Royal Gaitor

Author: Ruzow

Out in the Indian heat, we stood in the city centre of Jaipur, bargaining for a tuk-tuk to take us to the Royal Gaitor. Ten minutes later we had persuaded one of the drivers to take us for our price. He bounced us along, but according to the GPS on Mum’s phone, we were going in the wrong direction. We were beginning to become very suspicious. Fifteen minutes later the driver stopped in front of the wrong place, according to us. It seemed like he had even called ahead to arrange for one of his friends to tell us it was the right place. After about ten minutes of arguing, he finally conceded and said he would take us to where we wanted to go in the first place. However, to our great annoyance, when we arrived he told us we had to pay extra even though he was the one who tried to con us! Anyway, we were finally at our planned destination.

The Royal Gaitor is an old cemetery and as the name suggests, all the mausoleums of Jaipur’s royal and noble citizens were built here. Its architecture and craftsmanship is magnificent, full of detail and intricate designs. We explored all the balconies and terraces. I couldn’t even begin to imagine all the time, money and effort it must have taken to build such awe-inspiring structures.

– Ruzow –