Wed 26 Nov Bhuj
[This is the sixth anniversary of the storming of Mumbai by 10 terrorists and the killing of apx 180 people, incl. people in the CST Rwy Station, the Taj Mahal Hotel, and Chabad. It is 26/11 and is all over the news.]
Of interest: The individual room locks at Hotel Gangaram and in others where we have stayed are like old fashioned barn doors with a large lock and sliding rod.
Standard breakfast. Roland showed off his purchases from yesterday. He has a wonderful eye for spectacular workmanship. We had driven by car; he had traveled much more cheaply in an auto-rickshaw for closer to 500 R. We talked about driving after dark. His driver had not put on his lights until well after dark. Roland asked him to illuminate. The driver declined, saying: "I can see where I am going."
Our hotel sits at the wall surrounding the Darbar Gadhi, the walled complex from which Kachchh was once ruled. Added benefit - less traffic noise. Today we will see what lies within the walls. We weren't sure about where to enter, so we walked around it. Thus we saw Swaminarayan Temple, and walked through all that was publicly available. As we were 90% around the Aina Mahal complex, we found the entry. Very atmospheric, with pigeons and other birds flying in and out of the stonework.
First up was Aina Mahal, and several related mahals, the ancestral homes of Kachchh's rulers. Much of the front building was badly damaged, probably from the 2001 earthquake, which was centered about 30 km NE of Bhuj. The first two floors of Aina Mahal have been rebuilt, and is now a museum. The upper floors await funding. We pay and enter.
Kachchh was ruled by the Jadega Dynasty from 1510. This museum documented how the lived and the alliances and wars they underwent. There is an exhibit of 17th C. letters, including military alliances of small states and concern about the commercial dealings with Dutch merchants.
As the current country of India was formed in Jan 1947, each small kingdom declared its allegiance to either Pakistan or to India. For most it areas the decision was simple, and by mid 1947 the colossal movement of (perhaps) 100s of millions of people of the wrong religion had begun following Partition. For places like Kachchh and Jammu and Kashmir, the decision was excruciating. Jammu and Kashmir became a battlefield, de facto divided between the two countries.
Kachchh decided as follows: Maharao (a word meaning Maharaja) Madan Singhji became its ruler in early March 1948, long after almost everyone else cast their lot one way or the other. On 1 June 1948, he allied Kachchh with India, thus making Kachchh a border province with Pakistan. He also secured a lucrative position with the British Foreign Service, and left to serve in several countries. Shrewd dude, and a crack tennis and polo player to boot. In later life he returned to live in the Sharad Barg Palace.
As we travel India, we are seeing repeated instances of folks who controlled major amounts of money and power, and how opulently they lived. There are glass art objects from China, Delft ware, and wonderful textiles, along with glorious British furniture and silver. Prag Mahal, another residence of the Jadegas, was available, but we decided not to look at the inside.
We were through about 1100. Sharad Baug Palace was another palace, the last residence of the last maharao in much later life. It was to close at noon, but when we got there at 1145 it was already closed. Or at least, the staff didn't want to delay their lunch break.
On to the Folk Art Museum, which was to close at 1315. After walking some, a 30 R rickshaw ride got us there. A simple museum, it had exhibits of the crafts styles of the folks in the villages we had visited, and replicas of typical houses. No signage in English, however.
We finished, and grabbed a rickshaw over to the Hotel Prince, rather upscale and on the other side of town. There, in the Toral Restaurant, we had a scrumptuous thali, thus feeding ourselves for the last time before an long upcoming bus trip, AND celebrating Thanksgiving a day early and all-veg.
You sit down and a slew of cute young male waiters, dressed in pyjamas and turbans, come out. The first filled four bowls with bhindi (okra), alu raswala (potato), chana masala (chickpeas), and valor muthia (green beans plus). Another fills bowls with soupy dal and raita. Another gives you 2 sweets, gulab jamun and jalebi. Another dishes out 3 farsan: ghughura, patra, and bahi waba. Finally others give you kadhi, rotis, papads, salad (tomatoes and cukes) and chaas (buttermilk). Not only that, but it is "all you can eat and drink," and the guys keep coming back, ladles brimming. All for 240 R, plus service charge. Locals eat here; it is not a show for tourists.Simply scrumptious, and since we were not going to eat for well over 24 hours, very practical.
We left Hotel Prince, walked around the city for some blocks, and found an internet cafe.
Back to our hotel about 1545, where we sat around until it was time to start our overnight trip. At 1700 we took a 40 R rickshaw to the bus company offices. There we loaded into a free rickshaw to go out to a waiting bus in the suburbs.
We climbed into our assigned sleeper bed in an upper berth and lay down. The bus pulled out a little before 1800. We were stuck up above for the next 14 hours (because the ladders were really hard to negotiate up and down). We were alternatively sleeping and lying there looking out the window. First we were overheated, then cold. While Carol fit well, it was too short and small for Mike. The plastic container that once held rice did toilet service twice.
At 745 the next morning we and our bags were in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, out of the bus, and on the street, after having ridden about 600 km.
[This is the sixth anniversary of the storming of Mumbai by 10 terrorists and the killing of apx 180 people, incl. people in the CST Rwy Station, the Taj Mahal Hotel, and Chabad. It is 26/11 and is all over the news.]
Of interest: The individual room locks at Hotel Gangaram and in others where we have stayed are like old fashioned barn doors with a large lock and sliding rod.
Standard breakfast. Roland showed off his purchases from yesterday. He has a wonderful eye for spectacular workmanship. We had driven by car; he had traveled much more cheaply in an auto-rickshaw for closer to 500 R. We talked about driving after dark. His driver had not put on his lights until well after dark. Roland asked him to illuminate. The driver declined, saying: "I can see where I am going."
Our hotel sits at the wall surrounding the Darbar Gadhi, the walled complex from which Kachchh was once ruled. Added benefit - less traffic noise. Today we will see what lies within the walls. We weren't sure about where to enter, so we walked around it. Thus we saw Swaminarayan Temple, and walked through all that was publicly available. As we were 90% around the Aina Mahal complex, we found the entry. Very atmospheric, with pigeons and other birds flying in and out of the stonework.
First up was Aina Mahal, and several related mahals, the ancestral homes of Kachchh's rulers. Much of the front building was badly damaged, probably from the 2001 earthquake, which was centered about 30 km NE of Bhuj. The first two floors of Aina Mahal have been rebuilt, and is now a museum. The upper floors await funding. We pay and enter.
Kachchh was ruled by the Jadega Dynasty from 1510. This museum documented how the lived and the alliances and wars they underwent. There is an exhibit of 17th C. letters, including military alliances of small states and concern about the commercial dealings with Dutch merchants.
As the current country of India was formed in Jan 1947, each small kingdom declared its allegiance to either Pakistan or to India. For most it areas the decision was simple, and by mid 1947 the colossal movement of (perhaps) 100s of millions of people of the wrong religion had begun following Partition. For places like Kachchh and Jammu and Kashmir, the decision was excruciating. Jammu and Kashmir became a battlefield, de facto divided between the two countries.
Kachchh decided as follows: Maharao (a word meaning Maharaja) Madan Singhji became its ruler in early March 1948, long after almost everyone else cast their lot one way or the other. On 1 June 1948, he allied Kachchh with India, thus making Kachchh a border province with Pakistan. He also secured a lucrative position with the British Foreign Service, and left to serve in several countries. Shrewd dude, and a crack tennis and polo player to boot. In later life he returned to live in the Sharad Barg Palace.
As we travel India, we are seeing repeated instances of folks who controlled major amounts of money and power, and how opulently they lived. There are glass art objects from China, Delft ware, and wonderful textiles, along with glorious British furniture and silver. Prag Mahal, another residence of the Jadegas, was available, but we decided not to look at the inside.
We were through about 1100. Sharad Baug Palace was another palace, the last residence of the last maharao in much later life. It was to close at noon, but when we got there at 1145 it was already closed. Or at least, the staff didn't want to delay their lunch break.
On to the Folk Art Museum, which was to close at 1315. After walking some, a 30 R rickshaw ride got us there. A simple museum, it had exhibits of the crafts styles of the folks in the villages we had visited, and replicas of typical houses. No signage in English, however.
We finished, and grabbed a rickshaw over to the Hotel Prince, rather upscale and on the other side of town. There, in the Toral Restaurant, we had a scrumptuous thali, thus feeding ourselves for the last time before an long upcoming bus trip, AND celebrating Thanksgiving a day early and all-veg.
You sit down and a slew of cute young male waiters, dressed in pyjamas and turbans, come out. The first filled four bowls with bhindi (okra), alu raswala (potato), chana masala (chickpeas), and valor muthia (green beans plus). Another fills bowls with soupy dal and raita. Another gives you 2 sweets, gulab jamun and jalebi. Another dishes out 3 farsan: ghughura, patra, and bahi waba. Finally others give you kadhi, rotis, papads, salad (tomatoes and cukes) and chaas (buttermilk). Not only that, but it is "all you can eat and drink," and the guys keep coming back, ladles brimming. All for 240 R, plus service charge. Locals eat here; it is not a show for tourists.Simply scrumptious, and since we were not going to eat for well over 24 hours, very practical.
We left Hotel Prince, walked around the city for some blocks, and found an internet cafe.
Back to our hotel about 1545, where we sat around until it was time to start our overnight trip. At 1700 we took a 40 R rickshaw to the bus company offices. There we loaded into a free rickshaw to go out to a waiting bus in the suburbs.
We climbed into our assigned sleeper bed in an upper berth and lay down. The bus pulled out a little before 1800. We were stuck up above for the next 14 hours (because the ladders were really hard to negotiate up and down). We were alternatively sleeping and lying there looking out the window. First we were overheated, then cold. While Carol fit well, it was too short and small for Mike. The plastic container that once held rice did toilet service twice.
At 745 the next morning we and our bags were in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, out of the bus, and on the street, after having ridden about 600 km.
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