Bikaner: For the love of doors & windows

It was a Monday yesterday, as always I saw frustration everywhere. So I switched off my phone, and stared at the lazy faces around and at the faces of them, travellers. A 16 hour pit-stop at Bikaner, on my way from Jaisalmer to Delhi, was one of the best decisions I made in this trip. This is an Hors d’oeuvre … a post on the beautiful doors & windows of Bikaner… dedicated to the lady who loves doors. Junagarh Fort of Bikaner is probably the best maintained & managed fort in Rajasthan, also one of the most beautiful fort from inside. My tour started with me waiting for the ‘free’ palace guide, in front of this door:

And then I saw this door, it was love at first sight (Junagarh Fort):

But then this door happened, and I am confused now:

So I ran into the ‘children’s room, where the royal kids saw clouds & rain through wall paintings, and there was this one amongst dark blue clouds & lightning:

And then there was ‘the rich husband’ or ‘the prized wife’…this pure sliver door:

But then ‘the woods’ responded with this beauty, carved out of walnut wood from Kashmir:

Some exits need no doors, like this one leading to the roof:

With so many doors in my mind, i ran out of the fort into Bikaner.

I ran and ran, till I reached the great wall of the city.

I saw the Sun heading to its dorm on my right,

A little left to the Sun  was the Jain Temple build by Seth Bhandashah.

And in there I saw the most beautiful painting ever made on the inside of a door:

I ran out into the streets, through the old city of Bikaner.

There were doors every where, arranged in such symmetry.

Through the narrow lanes, a quick right there and a turning here, I reached there at last… the Mecca of doors & windows, Rampuria Havelis of Bikaner

I stared at them from down under, they looked at me and then to the far sky:

I ran again, more with my eyes than my legs. I met some doors, they looked younger than me… but wiser by few centuries.

Some so brightly dressed, with Rampuria halo of nobility around them:

Some held their breath as I passed by them, seemed like a salute or a greeting.

Maybe it is a door salute!

Mesmerized by doors & windows, I forgot to ask: where is the wall?

Maybe you can point out the walls for me, because I surely didn’t see them on my way.

I walked back, with so many doors & windows, safely locked behind my mind’s door.

I walked a long way till I saw them again. They looked at me and then to the far sky.

This blog post was written by Doulos Jose for his personal blog