotton cloth.