Walk through Jaipur’s flamboyant celebration of life and you’ll encounter modernity infused with wisps of the ancient Indus Valley civilization from nearly 5,000 years ago.
The modern capital of Rajasthan (“Land of the Kings”), Jaipur features a carefully planned walled city from 1727 in the middle of a haphazardly grown modern metropolis. (And Raj Palace, the only hotel poised between them, is the ideal home base for exploring both.)
Here more than anywhere else, I felt the presence of the past permeating daily life.
Both the old and new cities of Jaipur feature impressive monuments, like the Hawa Mahal, built from red and pink sandstone in the last decade of the 18th century:
and the Patrika Gate from the second decade of the 21st century:
But the real Jaipur is on her streets:
Oh yes, the cows:
who park in no-parking zones, because they really own the city:
But it’s really the people:
