ASIANOVERLAND.NET SYDNEY TO LONDON DAY 332/102/14: FATEPUR SIKRI TO JAIPUR, INDIA

August 1980 and 1st October, 1980

Today we drive from Agra to Jaipur, the first part of which Ralph Fitch aptly described in 1583:

"Agra and Fatehpore Sikri are two very great cities, either of them much greater than London, and very populous. Between Agra and Fatehpore are 12 miles (Kos) and all the way is a market of victuals and other things, as full as though a man were still in a town, and so many people as if a man were in a market."

 

Fatehpur Sikri was founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, and was capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it when he went to fight a campaign in Punjab. It was later completely abandoned in 1610.

The reason for its abandonment is usually given as the failure of the water supply (our guide told us this), though Akbar's loss of interest may also have been the reason, as it was built solely on his whim.

Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of Rajasthan. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City, due to the dominant color scheme of its buildings. It is 268 km from the national capital New Delhi.

The Jantar Mantar at Jaipur includes 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput King Sawai Jai Singh II, who noticed that the Zij, a Persian or Islamic table used for determining the position of celestial objects, did not match other calculation methods. He constructed five new observatories in different cities in order to create a more accurate Zij.

The Jaipur Jantar Mantar was built between 1728 and 1738. It features the world's largest stone sundial at an angle of 27 degrees - the same latitudinal angle as Jaipur is to the equator, so it gives a direct line from sunlight towards the centre of the earth. The massive sundial’s shadow moves visibly by 1mm every second and by a handwidth (6 cm) every minute. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The instruments allow the observation and tabulation of astronomical positions with the naked eye.

The earliest discussion of astronomical instruments, gnomon and clepsydra, is found in ancient first millennium BCE Sanskrit texts, which discuss the methodology for the gnomon built at Jantar Mantar.

The Jaipur Jantar Mantar features instruments operating in each of the three main classical celestial coordinate systems: the horizon-zenith local system, the equatorial system, and the ecliptic system. The Kanmala Yantraprakara works in two systems and allows transformation of the coordinates directly from one system to the other.

Our 1980 Kathmandu to London Trip Book for Day 14, 1st October, 1980 reads  -

“Eggcellent breakfast from the amazing cooks.

Well done – Jim & Aunty Teena.

Bearded reincarnation off Akbar did death defying leap into liquid shit (irredescent green) at Fatephur Sikri”

We had a tour of the amazing abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri.

“Jaipur dogs need proper vets!! Oh the pain. Keep those terrific camel trains going.

James A. Mitchener’s Caravans could have been filmed in the countryside we’ve passed through today.

What about the oasis at the “Ever Green Guest House.”

The more primitive types enjoyed the thrills of trapeze acting a full 1,500 feet above the cool waters of the pool’s green depths.”

Apparently, we had a wild session on the town, which I can’t remember, but is recorded in the Trip Book:

“After a wild session on the town, Gary and Peter were driving to our next destination. As Knackers weaved along the road, Gary asked, “Are we near Delhi yet?”

“We must be ...” said Peter.

“Drive slower then.”"
“What do you mean, drive slower? You’re driving!”

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