The Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan was on our list of places to visit but the next day. However as it was proposed by our driver as being on our way as we return from Amber Fort we decide to make a stop. It is really well worth a visit as it more quiet and an impressive sight in its own right. The Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan is the royal crematorium grounds for the Kachwaha, a Rajput clan that ruled in the region. The royals’ cenotaphs are scattered throughout the complex, creating what looks like a mix of shrunken open-air palaces and ornate towers. The structures mark the spots where former leaders were cremated and are quite ornate.
You can see this is part of the fortifications as the walls go up to the fortress far away up on the hill. The walls are mostly crumbling now in this area but there are other sections where you can supposedly walk on them. Our focus here though is on the ornate buildings, they are quite special.
In the middle of the courtyard sits an impressive gaitor with some beautiful decorations and some colorful engravings of elephants and peacocks.
We think we are done when we finish the courtyard but then we notice an open door and there is another courtyard with cenotaphs behind it. It even has an actual temple which we don’t enter as it is modern looking and we don’t want the hassle of taking our shoes off.
At the major gaitor in this courtyard there is a dreaded guard-guide but we wait out until he pesters another tourist and sneak into the gaitor for a few photos and a short visit before he can attack us.
There is also a third courtyard which is the most peaceful one with no guards or other tourists. We really like the reliefs here, they show mythical scenes with fantastic animals and deities.
As we return back to the entrance we spend time exploring the gaitors along the way and try to see them from different viewpoints. It is really a special place and outside of that one guard-guide quite a peaceful one for tourists.
From here our driver takes us to a jewelry shop, “just to learn how jewelry is made”. We decide to visit it more comprehensively, it is very foreigner focused but the prices are reasonable and in the end we buy a few souvenirs from here before going for lunch as we are famished.
The restaurant we are taken is good even though it takes a long time to get served. Unfortunately we get drinks with ice that we tried to avoid and then one of us has some stomach unpleasantness in the evening likely from the ice, or possibly from the food. And our day is not yet done, we still have one more place to visit, the Albert Hall Museum.
