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Diary entry by Gertrude Bell

Reference code
GB/2/8/2/1/10
Creator
Bell, Gertrude Margaret Lowthian
Creation Date
Extent and medium
1 entry, paper
Language
English
Location
India ยป Ajmer
Coordinates

26.4498954, 74.6399163

Sat 10. [10 January 1903] Woke about 8 and made Muni make us
tea. Got to Jaipur about 10, and hour late and breakfasted. Met
Spencer Lyttelton and a friend (Buggles Birse?) on the platform.
Spent the whole journey writing my diary which had fallen behind.
Reached Ajmere [Ajmer] at 3.30, only an hour late. Mrs Olivier sent
down to meet us and we came straight up to the Officers' Rest House,
an enchanting D.B. Then we had tea with her and sallied out about
4.30. We walked through charming gardens to the lake, Ana Sangar,
perhaps one of the most delicious places in India. Shah Jehan built
the marble pavilions along it. We climbed up to the Residency for the
view. The Lake lies in a wide shallow cup, the opposite hills being
behind an alluvial flat. On the town side the rocks come right down to
the water except where Shah Jehan's terrace lies backed by the trees
of the garden; and further on where a big dhobi's ghat comes down to
the water. The town lies in between these hills, separated by them
from the lake. The sun was setting behind clouds and throwing lovely
broken reflections into the water and the marble terrace with the
sunset sky and the lake looked quite Italian, though with the strange
and beautiful touch of the best Mogul architecture with the modified
Hindu struts[?] on the top of the columns. Met dear Spencer and sat
talking with him on the terrace. Then walked home the other way
passing a big Hindu temple (modern) a most mysterious place into
which we climbed and saw behind windows a great room full of
(apparently) gold models of temples and immense gold pyramids, 3
storied (lingams?). Over all quantities of gold birds hung from the roof.
Our guide said it was a Shiwa temple. We went to the roof and took
our bearings and had an excellent view of the town. So back by
moonlight; came in and played with the baby had tea and a bath.
Dinner at 8 - Mrs Olivier is rather a silly woman, I don't care for her.
Early to bed and long asleep.

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