From Jaipur to Abhaneri

Today we spent many hours on our bus, traveling from Jaipur to Agra via Abhaneri, 59 miles (95 km) from Jaipur. The whole route from Jaipur to Agra is 147 miles. Jaipur and Abhaneri are both in the state of Rajasthan; Agra is in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

We passed many small towns and many cows lounging around them.

From Jaipur to Abhaneri

A new sight on the highway was the Hindu Lord Hanuman Temple with this very large statue.

From Jaipur to Abhaneri

Another new sight was this very decorative Hindu temple. I had seen temples similar to this one in Singapore and Malaysia and I had thought I would see many of them in India, but this is the only one I saw.

From Jaipur to Abhaneri

We passed many, many acres of farmland. Lailit said that much of the farmland in India is in the hands of individual landowners. They hire contractors to hire laborers to work on the farms, but the contractors have to pay the landowners for the use of the land beforehand. So if there is a poor crop yield, it is the contractor who loses money, not the landlord.

From Jaipur to Abhaneri

A very colorful village that we passed through.

For the rest of my photos of our route from Jaipur to Abhaneri, see the slide show at

http://www.peggysphotos.com/day–6a–jaipur–to–abhaneri/

(Slide Shows, Asia, India, “Day 6A: Jaipur to Abhaneri”).

Abhaneri School

In Abhaneri, we visited a school that is supported by our tour company, Gate 1. Our tour group brought many school supplies and some candy for the children. Gate 1 has told me that they are not set up to accept individual donations for this school.

Abhaneri School–MOVIE-1

A long–division lesson at the school in Abhaneri. Note that backpacks are used as desks and how attentive these students are.

Abhaneri School–MOVIE-2

The girl in the photo is giving out candy that our tour group brought. Very impressive as to how polite these students are.

Chand Baori Step Well–Abhaneri

Step wells are unique to India. The Chand Baori Step Well in Abhaneri dates back about the 10th century. The ancient village of Abhaneri dates back to the 9th century. This step well is 13 stories deep and has 3,500 symmetrical steps down to the bottom. The step wells served as water reservoirs and as cooling off places. It is no longer used.

If you are interested, there are much better photos of the step well on the internet by photographers who ventured closer to the edge than I did, had better lighting, or walked around it more.

Harshat Mata Temple–Abhaneri

The remains of the Harshat Mata Temple are next to the step well. It was built around the 10th century and is still is use today. Harshat Mata is a Hindu goddess of joy and happiness who spreads joy throughout the village.

There are also much better photos of the temple on the internet.

Lunch at the Abhaneri Village Safari Camp—MOVIE

Time for lunch at the Abhaneri Village Safari Camp. We were greeted by a drummer and a woman putting bindi (red dots) on our foreheads. Lunch was a buffet and very good.

Abhaneri to Agra

We passed many more acres of farmland on our drive from Abhaneri to Agra.

Abhaneri to Agra

We also passed many small towns.

At Agra

Finally, we are being greeted by the doorman at our hotel in Agra.

For the rest of my photos of our drive from Abhaneri to Agra, go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/day–6–jaipur–to–agra/

(Slide Shows, Asia, India, “Day 6: Abhaneri to Agra”)>