Description
Junagarh Fort in Bikaner features several rooms with striking blue wall decorations. The Badal Mahal (Palace of the Clouds) is particularly famous for this. Many of the blue tiles in the fort, especially in the Gaj Mandir, are blue and white porcelain tiles from Europe (often from the Netherlands or Great Britain), which were installed there in the 18th and 19th centuries. The colour blue was often used to symbolise the rain and coolness of clouds – a precious commodity in the Rajasthan desert. Animals (such as horses or elephants) used to be tethered to the metal ring on the wall. – Bikaner, Rajasthan – 1990
