Interesting Sites to Visit and Purchases Made -- October 2

Interesting Sites to Visit and Purchases Made

Later departure than usual at 8:30. We visited the Jantar Mantar, an astronomical and astrological observatory that was built in the 18th century. The giant sundials were fascinating to see. The largest sundial is accurate to two seconds. To get the present time, you add 17 minutes to what is shown on each, at least on this day (the correct difference is posted each day).

Our next visit was to the City Palace Museum where we were able to see textiles, clothing, and photographs of the previous maharajahs.

On to the Shree Carpet and Textile Mahal, a
fabric block-printing center and manufacturers & exporters (hand-knotted woolen and silk carpets, block-printed textiles, silk garments, and paintings), to hear about the carpets that are made through their cooperative. Steve and I found a couple we liked at a very good price, so bought them. (They will ship them to us at no additional cost.) Steve bought a long silk overshirt (with cotton pants).

Before we left, Sanjay displayed some “for sale” items to us on the bus. He was very good about doing this frequently so we didn’t always have to deal with the street hawkers and could get a good price without bargaining.

Back to the hotel and a few hours of free time. We went to pick up our Rudrakshas and participated in the ceremony (puja) for purifying and energizing all we purchased.

About 5:00, we boarded the bus to go visit the Lakshmi Manayan Temple, dedicated February 22, 1985. Inside, people pray and give offerings

After returning to the hotel, we had a short time before joining others of our group in Sanjay’s room for a “get-together” before dinner. The group has connected very well.

The buffet dinner was held in the hotel restaurant, featuring a variety of Indian dishes with some simple salad-type items. Dessert was followed by a cup of hot cappuccino.