The Hindu : National : Pink City wows Prince

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 01, 2006

National

National

Pink City wows Prince

Special Correspondent

Admires the renovation of 250-year-old temples Prince Charles is an "international patron'' of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, which has launched heritage conservation work in the entire city with the support of UNESCO

HITS THE ROAD: Britain's Prince Charles greets people during a walk in the old city of Jaipur in Rajasthan on Friday. Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are on a six-day tour of India. — Photo: AP

JAIPUR: Prince Charles of Britain showed keen interest in the heritage conservation and renovation work taken up in the Walled City here and walked in the narrow lanes for half-an-hour on Friday morning watching with delight a row of old mansions and two ancient temples restored under a UNESCO-supported pilot project.

The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were in the Pink City on the last leg of their four-day visit to Rajasthan.

The royal couple witnessed the grand Rajasthan Day celebrations here on Thursday and stayed overnight at the City Palace.

Admiring the renovation of the 250-year-old temples of Lord Narasimha and Lord Hanuman situated at Sanghiji Ka Rasta, Prince Charles said it was "a wonderful project of conservation and restoration of ancient pieces of art.''

The Prince also marvelled at an old Digambar Jain temple in the vicinity.

Prince Charles is an "international patron'' of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, which has launched heritage conservation work in the entire city with the support of UNESCO.

The Prince especially liked the miniature wall paintings, frescos and marble statues of gods in the temples.

Lauds conservation work

Prince Charles went inside some of the renovated mansions at Chowkri Modi Khana and lauded the conservation work. He also visited the office of Aarogya Bharati Trust, situated nearby, where he was briefed about the alternative medicine system and "Apni Virasat'' programme launched by the Jaipur Virasat Foundation.

He was later taken to a park in the locality for an interaction with the local residents.

He met artisans who displayed their skills and posed for photographs with school children and others.

The Prince was presented a memento and a portrait on the occasion.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who had accompanied the Prince in the Rajasthan Day festivities, chose to stay back in the City Palace, where the British dignitaries were the guests of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur. Camilla's engagements included meeting school children and planting saplings.

Leave for London

The royal couple left for London from Sanganer airport in the evening.

They arrived in Jaipur on Thursday to attend the concluding day celebrations of the 10-day Rajasthan festival.

This was the second visit of the heir to the British throne to Rajasthan in three years.

The colourful display of rich Rajasthani art and culture, folk dances and songs won the heart of the royal dignitaries.

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