Me, My Family and My Country

By Vanita G. Madhwani

Namaste!!

India India is located in Asia,

and is the seventh largest country in the world.

It is the second most populated country in the world. In 2008, the population was about 1.1 billion.

It is also the largest democracy in the world.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world

It was built by an emperor as a symbol of love for his wife

More about India 28 states and seven union territories 18 national languages, main languages being Hindi

and English. However, there are 347 spoken languages!

Sanskrit is one of the oldest, non-regional languages in the world.

My mother-tongue is Sindhi My parents are originally from Sindh, a part of

former United India. It is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world – The famous Moen-jo-Darro site, which is 5000 year old is found there.

They moved to Rajasthan state (land of the kings) where I was born

My Home State - Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the largest state of India. Jaipur, the city where I live, is the capital of

Rajasthan. It is famously called the “Pink City” because of the

old, carved, pink and white sandstone buildings. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in

India

Jaipur Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, the ruler of

Rajasthan planned & built Jaipur in 1727 Old Jaipur’s layout has a grid plan of

avenues & streets, much like New York Jaipur’s population is over 3.5 million In 2007, about 250 thousand foreign

and about a million Indian tourists visited Jaipur

The Average daily temperature during summer months is 113 F and during winter months, it is about 40 F

Places To Visit In Jaipur Hawa Mahal Amber Fort Jaigarh Fort Nahargarh Fort Jantar-Mantar City Palace Albert Hall Sargasuli (Isar Laat) Motidungri Temple

The Thar Desert

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal means “palace of winds”

It was built in 1799 It has 953 small

windows called “Jharokhas”

It is a combination of Mughal and Rajput architectural style

It is carved out of red and pink sandstone

Hawa Mahal:Interesting Facts The royal ladies used to view parades and

processions from behind the windows without being seen

It is the tallest building in the world without a foundation. It can stand because it is curved and leaning at an angle of 87 degrees

It is built in the shape of the Hindu god Krishna’s crown

The lattice-work of Hawa Mahal is similar to the honeycomb of a beehive.

It was also used by the royal family as a summer retreat, since the unusually designed windows provided cool breeze.

Amer (Amber) Fort

Amber Fort, a popular tourist attraction, is located just outside Jaipur city

It is an ancient citadel (A fortress to protect the city)

Raja Man Singh I started building the fort in 1592. It was completed two centuries later by Sawai Jai Singh.

The famous Shila Maata Temple is located here.

Recent Picture Sketch of Amber in 1858

Snapshots at Amer Tourists can ride on

elephants to reach the top of the fort

The “Prachir” (the safety wall) was used for aiming guns.

And that’s me with my older son!!

More Snapshots at Amer

Sheesh Mahal Sheesh Mahal (Palace

of Mirrors) is one of the most beautiful parts of Amer Fort

When the palace was occupied by royalty, the hall could be lit at night by a single candle because of thousands of tiny, intricate mirrors

More Snapshots at Amer There are beautiful

samples of Marble carvings throughout the fort

The Kali Temple, also known as the Shila Devi Temple is famous for its silver lions and doors

Jal Mahal Jal Mahal (meaning

"Water Palace") is a palace located in the middle of the Maan Sagar Lake in Jaipur

The lake gets filled up in the Monsoon season, and the palace is accessible only by boats and a causeway

Jaigarh : The Largest Cannon

Jaigarh, about 15 k.m. from Jaipur, is a beautiful fort and home to the largest cannon on wheels in the world, “Jaivana”

It was cast in 1720, during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh II.

The front wheels are 2.74 m in diameter and the rear wheels are 1.37 m in diameter

The length of the barrel of the cannon is over 20 feet and it weighs 50 tons.

Jantar-Mantar Observatory

Recently declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Jantar-Mantar Observatory Collection of astronomical

instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II between 1727 and 1734

One of 5 such sites, but this one is the best preserved

The name is derived from Jantar ("instrument"), and Mantar ("formula“ or "calculation")

Therefore Jantar Mantar means literally 'calculation instrument'.

Jantar-Mantar It has 14 major geometric devices for

measuring time predicting eclipses tracking constellations as the earth

orbits around the sun ascertaining the declinations of

planets, and determining the celestial altitudes

The Samrat Yantra, the largest sundial in the world is 90 feet (27 m) high. Its shadow can tell the time of day to an accuracy of 2 seconds.

The Hindu chhatri (small cupola) on top is used as a platform for announcing eclipses and the arrival of monsoons.

Motidungri Temple One of the oldest

temples of Lord Ganesh in Jaipur, visited by people of all faiths.

Anyone buying a new vehicle visits the temple to seek blessings.

Birla Mandir (Lakshmi Narayan Temple)

City Palace

City Palace City Palace is a complex of

several palaces, pavilions, gardens and temples, located in the heart of Jaipur.

The most prominent and most visited structures in the complex are the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum

The Silver Urn seen here is the largest in the world. It has an interesting story, connected to Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II

More Snapshots at City Palace

More Snapshots at City Palace

Govind Devji Mandir (Temple)

Nahargarh Fort

Garh Ganesh

Galta : Pilgrimage Place

Sargasuli

Albert Hall (Museum)

Albert Hall (Museum)

Albert Hall (Museum)

Raj Mandir Movie Theatre

More Things To See

Galta Gaitor Doll Museum Sisodia Garden Vidyadhar Garden Rambaug Palace GovindDev Temple

Snapshots of Jaipur

Snapshots of Jaipur

Snapshots of Jaipur

Snapshots of Jaipur

Festivals of India

Festivals Diwali Holi Makar Sankrant Gangaur Teej Elephant festival Nauratra Rakshabandhan

Arts and Crafts of Jaipur

And The YUMMY Food!!

More Food

Cuisines of India

Cuisines of India

My Home

My Family

My Family

My Family

My Family

My Family

My Family

My Family

Namaste!!!!