A Trip to Udaipur – Venice of the East

(Part 1)

Dear readers, this is an extremely late post. You see I was truly very lucky to visit the ‘White City of Rajasthan’. Udaipur is situated in the southern part of Rajasthan and is often referred to as the ‘Venice of the East’. It is the city of lakes, established around cerulean water lakes and closeted by the lush green Aravalli hills. Do you know why it’s called the white city? Well, Rajput kings built palaces made of white marble, hence, the prominence of the colour and the name. It was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clans of Rajputs and was also the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana.

This trip to Udaipur came a couple of days after Valentine’s Day and I was reminded of the British administrator James Todd having dubbed Udaipur ‘the most romantic spot on the continent of India’. Its history, culture, cuisine, scenic locations and the Rajput-era palaces definitely add to its charm. The journey to Udaipur by road was a pleasant one with the Sun God putting on a brilliant display of his golden rays before he retired for the night. As we drew closer to Udaipur we met groups of devotees of Lord Shiva who were keen on celebrating the auspicious Maha Shivratri. Young and old alike were immersed in bhakti and danced to devotional songs with a fast tempo. The huge statue of Lord Shiva was visible as the car raced along towards our destination in the darkness of the night. Our place of stay was still an hour away when we stopped for dinner at The Marutinandan Grand, a luxury hotel. After a delicious meal comprising of soups, a Gujarati thali and other delicacies we were back on the road eager to reach the guest house and settle in for the night so that we would be fresh for a day of sightseeing and fun.

Contrary to what we thought, after we reached we stayed awake till around 2 a.m. laughing and talking. Next morning by 6:30 a.m. we were up once again ready to take on a day that promised endless excitement. With a hearty breakfast of aaloo paranthas and sweet curd, dry fruits and delectable apples we set off to visit the City Palace, Lake Palace in Pichola Lake and Daiji Bridge. The entire morning passed as if in a beautiful dream. We walked and walked and gazed and gazed. The boat ride to Lake Palace provided a delightful view of the aravallis, the palace walls and the lake. The exquisite reflection of the marble edifices in the rippling water with a few floating red rose petals was breathtakingly beautiful. I was lucky to get a few stunning pictures and videos. A walk up the steep path paved with flagstones to the magnificent entrance of the flamboyant City Palace is rife with spots of scenic beauty.

The guide narrated different anecdotes as we followed him amidst the throngs of people looking round and listening eagerly like us. The main entry is through the ‘Badi Pol’ which leads to the first courtyard which then leads to the ‘Tripolia Pol’, a triple-arched gate. The area between this gate and the palace is lined with shops and kiosks of craftsmen, book-binders, miniature painters, and stores of sarees and other dress materials. Our guide pointed out Manak Chowk and informed us about elephant fights staged here in the past to test their strength before they started out on war campaigns. Also, at the entrance there are big boulders where elephants were tied earlier, this has become the car parking now.

When we reached Amar Vilas our guide told us that it is the uppermost court inside the palace and it provides entry to the Badi Mahal. The Badi Mahal which is also called the Garden Palace is situated on a 27 metres high natural formation. This floor appears to be at the level of the fourth floor in view of the height difference to its surrounding buildings. There’s a swimming pool here which is said to have been used for Holi celebration. In a hall adjoining this are displayed miniature paintings of the 18th and 19th century. Soon we walked into a section which showcased exquisite Chinese and Dutch ornamental tiles; this place was called Chini Chitrashala.

Something I found really interesting were the Sun-face emblems, in gleaming brass. These were the religious insignia of the Sisodia dynasty. They were visible in different locations of the City Palace. The largest emblem was seen on the wall of the Surya Chopar. Our guide told us that it was customary for the Maharanas to offer their respects to the Sun God every morning before having their breakfast. Still wondering about the various beautiful wall murals of wars and animal hunts we reached the Mor Chowk within the inner courts of the palace. Elaborate peacocks representing summer, winter and monsoon are built into jharokas. These peacocks are crafted with around 5000 pieces of glass in blue, green, and gold colours.

As we left the palace I couldn’t help but imagine how it must’ve been for those people of those days to live within these walls – kings, queens, soldiers, cooks, and other servants. Horses and elephants, loyal to their masters must’ve marched to and fro on these cobbled roads. There must’ve been spies, and threats of various kinds; they had lived through all that. There definitely must’ve been love blossoming and romance among the commoners as well as the royalty too. One part of me wished I could see them walking and living their life as they did then, hundreds of years ago... but the other practical part shuddered with fear. What if that really happened! Perhaps I would have fainted with fear, I thought looking around apprehensively, fearful of any creatures I had unwittingly imagined into the present day! I grinned nervously as one of the vendors asked me to check out the sarees made from jute and custard apple residue. I shook my head in refusal and followed my friends as it was time for lunch after which we were to head out in direction of Sajjangarh to view the sunset from Sunset Point.