Jodhbai’s Palace India

A garden like feel in a ancient palace in Fatehpur Sikri, India.  Because the Taj was closed on Friday we decided to stop in at a very impressive palace.  It was definitely a worthwhile stop.  However, first a very brief and twisted digression to this great trip.

It was so very hot outside and as you will see in this post and a few of my other posts how many women here dress.  They wear amazing, lovely, decorative, vibrant and colorful clothing. It’s usually draped around their bodies in a beautiful fashion as well.

Now the twist!!! Imagine wearing one of the above outfits and trying to climb stairs and cross uneven ground and wrestle children from one place to another.  I’m not lying, people were falling left and right. Not just the women in the dresses either. Every time it happened my stomach would lurch.  In my life i have never witnessed such a twisted reaction to someone else’s bad luck than I did on this incredibly hot day.  As my group began to cross one of the courtyards, one of these lovely ladies became tangled in her dress and fell in such a way she could not even reach her hands out to catch herself.  We were over 20 feet away and actually heard her hit the ground.  As we gasped in shock we heard an entire family hysterically cackling, looking a the woman and pointing at her.  Yeah, laughing at her unfortunate situation. As the fallen woman’s family helped her up and over into the shade. It was obvious she was very shaken and very believable that she might have suffered a concussion. Still they laughed and pointed.  Only after one of the laughing hyenas saw me snap this picture and look disgustedly at her entire family did she have the decency to stop laughing.  Sadly her family did not. For some reason the sad plight of another was just one more thing to laugh about.  Twisted right?

Schadenfreude (/ˈʃɑːdənfrɔɪdə/; German: [ˈʃaːdənˌfʁɔʏdə] ( listen)) is twisted pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.[1] This word is taken from the German language. The literal English translation is ‘Harm-Joy’. It is the feeling of joy or pleasure when one sees another fail or suffer misfortune.

Enough of that and back onto the multitude of other good twists and turns along with a variety of design styles incorporated into this palace that was allegedly built to house several members of the imperial harem.  Outside of the actual palace grounds you can see the remains of other buildings that might have been built as servant’s quarters or for additional rooms for an ever expanding harem.

The apparent significance of this particular palace is that its design included both Hindu and Islamic art which is usually completely opposite in style and formation.  All I know is that it was another huge endeavor built hundreds of years ago and something that has lasted in impressiveness and grandeur for several centuries and took it seriously took my breath away.

Other blogs that helped to inspire this one.  Check em out.

1. Decoration | Where’s my backpack?
2. Twist | Where’s my backpack?
3. Decoration- travel themed photo challenge | Third Person Travel
4. Twist | Black Panty Salvation
5. Travel Theme: Twist | Geophilia Photography
6. Decoration… Ailsa’s WTT | Ouch!! My back hurts!!
7. Travel Theme/Wheres my Backpack: Decoration | 2far2shout
8. Travel Theme: Decoration | Across the Bored
9. Travel Theme: Twist | Jinan Daily Photo
10. Pompeii | Tim Wolverson – Photography
11. Travel theme: Twist | Oh, the Places We See . . .
12. Travel theme: Decoration | Stefano Scheda
13. Travel theme: twist. | readsbyredriverbanks
14. Travel Theme: Twists | Neighborhood Travels
15. Plain decorated | Le Drake Noir
16. The Dementor Tree | Unique Art Chic
17. Travel Theme: Decoration | Wind Against Current
18. Travel Theme-Twist | WoollyMuses
19. The Monuments of Glencolumbkille, Ireland | Jaspa’s Journal
20. Travel theme: Decoration | So where’s the snow?
21. travel theme: decoration | Del’s other stuff…
22. Travel Theme: Decoration | Ese’ s Voice
23. Travel theme: Decoration | nowathome
24. Twist – Ailsa’s WTT | Ouch!! My back hurts!!
25. Travel Theme: Decoration | My Lens and Universe
26. Zanzibar: time’s twists and turns | Tish Farrell
27. Twist in the Sky for a Happy Fourth of July! | Wind Against Current
28. Travel theme: Twist « Sasieology
29. What Not To Do With Your Valuables When Traveling | Travel Tales of Life
30. Travel Theme: Twist – Braided Rivers | Miscellaneous Eclectica