Like many other travelers, Jon and I can tell you a few stories about our dodgy past experiences with monkeys. However, we never learn. We'd heard about an ancient temple, now home to some five thousand macaque monkeys, and decided that we needed to see it for ourselves.
Nestled in a steep-sided valley 10 km from Jaipur, Galta Ji has been a popular pilgrimage for Hindus since the 15th Century.
Our tuk tuk dropped us off at an unprepossessing fly-blown, litter strewn patch of ground and within minutes we were surrounded with touts offering to save us the hour-long hike ahead by taking us on the back of their dirt bikes or to accompany us on our walk, I'm Monkeyman, monkeys steal your sunglasses, break your phones, very bad. Monkeys not hurt you if they see you with Monkeyman. Tourists were thin on the ground and they're only trying to make a living so we declined politely and started our ascent.
Our first stop of the journey was a 200 metre hike up to Surya Mandir, the Temple of the Sun God, where we were anointed with oils, had tilak marks daubed on our foreheads, scarlet thread knotted around our wrists and ate prasad with the priestess who lived within the temple grounds. I'm sure our donation towards the upkeep of the temple made the sun god equally generous, I reckon it explains the record-breaking, unseasonably warm weather and glorious sunshine the UK has been experiencing since we got home!
Sun God appeased, we carried on with our journey, stopping to chat to this charming sadhu along the way. We loved his twinkly eyes and radiant smile and were thrilled to finally meet an Indian who didn't ask us about Brexit!
If you've been following our travels no doubt you'll be familiar with my wardrobe by now so here's a new maxi dress to add to the three I took to India with me - my other purchase from Anokhi. There's one currently on Etsy for £200 - needless to say, I didn't pay that much!
Squeezed between cliffs in a rocky valley, Galta is a desolate, if evocative place. We'd been walking for about forty-five minutes without seeing another soul or glimpsing anything that resembled a temple and were starting to think the smiling sadhu had pointed us in the wrong direction .....
But no, smiley man was to be trusted. We'd arrived at Galta Ji.
What is it that Diana Vreeland said? Pink is the navy blue of India. She wasn't wrong. The sight of those colourfully-clad pilgrims performing their ritual ablutions was unforgettable.
You'll find a picturesque collection of 250 year-old temples squeezed into a narrow rocky ravine. Galta Ji owes its sacred status in large part to a freshwater spring that seeps constantly through the rocks in the otherwise dry valley. From here the water flows into tanks, the depth of which is claimed to be several elephants deep.
In a chamber at the end of the bottom pool you'll find 250 year old frescoes, still in reasonable condition, depicting the maharajah playing polo. the exploits of Krishna and his milkmaids.
We visited a shrine dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god) where the priest tied more scared thread around our wrists, beat us with peacock feathers and chanted a mantra. We were a bit concerned when he bolted the doors behind us - until we heard banging on the roof and the windows rattling - the doors were locked to keep the monkeys out. Is nothing scared?!
After we left the inner sanctum of the temple and sat on a bench so we could put on our shoes Jon started shrieking, What the f*ck!!! Get it off, get it off! I looked up to see a bastard massive monkey sitting astride his shoulders, massaging his ears. Luckily the priest was on hand to distract the wayward monkey away with a boiled sweet. With monkeys perched on walls and trees throughout the duration of our hour-long hike back up the hill, poor Jon was a quivering wreck.
But they're cute really, aren't they?
During our tour of the Golden Triangle we also visited Amber Fort, built in 1592 (photos HERE), Jaipur's Albert Hall Museum, opened by the Prince of Wales in 1876 (photos HERE) and Amrapali, an absolutely incredible museum of tribal jewellery which sadly didn't permit photos but you can read all about it HERE.
See you soon for our final Indian adventure!
Linking to Patti and the gang for Visible Monday.
See you soon for our final Indian adventure!
Linking to Patti and the gang for Visible Monday.
