राजस्थानी ऒळखांण

Drinking Lassi. A tradition in Northern India - soothing and cooling against the heat of the land.

The Lassiwala store is famous in Jaipur. Lonely Planet India states that two cities in India have particularly good lassi (a yoghurt based milk drink in Northern India) - Amritsar in the Punjab, and Jaipur in Rajasthan.

This store here is one of several called "Lassiwalla" in a row - this guy is the original. You have to go early in the morning for fresh lassi, and it's served icy cold in these terracotta glasses. You smash them in the bin when you are done!

The best thing was that the lassi was 10 rupees! (less than 30 australian cents)

I came across this lady snake charmer at the Galtaji Temple, near Jaipur. She began to take out snakes and place them around her children. She must have done this as I was backing away (fear of snakely creatures). I did feel bad for her and the guide mentioned that this was a dying art. I paid her some rupees and took a photo. I was just hoping that when her baby develops teeth, the snake takes pity on him and does not bite :{

Galtaji Temple today is largely abandoned, other than the presence of many cows roaming around the 'gardens', littered with trash. It was disheartening to see cows having to resort to actually eating the rubbish as there is little else. In addition, there are hundreds of monkeys (perhaps thousands) who can be fed (buying peanuts for them).

The site is of significance as this is where the great saint (swami) Galav is believed to have spent his life and meditated. There are many temples in the complex, including the three story temple of Balaji, and the Temple of Galtaji himself. There are large bathing tanks, where many people come to bathe on Makar Sankranti - a religious festival celebrated in mid January (mid winter).

An 18th Century Surya (sun) templ sits on the highest peak - dedicated to the Sun God, by a courtier of Sawai Jai Singh II.

मेवाड़ री शानः- पिछौळा झीळ उदैपर

Rajasthani Reflection

Rajasthani Reflection

Rang De Churiyan: A Punjabi (Rang Ke Churiyan for the Hindi translation) sentence which paints a picture of a brightly dressed Indian lady in a Punjabi Suit ("Salwaar Kameez"), and "Dupatta" (light chiffon shawl, draped over the head or around the neck) or Sari (bright primary colours with gold trim is a popular choice) wearing "rang de churiyan" - bright bangles of many colours.

Indian women love bangles - one of many accessories that are deemed necessary for all women in the Subcontinent. Even poorer women will wear them.

They come in a multitude of varieties - gold (the traditional favourite, quite heavy and often inlaid with jewels), and multicoloured metal and glass ones.

Some caught my eye as I walked past a bazaar (a hindi word) in the Lajpat Nagar street market in Delhi's southern suburbs.

Thanks to Moni and Mona for helping me with the Indian grammar.

Now a "heritage hotel" in Bharatpur in the state of Rajasthan in India.

Bharatput is the home of the world famous bird sanctuary, known officially as the Keoladeo National Park, and declared a World Heritage by UNESCO. It used to be duck-hunting grounds for the Maharajas of yesteryears. It is a major wintering area for several kinds of acquatic birds from Siberia, China, Turkmenistan and Afganistan. The presence of over 360 species of birds, including the rare Siberian crane, have been recorded in the park. Bharatpur is located 50 km to the west of Agra (the home of the Taj Mahal).