Jaipur is the capital of Rahasthan, the famous desert state which is home to Maharajas, princesses and Rajputs. The Rajputs were a feared warrior caste who would fight to the death rather than surrender. If they knew the battle meant certain death in advance, they would take the considerate step of burning their women before the battle, so that they didn't have to perform 'Sati' - self immolation by jumping on their husbands funeral pyre.
Jaipur is know as the Pink City, since the buildings of the old town are all painted pink. This was a tradition begun to welcome the Prince of Wales (or rather *a* Prince of Wales) in the 19th century and continued ever since. Mary are I thought the old city was decidedly orange rather than pink. Perhaps they ran out of the requisite colour of emulsion, or perhaps the Rajputs decided that pink wasn't in keeping with their death-before-dishonour image? After all, there's very little pink in heraldry. Whoever heard of the Pink Knight or the Dread Pirate Pinkbeard?
Friday, April 20, 2007
Jaipur, the Pink City
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