Skip to main content

Featured Post

2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

The Bazaar at Amer

Near the exit of Amer Fort, two huge vats or vessels attract our attention. They look big enough to cook food, and we assume these are a couple of the relics left over from the olden days. However, the guide is quick to correct us. These are props from a film which was shot here - Jodha Akbar. He says they didnt take it back, and there was no place inside the fort for them, so here they are, where they will be noticed, but  not really a part of the fort. 





This is the portion of the fort which is allotted to the shops. There is a small museum shop which sells souvenirs, and then there are these vendors selling everything from clothes to wooden articles, to bangles... In more ways that one, the place allotted for the vessels seems apt. The bazaar is the place where the old makes way for the new... where the ancient and the modern both have their place... Most of the items sold here are inspired by the items used by the royals in the days gone by, but they have been adapted to suit the demands of the present.....

Earrings galore....





This young man obviously knew his customers well. He didnt as much as look up all the time we were there... but a couple of foreigners entered, and he was up on his feet with his sales pitch all ready!!! 

Turbans, Kurtis, umbrellas, cushion covers.... a variety of textile products!



Bangles!! Oh how I was tempted!!!


These lac bangles studded with mirrors were once the signature of Jaipur. I still remember the first pair my uncle bought me. But these days, they seem to available everywhere....


Ditto with these beautiful mirror studded dolls which occupy prime space in our golu. This arrangement itself looks like one!


And then there are, of course, the precious and semi precious stones.....






I am always attracted to these bazaars at all tourist places, for the sheer colours and variety of items. It takes an awful lot of control to not splurge, which is why I take my camera along these days. I might not return with armfulls of the glittering knick knacks, but I have loads of photos which serve just as well!!

Comments

  1. Lovely artifacts and curios. You have captured the colourful market well.


    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely. What did you buy for me, Anu? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sorry Sudha!! I was hard pressed as it is, keeping my itching hands away from all these wonderful things! !

      Delete
  3. now- that's something that my sister would love to get lost and shop in. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely!!!! even more so if you sponsor her shopping spree!!

      Delete
  4. Its always wonderful to roam around in Jaipur and look at all those wonderful things being sold!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Arti!! We had too little time to actually go and drool over all the wonderful things, but we still came back with our bags bursting!!

      Delete
  5. Rajasthan full of colors & life, very nice ! Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well captured..the jhumkas..the rings..longing to go there..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Trust Rajasthan to spread out the most colourful of souvenirs. :)
    Lovely post, Anuradha.

    ReplyDelete
  8. one feels these blogs are among the best on amer,ought to prompt many readers tomake an early visit.
    easy to read,excellent photos....
    between the link and the blog,i thought for a fleeting moment that the vats/cauldrons
    must have been used to pour oil on the invaders!naturally disappointed to learn these're left behind by the jodha akbar group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much!! I was surprised too, which is why I remembered it!

      Delete
  9. good post, a different look at the Pink City, I wonder how I missed all this every time I have been there.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amer fort is a great ancient monument, which holds great history of Mughal rulers . The architectural beauty of the fort has an enchanting effect and leaves person spell bounded. The fort holds a position of being a famous Bollywood shooting destination. Indeed your article has enlightened the market of Amer. Amer fort market has some beautiful collection of artwork, be it traditional Jewelry, handicrafts, miniature decorations etc. Each and everything reflects the traditional Jaipur’s Art work. The vibrant bangles, the colourfull Odhani’s are some of the best buys, and of course you need to have a good bargaining sense when it comes to shopping at such well visited monument of the city.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Fascinating! Thank God, I got some time to come here, Anu. Beautiful pictures :)))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to see you catching up, Julia... hope to see you on my other posts soon too :D

      Delete
  12. Amazing pics Anuradha.. How expensive were the earrings and other jewelry ?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.

Pandharpur Yatra 2023

The first time I visited Pandharpur was back in 2007 . The names Vitthal and Pandharpur, were just names to me. I had heard of them, but that was about it. Seeing the lord standing on the brick, hands on his hips, was memorable, but more memorable was the sight that greeted us as we walked out of the main sanctum of the temple. In the mandap just outside were a group of devotees singing abhangs , and dancing. This was the first time I had heard abhangs , and even almost 15 years later, I can remember the welling of feeling within me, listening to the songs, and how fascinated I was by the sight of the devotees dancing, lost in their love of the Lord. Over the years, as I have read more about Vitthal, and participated in Ashadi Ekadashi programmes at Puttaparthi, that first experience has stayed clear in my mind and heart. Every time I tell my Balvikas students of the saints who sang of Vitthala, it is that experience that I re-live. I visited Pandharpur again, in 2010, but that experie