CHAPTER 11 - THE PALACE
The sight ahead of them was the most astonishing one that they had ever seen.
With the single-most unique five-storey exterior that was akin to the honeycomb of a beehive, the heart-warming pyramidal structure was decorated with intricate sandstone carving and domes around what seemed like millions of little windows. This sandstone structure was a full testimony to the epithet of "Pink City" given to Jaipur. The entry to this grandeur of a monument was through a grand door, and students could not wait to see what laid beyond it.
"Lal Chand Ustad," boomed the voice of Mukesh, as he now stood in front of the structure, distracting the students and professors alike from their musings, "Was the mastermind, the architect of this unique structure in 1799, the crown jewel of this city. And if looks at the view in one go, it really does resemble a magnificent crown to be put on someone's head, namely, the crown of Lord Krishna, one of the most revered Gods in Hinduism. But allow me to let you in on a secret. Lord Krishna was powerful, not because he was actually a God, but because he was one of the greatest magicians, with nearly god-like attributes, to live in the Iron Age. Only the wizarding community in India knows of this, not the muggles. But he was an inspiration to them both. But I won't divulge anything anymore about him, except to add that he was as great as you would consider Merlin in Europe. You will lean more about him in your magical classes, anyways.
"Now back to the structure, the facade depicts 953 intricately carved jharokhas, or windows, that is decorated with intricate latticework. The muggles in that era were told that it is to allow the royal ladies to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen because the conservative society back then forced women to observe a strict "purdah" or loosely translated to covering of the face. But only the royal family along with its court people knew of the real reason behind the construction of the building. It was dark times for the people of Rajasthan in those days. This magical edifice helped to neutralise the dark magical aura that freely drifted in the very air of this region. Till date, the structure clears the air of the city, because dark magic still exists. I am no expert on this, but behind these walls, await those who do and they will aid you in your lessons about the mechanics of this building.
"The entry is through the imperial gate, which opens up to a large courtyard that has double storied buildings on three sides, one of which, you'll be staying. You will be housed on the second floor with toilets and shower stalls all being on the same floor, separate for boys and girls, of course. Now if you'd gather your belongings, let us proceed in," finished Mukesh. Everybody was focused on what he said with rapt attention, with the exception of Hermione, who surreptitiously got her Quick-Quotes Quill out and had everything he said written in her new journal for the trip (she wanted to hear what he said as well).
With sudden movements from everybody, light-weight charms were slyly cast on all luggage, as they were all still in the presence of muggles who were passing by, and they walked into the building.
Upon entering, the group happened upon a large courtyard surrounded by two-storied walls, as expected. The atmosphere on the inside was a stark change though, because it was noticeably fresher in here. The clean aura of pure magic in the air coursed through them in a comforting, cooling manner. This coolness was enhanced by the fountains outside various chambers around the courtyards. As they looked around, they saw that the top two floors of Hawa Mahal were only accessible through ramps.
Gradually they ascended upon the second floor, lead by Mukesh, to see a couple of women dressed in the Indian fineries of their local costumes, welcoming them with the general namaste and a slight bow of their heads. The students and professors greeted back in a similar form, and Mukesh said, "Behind me are your chambers that are open, with no doors and only windows to connect you to the outside world, purely for ventilation. It also allows magic to flow freely in the building. Now, please help yourself by picking out any place you'd like within the chambers, but please remember, boys are to be on the right and girls are to be on the left. The professors will find their respective chambers in the corridors adjacent to this towards the left and right. These two ladies right here with me will be your professors, along with three more to make your trip fruitful and knowledgeable! I do not stay in the palace, but if you ever need me, please contact any of your professors here to get in touch with me, and I will be there," turning to one of the ladies, he said, "Miss Mahima, I'll leave it you now to debrief them, and I'll be back for their city tour." Bidding adieu to them all, Mukesh walked off with the same happy expression, promising to be back in a couple of hours.
"Namaste, O masterful educators and bright students of the illustrious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said the rich in accent, honeyed voice of a fair skinned woman, whom Mukesh earlier addressed as Mahima. She gazed at them fondly, her eyes wide as that of a doe and hazel in colour, "I am Mahima. You may address me as Professor Mahima, if you'd like. I'm one of the caretaker of this palace here along with 4 more people. I am also a professor at a local magical institution for girls for magical sciences and arts, namely the Maharani Gayatri Devi School, along with the other professors overlooking your educational trip here. I teach the subject of The Magical Human Anatomy, which focuses on where magic is mostly prevalent in our bodies. Benefits of this subject are great, but what I teach is mostly theoretical. Practicals of this will be overseen by our other professor, who also takes care of this palace, namely Professor Dev. He will be joining us shortly, as he is currently out on business. Professor Ananya here," pointing at the dark and lithe woman beside her, "is a master on the subject of Tantra. Professor Bani, along with professor Akhil, who are also not here presently will take over the subject of Vedic and Post-Vedic Studies, respectively. Professor Om will come in from time to time to take over the subject of Classical Music: Magical Perspective. We all teach the Maharani Gayatri Devi School, in fact. And we all are the care takers of this palace, and are in charge of its magical maintenance. We will brief you in detail about what you are to learn, but for now, I'd like you to freshen up and rest from the tiresome journey you've had. We will meet you again in a few hours after your city tour will be done under the caring guidance of Mukesh. We welcome you again to Jaipur, and we really are looking forward to this educational trip with you," she finished. She spoke a few quiet words with the McGonagall and Snape, and slowly glided away with her companion, Professor Ananya.
"Wow. Women here sure are something," whistled Ron as soon as they were out of earshot. He received a smart whack behind his head when an annoyed nasal voice of Snape hissed at him saying, "I'll be looking out for you Mr Weasley. No tomfoolery out here, or house points will be deducted."
The students snickered at this and McGonagall drawled, "Well Severus, for the first time I've seen you warn a student about docking points. The ambience here is indeed magical."
And all she got was a sniff and dramatic exit with billowing black robes.
!
Starry-eyed, she gazed at the open vast space commanded by several ornate pillars, as her classmates shuffled about, setting up their beds and freshening up for the city tour. She closed her eyes, breathing in the ancient magic in the air. She opened back her eyes, only by the thought of the number of mysteries this places, the stories it had to tell, and the secret that drifted in the very magic of this. She may be called as the smartest witch of the age, but one thing that she knew to be certain was that when she will return to England, she would be a changed woman.