Rajasthan is a state where, where ever you look you will encounter beauty, in the crumbling haveli's, in the many stately forts and palaces, in every detail of masterfully painted and mirrored walls in the palaces, in the narrow winding but decorated streets, in flying peacocks that meet you in your treks to a palace, in the truly welcoming eyes and heart of a Rajasthani.
This time I went to Jaipur I reconnected with the family I stayed with 12 years back in Amer, very close to the magnificient Amber Palace. Meeting Prashant Sharma and his family after 12 years was an amazing experience. Amber Palace and The Anokhi Museum were walking distance from his home. Prashant told me how he used to play cricket and the ball would land in the place that is the newly restored Anokhi Museum. Amer is also home to the only temple in India where the deities are Krishna and Meerabai. In the middle is a small step well on the way to the majestically quiet Sagar.
From Anokhi we walked around to see this charming step well.
One of the best kept secrets of the city of Amer is a 17th century lake ‘Sagar’, which was the primary source of water for the adjoining forts of Amer and Jaigarh as well as the city of Amer and its people. Tucked away beyond Kheri Gate and the Anokhi Museum, the lake can be reached by car and then one can walk around its boundary. More here.
Built during the reign of Raja Man Singh, the lake which is divided into two parts- the Upper Sagar and the Lower Sagar, kept a check on the water table of the region. It was designed in a manner that it was connected with various step wells in the region, which automatically filled up once the ‘Sagar’ had reached its capacity. More here.
Walking ahead we saw the steps down, but Prashant decided to take us on an exploratory trek around Sagar
And we walked up this winding path- actually we didn't walk on the path but on the wall - the views were that much better.
It is on this path (I was walking on that wall on the right) that a movement caught my eye & I looked to see a peacock fly.
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