DIY History | Transcribe | Iowa Women’s Lives: Letters and Diaries | Eve Drewelowe travel correspondence, 1928-1929

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Eve Drewelowe travel correspondence, 1928-1929

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The second most interesting place was Benares. I wrote Esther about that so I won't repeat here but the river scenes on the Sacred Ganges were most fascinating. The place which stands out with equal atmosphere and local color as Benares, is "the pink city" Jaipur a wholly native state. A Maharaja owns and governs this vast estate, but everything he does must be approved by a British advisor. This Jaipur is so native that they use local postagestamps - really rather interesting. The Maharaja's palace, his stables of 300 horses, 50 elephants and innummerable camels was quite worth while. The present Maharaja is 19 years old but has only one wife. When he attains his 21st birthday he shall take unto himself another two wives. We are told by the natives that the late Maharaja (before this) had four wives and 1500 concubines and 60 children. If you would see his establishment, a labyrinth of rooms and apartments, you would believe this could be so. Then we visited the abandoned city of [Arube?] where we took the elephant ride to and fro. He, the elephant, kneeled for us to climb up the ladder to his back there he raised himself upon his front legs and last upon his hand. When he walked we lurched backward and forward, every step a lunge - but he did walk oh, so slowly but rather footsure. The city of amber, is built in a lovely hilly spot with a high wall all around. The palace stands almost as it was left, pink walls splotched, and greyed and weathered with time, but many of the other buildings have fallen wholly in ruins. It is really a very picturesque spot. In Jaipur millions of doves flock about the city - you really never saw so many. Pigeons, peacocks, bulls and monkeys are sacred - they run all over the place without any discrepancy of time or place. Holy bulls

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The second most interesting place was Benares. I wrote Esther about that so I won't repeat here but the river scenes on the Sacred Ganges were most fascinating. The place which stands out with equal atmosphere and local color as Benares, is "the pink city" Jaipur a wholly native state. A Maharaja owns and governs this vast estate, but everything he does must be approved by a British advisor. This Jaipur is so native that they use local postagestamps - really rather interesting. The Maharaja's palace, his stables of 300 horses, 50 elephants and innummerable camels was quite worth while. The present Maharaja is 19 years old but has only one wife. When he attains his 21st birthday he shall take unto himself another two wives. We are told by the natives that the late Maharaja (before this) had four wives and 1500 concubines and 60 children. If you would see his establishment, a labyrinth of rooms and apartments, you would believe this could be so. Then we visited the abandoned city of [Arube?] where we took the elephant ride to and fro. He, the elephant, kneeled for us to climb up the ladder to his back there he raised himself upon his front legs and last upon his hand. When he walked we lurched backward and forward, every step a lunge - but he did walk oh, so slowly but rather footsure. The city of amber, is built in a lovely hilly spot with a high wall all around. The palace stands almost as it was left, pink walls splotched, and greyed and weathered with time, but many of the other buildings have fallen wholly in ruins. It is really a very picturesque spot. In Jaipur millions of doves flock about the city - you really never saw so many. Pigeons, peacocks, bulls and monkeys are sacred - they run all over the place without any discrepancy of time or place. Holy bulls