The day began at 3.15am to be exact, when I received a dousing in ice cold water from a recalcitrant air- con unit positioned above my head and which suddenly decided to go into reverse gear and spew its contents over me! Some bedroom re-organisation and no more problem.
First job today was to round up a reliable auto-rickshaw driver to carry me at 4am tomorrow to Jodhpur rail station about 3kms from Wem's Guest house. Now the optimum word here is reliable. Offering him 10 times the going rate of $1 for his cooperation and hoping that this is inducement enough to ensure his services. Probably more than he regularly earns for a whole days work.
Rickshaw issue (hopefully) settled and and on to see the former Maharajah's local digs. His Excellency, billed at the time of his death in 1947, as one of the 5 richest men in the world. His auto fleets, preserved at his palace includes 10 Rolls Royces. Known as Umaid Bhawan Palace, it was designed by a British architect and took 3000 labourers 15 years to construct, commencing in 1929. This was viewed apparently as a social project for his people, so as to provide employment during the world economic depression. His order, placed in the UK during 1942 for a ship load of custom designed Art Deco furniture, was apparently lost through German U-boat action en route. My thought on reading these interesting facts was whether Winston Churchill was aware that whole ships were being used to ship such trivia in the midst of a world crisis.
Umaid Palace was constructed from local marble and with a total absence of concrete. Each stone individually cut to interlock with the next stone laid. Apparently, some times the cut blocks were so heavy that they could not be man- handled into precise position by the labourers. The solution was to lower into approximate location by the cranes onto blocks of ice and be slipped to exact locking position as the ice melted.
Point of interest: From the roof-top terrace of my guest house, I watched construction on an
adjoining building. Almost total absence of any on-site mechanical lifting devices---everything hauled up using human muscle power. Bowls of prepared concrete hauled up the stairways and dumped by female labourers carrying loads balanced on their heads. Not pleasant work in 38C temperatures. Last week India placed a satellite into orbit around Mars. Makes one ponder!!
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| The last Maharaja's Palace...... |
Rickshaw issue (hopefully) settled and and on to see the former Maharajah's local digs. His Excellency, billed at the time of his death in 1947, as one of the 5 richest men in the world. His auto fleets, preserved at his palace includes 10 Rolls Royces. Known as Umaid Bhawan Palace, it was designed by a British architect and took 3000 labourers 15 years to construct, commencing in 1929. This was viewed apparently as a social project for his people, so as to provide employment during the world economic depression. His order, placed in the UK during 1942 for a ship load of custom designed Art Deco furniture, was apparently lost through German U-boat action en route. My thought on reading these interesting facts was whether Winston Churchill was aware that whole ships were being used to ship such trivia in the midst of a world crisis.
Umaid Palace was constructed from local marble and with a total absence of concrete. Each stone individually cut to interlock with the next stone laid. Apparently, some times the cut blocks were so heavy that they could not be man- handled into precise position by the labourers. The solution was to lower into approximate location by the cranes onto blocks of ice and be slipped to exact locking position as the ice melted.
Point of interest: From the roof-top terrace of my guest house, I watched construction on an
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| I watched them do this dawn till dusk. |
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