Hill Fort Kesroli compound
Greenery in the desert
Date: 01/16/2008
Hill Fort Kesroli is a former palace but now a hotel near Alvar. The area is rather dry and the hotel is located on top of a hill but still there is plenty of greenery to have a drink or just relax in the evening.
Rajasthani hotel courtyard
View of fountain and main building
Date: 01/16/2008
If you have been to Jaipur (Pink City), the state of Rajasthan in India is famous for abundant use of pink stones and this small hotel where we had a meal is testimony to it.
Rajsthani man with a camel
Camels are everywhere in Rajasthan
Date: 01/16/2008
Despite all the modernization in India, on the roads, you still see an uncomfortable coexistence of automobiles and animals. Rajsthani people use camels since they are the animals that do well in the desert region. I met this wonderful farmer who was visiting Alwar and agreed to model for us.
Jharokha in haveli
A window into the men's world for women
Date: 01/16/2008
Men and women in India are still separated in public in rural parts and that was the case almost everywhere in the past. However, women were always curious to see what was going on in the men's world. In this palace, a jharokha was a window into their world.
Palace courtyard
Open compound in Alwar palace
Date: 01/16/2008
This sort of architecture is a fusion form that borrows heavily from Mughal architecture and marries it with traditional India building design. A structure like this in a large courtyard in a palace will be the place for the king or the maharajah to sit. This view is from the Alwar palace.
Door in Rajasthani house
Simple but functional
Date: 01/16/2008
While this view is from the verandah of the Hill Fort Kesroli hotel, this is a very typical door in Rajasthani homes.
