Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-18
AN ENCHANTING CITY
al-Surrounded and Having
Seven Gateways.
WHITE AMBROSE TINTED
THREE PERFECT DAYS IN A
LOVELY SPOT.
The Palace Called s'the Hall of the
Winds" and the Many
Domed Shrines.
WHITE AMBROSE TINTED
Written for The Evening Star.

" fitten Tor The Evening Star.
The enchanting city OF Jaipur Is sur
rounded by creneiated wall with seven
gateways: its principal streets are one
hundred and eleven feet wide, and the
whole town is painted dull old rose color
picked out here and there with a design In
white; all of which has the sound of the
guidebook about 1T, and as to the 'crene-;
lated WALL" IL the truth must be told the
guidebook is its parent and the dictionary
Its interpreter. But when all is said. IL
each or those statements, which together
sound commonplace, be considered sepa-
rately. each one is full of interest The
orenelated wall, to one who understands
the terms of architecture, is in perfect re-
pair and painted old rose, with an elephant
ana non rampant on either side of each
OF Its seven gateways or entrance arches;
Its grand sweep around the city, it's thick
ness and its crenelations. The streets are
one hundred and eleven feet wide why
that extraordinary number no one could
tell; clean and quiet and lined with tiny
shops, one street for jewelers. only an
other for brassware and third for cotton
or SILK stuffs: no smells, no filth and very
little dust, although it is a purely Hindoo
city and in the far east; the color of the
town; picture a whole town walls and all
Of old rose. There are those who do not
care Tor old rose a color, but even to
those Ja1pur cannot fail to appeal, for the
are unique-aH alike except as to the de-
signs in white. which are sometimes OF
animals and oftener scenes in which men
and women figure, and then again stencil
ike friezes. Nothing could be more de-
hghtful than that old-rose town. The
Mahara1ah's old-roSe palace with its gar
dens and stables, is surrounded by another
nigh wall, and at one of the entrance gates
overlooking the whole city is the slim high
tower called the Ishwari Meriar Swarga
Sui, the "Minaret piercing heaven" Could
anything be nicer than that?
Inc stables are vast, being two very long
rows OF open stalls containing very finely
bred horses, each tied by one heel to a
stake driven in at some distance from the
stall, as well as by the head in the usual
manner.
The Elephant Stables.
Each horse has its sails. or groom q very
lightly clad brown being, and its grass
cutter. whose sole occupation Is to get
enough grass each day for the animal to
eat. The elephant stables, for which Jaipur
is famous, are series of yards. each with
it's small-eyed, delightful monster occupant,
restlessly swaying from one huge foot to
the other and swinging his trunk I'D and
down and in all directions. The mahouts
take great pride in the appearance of their
charges. and deliberately paint their great
heads in all manner of designs. They are
all named and called by their names ard
each has his ordinary everyday costume
of cloth with gold fringe and his gala
clothes of cloth of gold, or crimson velvet
empowered with gold. and most of them
have silver bangles for their ankles. silver
earrings and very elaborate coupper
studded with huge silver buttons Every
evening as the sun is setting a long pro-
cession of elephants and their mahouts
comes swinging along out of the palace
gates, and with bells jangling and bangles
sinking, walks up and down the very wide
streets until the big beasts have had
enough exercise The mahouts are usually
talking to their steeds as they sit on the
back of their necks with their small spear
like elephant goad in their hands, Soma
tunes their voices sound severe, as if they
were administering a scolding to the big
creature, but usually they are merely muir
murfng or mumbling in their ears terms of
endearment. we were told, for they get
very fond of the elephants. who return their
direction and are very docile and amiable
wants of the maharajah we were taken
through the court where the house SER
wants, gardeners, sails and all the others
were either going off with a small bag OF
clinking coins and satisfied expression OF
countenance. or were standing before a
very stern looking native, in spectacles
who was seated on a carpet, pile of coins
at one side of him, large book in front
and at the other side a native inkstand
with several pens. and pile of enormous
books, presumably for accounts Or they
were sitting around the court on their
heels on the cold marble pavement await
ing their turn.
The Street Games.
Some had begun game evidently for
gambling and were playing with great in
terest; others were sitting in groups talk
ing in low tones, for wonder and all had
caste marks painted on their foreheads