Ep - 4 Gwalior BTS | Local Sightseeing | Jai Vilas Palace | Light & Sound Show at Katora Taal | MP
Namaskar Friends! Welcome to Harish Bali Travels. We are starting our day at 9 am today. Yesterday, when I visited the Fort, I saw a few bicycles parked there.
There is a 'Smart City' project operational in Gwalior. And I've noticed that there are more bicycles parked here as well. I saw it last evening as well but then I thought I will have another look today morning. This board here gives information about how to download the app to hire these bikes.
You can download the app. Then pay a security deposit of Rs 105 and unlock your bicycle. I was thinking that there are a couple of things required to make such a project successful. For instance, today, if I look at it, these bicycles are covered in dust.
Now, if I rent a bicycle, I'll first have to clean it. Then I'll have to look for the nearest bike point, which will be informed on the app but... ...they could put out information like that and cover this place so that... ...the bicycles aren't dust-covered. If they take these steps, such a project will have more chances of success. If you know a city where such a projects has been successful... I've seen such projects being launched in several cities, including Delhi. It doesn't have many takers because of various reasons.
If you have any knowledge about it, let me know too. I am keen to know whether there is a project anywhere in India running successfully. Such a project where tourists, or locals, make use of these facilities to travel. Yesterday, we saw bicycle stand inside the Fort. You can pick a bicycle from here and drop it at the Fort. I thought I should share this information with you.
But in this current situation, chances for success are minimal. Now our plan is to go for breakfast, which we will show in our main video. Breakfast was included in my package here.
But I am not eating breakfast here. My team is already having breakfast inside. Once they are done, we would leave here. Nevertheless, let me find out what they are serving in the breakfast buffet. I will see it and show it you as well. Sprouts, boiled egg. Sevaiyan kheer (vermicelli milk pudding) and bread pakora.
Poha! It is a famous breakfast in M.P. Poori-Bhaaji (Fried flatbread with vegetables). This is the Bhaaji, Aloo ki sabzi (potato curry), dosa and sambhar. This is the sambhar.
Alright now, we shall leave here. So,.....I shall see you in some time. It is a very pleasant surprise. This is our special routine in New York. During lunchtime, when we eat, we watch your show. So nice! Specially on Sundays, we watch your videos with our brunch. Your videos are a regular staple.
We were passing by and we saw you, so we thought let us meet you. No, no, you did right that you stopped your car and came to meet me. Right now, our Rajasthan series is going on. I don't know whether you've seen it or not. Udaipur, Chittorgarh. Yes, we saw it.
That is the current....recent series. And after that, this series will be put on. It is 1.30 pm. For lunch, we're going to Mahalaxmi Restaurant in front of you, near Delite Cinema. When I came to Gwalior, 3 days ago.... ...we had lunch in Sher-e-Punjab restaurant, next to Mahalaxmi. The food was okay. I mean neither good or bad, it was average.
So, we were told we would like the food served here. So, we are crossing this road and going to Mahalaxmi. It is 2.15 pm now. Today seems to be not so much fun, it is going a little unplanned.
Though it wasn't meant to be unplanned, but it has become so. We ate kachori in the morning. Then we explored some sweets. We went to Jai Vilas Palace to explore the museum. The visit took us about two hours. More than one and a half hour, almost two hours we spent there. There we did nothing but waited for a guide because there were too many tourists there.
In the process of waiting for the guide there, we lost a major chunk of time of our day. For lunch, I've ordered Mushroom Kadhai with Dal. Now we want to return to Jai Vilas after lunch. But it depends on whether the guide is available or not. We've got the phone numbers to enquire. So, if the guide would be available, we will visit there and if not, then I don't know where we'll go.
This is because I cannot understand many options of tourist visits in Gwalior. So, let's see. Thank you Bhaiya! Mushroom Kadhai with Dal. Bhaiya, I forgot to ask whether you serve Tawa Chapati? Tawa roti isn't there. No! Yes, that is what. I forgot to ask it beforehand. What're you saying? We have Butter Naan, Lachha Paratha, Missi Roti.
Give me one Missi roti. Till I finish this, he will serve the Missi roti. If I talk about preparation, Mushroom Kadhai is well-prepared. No doubt!
But speaking of the freshness of mushroom, these aren't that fresh. Mushrooms taste the best only when they are fresh. This is what I've observed during the past. Mushroom has a short shelf life. Therefore, it tastes the best when fresh.
Dal is good. I had told them beforehand that I don't want it too spicy. I wanted light spices. Dal is fully justified in flavors.
Good food overall. Mushroom is well-prepared and Dal, I've already told you, is good. Now, tomorrow, we have to go to Orchha. We will spend tomorrow night in Orchha.
But it is almost 2.30 pm and we haven't booked our taxi yet. I had talked to someone here. But later on I realized, I hadn't paid attention to the fact that they owned a private vehicle. Not a commercial one! And I generally prefer to hire commercial vehicles for travelling. So, we had to talk to this person to get a commercial vehicle for us and he said he'll try.
My interest is that the agency to which he will talk should own that vehicle & not hire it further. The driver should also be of the agency. I am going to work it out as I've called for references of a few more agencies. If I don't receive any answer by 3 or 4 pm in the evening, I might have to go and meet the agency. It won't be difficult to travel within Gwalior and meet these agency owners.
I don't want a taxi that would drop me in Orchha by evening. And then I would have to hire another taxi from Orchha to Khajuraho. That won't work for me. What I'd find best is to hire one taxi, finish my whole journey and return to Gwalior.
Anyways, I'll have to finalize this thing by 5 pm today. Can't afford to be later than that. If this gets delayed, our tomorrow's journey would get delayed unnecessarily. We just had lunch at Mahalaxmi. From there, we've walked upto the Mrignayani Store. In Gwalior, I've noticed a lot of stores named Mrignayani.
While visiting the Fort, we were told that Mrignayani was Raja Maan Singh's 9th wife. Anyways, we've come to the store to see what all is available here. There are many craftsmen working in many households around here. The saris that they weave, where should those be sold? This platform is built by the State government for such craftsmen.
We have showrooms in Delhi, Kolkata. And in Madhya Pradesh, we have showrooms in Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Reeva & Jabalpur. Namaste Sir! Please give us information about what all you have in this store. I can read the names like Maheshwari sari, Chanderi sari. Chanderi Sari, Maheshwari Sari, and Kota Sari. By the way, where are these places like Maheshwari and Chanderi? Maheshwar is near Indore Sir.
And Chanderi? Chanderi Sir, Ashok Nagar. It is near Ashok Nagar in M.P. Alright! Chanderi is famous by the name Chanderi.
So saris of these two places are the most famous? Yes! Is it because of the art of weaving or because of the silk material? Yes, the silk manufactured there is different. Sir, this is the Maheshwari Sari. It was earlier adorned by the Holkar dynasty women. These saris were specially woven for the women in that dynasty. Their traditional border was woven in a carpet fashion. Maheshwar Sari and Maharashtrian Sari, both look similar.
Specially after being worn. Now, the Holkar dynasty is no more, this sari is made for the common public. Earlier, this sari was woven with pure Zari (silver or gold thread drawn from silver or gold alloys). Now that has been replaced by tested Zari. What is the significance in the pattern that makes it identifiable as Maheshwari Sari? Its tana (horizontal threads) is in silk interwoven with bana (vertical threads), blue in color. Black color is tana and blue color is bana.
This Bana is cotton thread. The benefit of this type of weaving is that the sari pleats fall easily. If the sari is woven only with silk threads, it remains puffed up around the pleats.
Now look at this Chanderi sari. You must've visited the museum here? The museum has several Chanderi saris, which are woven with gold & silver threads. These saris were worn only by the women in the families of those working for Scindia estate. With the end of Scindia estate, this sari was woven for the common public in limited budget. This is silk sari? It is in silk.
Please tell me its price. Its price is Rs 15,000. Ohh! That is....
So, what is its starting price? Starting price of this sari is Rs 4000. One chanderi sari is completed in at least 5-10 days. And if you seek extra embroidery in it.... ...then it could even take up to a month. Now this price is according to the worker's monthly hard work plus the material used. Naturally! This being a state government initiative, we are able to impart some benefit to the workers. All the workers, including the tribals, are paid by the government.
They weaver the saris and we sell them. Along with that they also stay employed. Yes, employment. This is Tussar sari of Madhya Pradesh.
This silk is made from the worms which eat Ber leaves. The cocoons of those worms are used to make the silk used in this sari. Here, we call this silk as 'Kosa."
And its international name is Tussar. When you go to Delhi and other cities, it is called Tussar. There is another place, Bastar district in Chhattisgarh, where Kosa is famous. Yes, yes, the Kosa is available in Bastar only.
Bastar used to be a part of Madhya Pradesh before Chhattisgarh was made a separate state. This is Mulberry silk. This silk sari is available in Madhya Pradesh as well as Bengaluru, in Karnataka. What is its cost? Its starting cost is Rs 10,000. Apart from the saris, what else is available in your store? We also sell suits Sir. Suit material, jewellery, Ladies kurtis.
Yes, generally, 80% of the ladies today wear suit. This is cotton, natural cotton, on which block printing is done with hands. Like this is called "Ajrakh" print.
This is called the "Baagh" print. See, this is 'Dabo' print. This is suppressed print because the fabric is first colored and then distorted to give it design.
These suits cost between Rs 700 to Rs 1200 or 1300, not more. The thing that is costly are these 'Chanderi' dupattas. Like this one. The fabric and the worker are the same but its weaving technique is different. See! See the wrong side of this dupatta. If this was not handwoven but machine-made, the threads would have been criss-crossed.
Since the threads come and go in the same sequence, it require higher labor charges. What is its cost? Rs. 2400. The cost is for the work that goes into this product. You might get a full sari in this cost but look at its finish. It looks beautiful! I want to know more about what you keep inside the store.
We also have readymade menswear. Yeah! Show me something in menswear, which I can purchase. Kurta-Pajama! Do you have something in half-sleeve kurta? Yes, we have.
Please show me. This store comes under which authority? It is under the Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam. Laghu Udyog Nigam? Yes, Laghu Udyog Nigam. It is a government corporation.
This whole building is government-owned. So are the employees working here. I am really liking this kurta. We can call it a kurta, not a shirt. Yes, it isn't shirt, but it can be called T-shirt. Yes! So tell me what is its cost? Sir this is for Rs 790/- The bottom one? Yes, and the upper one too. Both cost Rs 790.
What is the material? It is cotton Sir! And this is Khadi, natural khadi. This one appealed to me as soon as I saw it. Where is the changing room? Changing room is right there. I wore it over my shirt. The size looks good. I needed size 42. The colour suits you.
40 will be too tight. Yes, 40 will be tight. This is good. So, please pack this for me immediately. These are other shades Sir. In my case, I take just two minutes to decide what to buy for myself. I get it in the first go. I don't need to think too much about it. (Inaudible) This is a cotton jacket.
It is good! Cotton! What is its cost? It is Rs 1870 Sir. 1870. People of your age group like this outfit a lot. You will get all the parts of the outfit on one platform here.
So, it is like I was wearing a casual shirt but with this, I am ready to attend a wedding now. This is what I feel. Okay, very nice! I am liking this jacket too but right now, I am not planning on buying one. Sure, buy whenever you want. But this kurta I will buy. Please give me the bill.
I will make the payment. We've returned to the Jai Vilas Palace. There is no guide available even now. There were no guides available earlier, nor are there now. But I thought since we'd already bought tickets worth Rs 900 for me and my team,...
...then why not go and see the palace. Now it is upto us what we can get out of this visit. Usually museums have all the information written there. But it becomes easier to understand if someone can narrate that to us. Come, let us go in from here.
The lower gallery contains photographs & information about all rulers of Scindia dynasty. The first floor gallery contains photographs and information about Late Sh. Madhav Rao Scindia. About his childhood and adulthood. Here you can see Madhav Rao Scindia with US President Bill Clinton. This place has many such photographs.
His photograph with Late Sh. Rajiv Gandhi. While roaming around, I came to the Royal Family's dining table. Isn't it amazing! Malabar Dining Room! These things would amaze someone living in the present times. Right now, I am standing inside the bedroom of Maharani Chinkuraje. She was the first wife of Madhav Rao Scindia I. This is her bed.
The thing worth noticing is that the height of this bed is low. You can see! And these are her sandals. It is written here that she was 4 ft 3 in in height. On the left hand side is her dressing room. And this is her collection of footwear.
Look at this amazing collection. It is written here that it is from Japan. It is built in the shape of a dragon.
Put some sandalwood in it, light it and it will spread the fragrance throughout the house. There is one more on that side. Oriental collection! This car belongs to which company? Rolls Royce I think! This BMW model is mesmerising! It has one tire behind and two on the front. Now I've come into the "Most-visited" section of this palace. Anyone who visits the palace definitely comes here to see this train.
In this dining room, 300 people can eat dinner in a single sitting. There is a railway like track built through the middle of the table on which the train runs. This train was built for guests who wanted to have a drink or two. Here is a video on display that shows how this train operated. The visitors often come to see this train made with glass and silver. Let us move now.
Maharaja Madhav Rao Scindia I in different attires. See, this is how the Durbar Hall looks like. We've come here to see the Jhoomar (Chandelier), that weighs 3.5 tons. There is a pair of jhoomars here, one next to each other. Each weighs 3.5 tons.
If I am not wrong, these jhoomars date back to 1874. I will recheck the date again later. To check whether the roof can bear so much weight, it is said that.... ...10 elephants were made to walk on the roof before these were installed. A ramp was either built or already was there, on which the elephants walked. Thus it was ensured that the roof would bear the weight.
Just imagine, not one, but two Jhoomars of 3.5 ton each. Really amazing!!! You often see a king's durbar during a film or TV shooting. This is the kind of setting they show and we are watching actual royal durbar.
This is where the royal court was held in session and this is the information about it. This is the view from the first floor. We entered from this side, to which I am pointing my finger.
We came in from there, and then walked around to enter from here. This place is one of the key attractions in Gwalior. Before proceeding to Orchha or Khajuraho, all visitors to Gwalior ensure that they visit.... ....the Gwalior Fort and this palace. That is how the tourists plan their itinerary.
This is an old sculpture, dating back to the 14th century. Morena, Madhya Pradesh. We saw many such sculptures in Gujari Mahal. I've visited the more popular part of the museum.
I cannot say the whole palace because a guided tour would've been better to take. Whatever we could see, we've done that. The overall museum is well-maintained. We've come out of the palace. The sun has set.
Take another look at the whole palace before we leave here. Its good, isn't it? Now let us go out and then decide where to visit next. I've some work to do in the hotel so we're headed there.
After another hour or so, we will plan where we'll end our day. I reached my hotel at 6.30 pm. Our taxi wasn't booked yet, but we've to leave tomorrow.
That process took up an hour and a half of my evening time. But finally I met an agency and booked myself a taxi. That is done! Now, as soon as I reached hotel, I decided to eat dinner first. We will decide everything else after that. For dinner, I'm having khichdi and dahi. Alright! Khichdi is hot, I will eat dahi afterwards.
Khichdi is ok. Actually, it is more dal-chawal, than khichdi. I saw a few people eating khichdi in the past few days. But actually, that was dal-chawal. This is the same thing.
After khichdi, I want to go and watch the musical fountain show. Someone told me there is a show at Katora Taal between 7 and 8 pm. So, we will finish dinner and end our day at Katora Taal.
That is our thought. Right? Okay! We've come inside after buying an entry ticket for Rs. 30 per person. It is written outside, that there are 3 shows - one in English and two in Hindi. The show begins at 7 pm. Now see, these are the fountains, but not musical. There is a narrator telling about the history of Tansen in the background.
Along the fountains, they're playing some musical ragas that Tansen has created himself. The fountains look lovely! When we reached here, they were running a documentary in English language. One Hindi show has already been held. This is the English one and... ...after this, there'll be another Hindi show. Each show is of 30 minutes duration, with a 15 minute break in between the shows. The fountains are lovely to look at. It looks mesmerising.
So beautiful! We saw almost 30 minutes of the musical fountain show. You can come here anytime in the evening between 7 and 9 pm. Overall, this is a good programme to witness, which tells you about the history of Tansen... ...and the show is good in itself. Today's episode ends here. That is it for now. Thanks for your time!
2022-12-27 23:27
