4. Maharaja abodes Another example of India’s lavish architecture is Jaipur’s City Palace. Red-turbaned men guard it, because the royal family still lives here. Other rooms are open to the public as a museum, which displays arms, paintings, carpets and manuscripts. Unique hotels, including several that were former palaces, are a fourth reason to visit India. Our favourite is Udaipur’s Taj Lake Palace, which floats like a white lily on Lake Pichola. Guests live like maharajas (Indian kings and princes) in the sumptuous rooms and marble courtyards. The Taj Lake Palace was a film location for scenes from the 1983 James Bond movie Octopussy. The hotel’s rooftop domed pavilions are especially photogenic at sunset. Across Lake Pichola, Udaipur’s City Palace also boasts impressive architectural details, including marble filigree windows. Splendid architecture is the third reason to visit India. Undoubtedly, the country’s most famous building is the Taj Mahal in Agra – a four-hour drive southeast of New Delhi. Shah Jahan built this monument of love between 1631 and 1643 as a tomb for his second wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Twenty thousand labourers used 2½-ton slabs of marble hauled by 1,000 elephants to cover the tomb. Its inlaid flowers, made from semi-precious stones, are so detailed that a loonie-sized flower contains 64 pieces – so skilfully placed that our fingertips couldn’t detect the joints. During the full moon, the Taj Mahal’s white marble glows evocatively. It’s equally beautiful at dawn, when the sun’s first rays change it from cotton candy pink to snow white. The Taj Mahal reflected in the pools of the surrounding gardens is gorgeous, but the view from the windows of Agra’s Red Fort is poignant. Imprisoned here by his son for the last seven years of his life, Shah Jahan could only gaze at his creation from across the river. Rajasthan is known for its forts and palaces. The Palace of the Winds is the landmark of the walled capital Jaipur, known as the “Pink City” for its rose sandstone buildings. From here, court ladies observed city life while hidden by its elaborate screens. 3. Magnificent buildings 26 | www.snowbirds.org Travel
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