The three cities: Jaipur, Delhi, and Udaipur
The program is based in Jaipur with visits to Delhi and Udaipur. These three cities have a long and shared history and each city has a unique historical connection to India’s broader history. By focusing on these three cities, students will be able to experience and compare a high-profile global city (Delhi), a fast-growing mini-metro city (Jaipur), and, finally, a low-profile, traditional smaller Indian city (Udaipur). Delhi is the capital of India, and Jaipur and Udaipur are part of the modern state of Rajasthan, providing a window on the variety of northern Indian folk, nomadic, and indigenous/tribal traditions.

Jaipur

Jaipur, once home to the Maharajas and royalty of India is now one of the key cities in India’s “Golden Triangle.   ” With a population of 2.   5 million, Jaipur is often referred to as India’s “pink city,” and it also serves as the capital of Rajasthan, India’s largest state.   The city was built in the eighteenth century by Sawai Jai Singh as India’s first planned city, laid out in the form of an eight-part mandala, but it is now undergoing rapid development as a major commercial city and administrative center.   The city’s alluringly frenetic old quarter is packed with stalls selling everything from silk to milk.   Among Jaipur’s numerous exquisite examples of Mughal-influenced architecture, the Hawa Mahal, with its ornate five-story facade, has become an icon of Rajasthani architecture.  

 

 

Delhi

Delhi, known also by its official name, National Capital Territory of Delhi, is the second largest metropolis in India and the eighth largest in the world.   In 1639 the Mughal emperor built a new walled city in Delhi which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire.   Old Delhi still contains legacies of its rich Mughal past that can be found among the old city’s tangle of snaking lanes and teeming bazaars.   A new capital city, New Delhi, was built by the British to the south of the old city during the 1920s.   When India gained independence in 1947, New Delhi was declared the national capital.   As such, New Delhi houses important offices of the federal government, including the Parliament of India.   Thus, Delhi encapsulates two very different worlds, the old and the new, each presenting deliciously different experiences.  

 

Udaipur

“Royal” Udaipur, also known as the “City of Lakes,” owes its existence to Maharana Udai Singhji, a descendant of the oldest ruling family in the world, who created a dream city that is an oasis with lakes, wildlife, flora, and fauna in the midst of desert Rajasthan.   The Udaipur region is also known for its mineral wealth particularly its green marble, zinc, and soapstone.   It is a center of the historic arts and crafts of Mewar, like the Mewar School of Miniature Painting.   A sizeable population of Adivasi, Indian indigenous people who have been poor and marginalized and who practice traditional ways of living, are settled around Udaipur and will provide a stark contrast to the romantic city with its beautiful palaces and incredibly luxurious hotels.   Modern India is a country of such dramatic contrasts and contradictions.