Jaipur and the Holi Festival

We had four days in Jaipur dominated by the wonderful Holi festival.

There are some impressive tourist destinations around Jaipur including:

• The Janta Mantar
• Nahargarh Fort (also known as Tiger Fort)
• Amer Palace
• The Hawa Mahal (The famous Palace of the Winds)

I’m sure the City Palace is also worth a look but we skipped that one.

We also went to see a movie at the fabulous Raj Mandir Cinema. It was in Hindi but that really didn’t matter. This place is the antidote to the modern-day multiplex.

I particularly enjoyed wandering around the city centre in the evening. The pink walls and wide streets have a regimented feel unfamiliar to the other cities we visited. The illuminated Hawa Mahal under a full moon is an abiding memory.

The Holi Festival

Holi (or Dhulandi as it is called in Jaipur) is a pretty big deal in this part of the world.

We might have got lucky with the hotel we stayed in because it was walking distance to a big gathering round the corner (I think it was in the vicinity of the Hotel Khasa Kothi). There was music and lots of colour and it was free. The festivities seemed to start early and finish early. There didn’t seem to be much happening after it got dark.

This map shows the locations of the Hotel Kalyan where we stayed as well as the Hotel Khasa Kothi.

The party on the roof of the Hotel Kalyan was great. It was mostly Indian people and they showed the tourists how to really have a good time. You wouldn’t have to stay at the hotel to go to the rooftop restaurant.

If you want to see what the accommodation was like you can go here.