We went to the stunning city of Jaipur and its surrounding areas to explore the historic side in the youthful Toyota Glanza hatchback.
Story: Zal Cursetji
Photography: Saurabh Botre
The topic of history may seem useless to most “Beliebers”, but there are some who aren’t susceptible to today’s social media “cool” trends. For these youngsters, we decided to visit Jaipur, Rajasthan, and surrounding areas for a historic yet youthful trip.
We went with the help of Toyota who gave us their equally youthful new hatchback, the superb Glanza. We drove the CVT petrol variant, but one may also opt for a manual if in the market. The CVT makes the drive very convenient and refined, without having to bother about shifting gears. Add to this, the New Gen platform not just enhances rigidity but really limits NVH to offer a premium ride. I might also add that the car is a BS VI-compliant and even offers brilliant fuel efficiency. The later always helping when on a road trip. More so, another great feature is the telescopic steering which unlike most cars can be adjusted not just for height, but, reach too. This really aids with sorting out a proper driving position especially on a long journey.
We arrived in quite a cold Pink City on an evening with each of us looking forward to what the next day would have in store for us. We spent the remainder of the day planning our routes and programme before finally sitting down for some scrumptious laal maas for dinner. We chatted about our cars superb Glanza smartphone navigation set-up which got us to dinner in a giffy. In addition, words were mentioned of how beautiful the city of Jaipur was highlighted by our striking Toyota Glanza. The sculpted liquid flow design with the floating roof felt right at home in the gorgeous city. However, the next day would arrive soon, so, after dinner, it was straight off to bed for us.
As the sun rose the next day, we were in the car and ready to set out. Our idea was to visit two main places around Jaipur: the Neemrana Fort, and, its absolute opposite, also known by some as India’s most haunted destinations, Bhangarh Fort.
We first decided to visit Neemrana, which is about 160 kilometres from Jaipur as one travels towards Delhi. This would be no hassle though, as the Glanza with its powerful 1.2-litre engine, would get us there with ease. This 500-plus-year-old medieval fort-palace has been converted into a hotel that one would need a little physical fitness to explore in its entirety. Complete with a lovely pool, an amphitheatre, and also zip-lining by Flyingfox, this place offers you views of some of the best sunsets in the region.
However, Neemrana Fort has of late made a few changes that did trouble us. Change in question? No cameras allowed. Well, almost. To enter with a DSLR camera, we were asked to pay Rs 70,000. An expensive fee but Neemrana Fort is now a privately owned place and hence these rules are their own legal right. Zip-lining, too, is part of the Fort and cannot be done without the said camera fee if you have one. Without a camera, you are allowed to enter with a nominal entrance fee of Rs 2,000 per person, which is not really much for the stunning place that this Fort is.
After our visit to the Fort, we also visited a step-well close by, called Rani ki Baoli. This is a nine-storey medieval well, which, even though is in ruins at the moment, is quite a beautiful place. Situated about two kilometres from the Neemrana Fort’s gate, the well is being restored but at a slow pace. However, the fact that restoration is under way is a consolation indeed.
Soon we were back in the Glanza on our way to the famous and “haunted” Bhangarh. On the highway, we hit triple-digit speeds with ease and if you consider all the safety features that the car has, you will easily appreciate what we are talking about. As we arrived there, we found that the place was full of tourists, it being a weekend. Bhangarh begins with what would be shops and homes lining a road leading up to the Fort. The Fort was a gift from Raja Bhagwant Singh to his younger son, Madha Singh, who ruled the domain. We did not have a chance to verify whether the place is actually haunted, because none of us stayed there past nightfall to find out. Besides, we would not be allowed to do so, for it would be illegal. The government has a 6.00-pm deadline for visitors and no one can stay there after that. There are many interesting stories about why the Fort is haunted. We were happier in our comfortable Toyota Glanza rather than the cold Fort and soon we were back at our hotel for some more amazing Rajasthani food and a good night’s rest.
The next day we decided to visit the Amer palace-fort in the Pink City itself. This place was owned by Man Singh, the elder son of Raja Bhagwant Singh and brother of Madha Singh and also Akbar’s number one general. Amer Fort is a huge and stunning place that housed the king and other members of the royalty. It is surrounded by the arms of another fort that stretch well across the surrounding hills and look like the Great Wall. It was a Sunday. Hence half of Rajasthan could be seen at the Fort, yet there was enough place to accommodate the remaining half within its walls comfortably. Since Amer Fort is well known, it does include a whole bunch of museum stores and even a Café Coffee Day within its environs.
After Amer Fort we headed towards the water-bound Jal Mahal (water palace). Situated within the Man Sagar Lake, the Jal Mahal is a Rajput style palace that has most of its five floors submerged underwater when the lake is full. On the banks, you find a number of vendors selling everything from mini forts and shawls to food and more. Jal Mahal marked the end of our trip to Jaipur, which had been a wonderful experience. India is full of historic sites and I’m sure if youngsters pay them a visit, they will be left yearning for more.
Unlike the big edifices that we visited, our palace had four wheels, an engine, and seats. But fret not, as Toyota offer superb financial services helping customers ease through the buying process. The car comes with a host of features which worked brilliantly well. The comfort and ride quality were superb and at no point did the four of us, with all our equipment and luggage, ever feel cramped. Apart from these you still get the regulars such as LED projector headlamps and tail lamps, UV protected glass, alloy wheels, push start/stop button, smart playcast touchscreen audio, and more. In addition, the Toyota Glanza comes with a three-year or 1 lakh-kilometre warranty which can be upgraded to a five-year period – a class-leading feature. Toyota have a very good network of after-sales service and their cars are generally built like tanks. I suppose that is why they are one of the world’s best auto-mobile manufacturers. A big thank you to the Om Toyota dealership in Jaipur who were really helpful in every way.
