Jaisalmer Fort

I have to admit that when I agreed to go to Jaisalmer for Diwali I had no idea what I was going to see there. I had heard from several people that it was well worth the time to visit. I knew there was a fort but that was about it. In my mind I was picturing another empty fort that had been restored and I could explore, wandering into each corner as I desired. I was not at all prepared for the vibrant, busy, packed living fort that Jaisalmer was. A fort that is not a cleaned up preserved historical site, but a glimpse at what it might have been like originally - intricate details on buildings, shops on the ground floor, apartments above. A main square where people still gather and talk. Animals that roam the streets, causing people to scurry out of the way. Canons overlooking the walls, aimed at whatever comes out of the desert. Jaisalmer has a living, breathing fort.

Daulatabad Fort

You enter at the floor of the plain, climb a few steps to what must have been the outer keep as walls surround it. Past an old temple and a slightly newer mosque built to commemorate some victory. That was after handing out tickets over at the first gate - giant wooden doors complete with iron spikes to keep the elephants from crashing the door down. The path from there becomes a series of steep stone steps and right angled turns. They were not going to make it easy to get into this fort. After we passed through another set of double doors and crossed a mostly dry moat, me entered a small courtyard with a sign pointing to the dark tunnel. Dark tunnel indeed! Thank goodness for the flashlights on our phones. I am sure that this tunnel/staircase they carved out of the rock would have been pitch black without them. Even with the small light it was tricky enough to turn the correct corners and not to go into an empty side room filled with bats. I imagine it was a remarkably effective defense mechanism. When we got out of that tunnel and the slightly better lit one after it, I believe we were on the fourth (?) level of the fortification. From there you could look out over the walls to a scenery that looked remarkably like the American Southwest. You could also look over the rather steep walls hewn into the rock. Still a few more levels to go up. The next took us to a white building which I suspect was the main habitation of the fort. It had a loggia with arches that looked out over the valley. The school group that followed us up meant we didn't dwell. Another staircase around the corner led us up almost to the top. Another leveled plateau with a few remnants of building there. A single stone structure stood in the center - all that remained of our quest to make it all the way to the top. Of course you have to walk around to the backside to find the stairs, then just two short flights (scarily not against a wall this time) lead us to the penultimate height of the Daulatabad Fort to find the six meter cannon that laid there. There was definitely quite a view from the top. A few minutes to soak it in and snap a few photos then there was nothing to do but head back down - a much more painful part of the adventure for your joints. Down all those steep stairs, past the monkeys chilling in the trees, through the lighter tunnel (what you mean we could have avoided the dark one?) and on down past fragments of decoration that hinted at how the fort used to be carved. Our exploration was finished after one photo with our tuktuk driver for his album.

Purana Qila

We drive past it at least once a month. A seemingly tumbling down old red brick wall. Out front is a small pond which houses swan paddle boats and other amusements. I never imagined that behind the falling down wall would be another oasis of ancient architecture in Delhi. You'd think I'd have come to expect a green oasis when I enter an archaeological site here, and yet, every time it comes as a surprise. Surprise again, Purana Qila, the location referred to as the sixth city of Delhi was no different. A patchwork of green interspersed with old buildings all surrounded by a 1.6 km wall that was in rather good shape in certain parts and tumbling down in others. A brief oasis from the city, although there was still enough to remind you that you were still in India. We walked around the entire site, checking out the three distinct gates which showed just how the water level of the moat used to reach. The sandstone structures held remnants of their original tile decorations on the small turrets jutting up into the mostly gray sky. We contemplated a walk along the top of the walls in the back section, but decided we wouldn't chance the questionable descent on the other end. Instead choosing to follow a path down towards the lower levels of the fort which revealed broken down pillars and arched walls. A bit farther around to the Qila-i-Kuhna Mosque with its ornate stonework, triple niches in an unenclosed patio and a guard blowing his whistle to remind us to remove our shoes before entering. In the middle of the enclosure, just off the palm tree lined central pathway almost opposite of the grand Bada Darwaza entrance stood the Sher Mandal. Originally an observatory tower built by Sher Shah after he took the fort from Humayan, it was later turned into a library by Humayan when he retook this land. Perhaps, Humayan might have fared better had he not attempted to retake the fort, as this was the source of his death. One day, hearing the call to prayer, he rushed down the steps of the Sher Mandal, falling and injuring himself so badly that he died a few days later. Every time I venture out in this city I am struck by how much history there is hidden behind crumbling down walls.