Udaipur Day 3

This is my 3^rd and final day in Udaipur.  I have no guide and plan to relax by the pool and read.  But, the hotel staff has other ideas.  They arrange a jeep safari for me to see a neighboring village, Burja.  This is what Indian life outside the cities is all about.  I am escorted by the hotel’s front office manager, his assistant and a driver.  Quite an entourage.

This is an old house in Burja.  Note the double doors which indicate the person who built this house was wealthy.

This is a newer house in Burja.  There was recently a marriage in this household as shown by the paintings on the wall.

This is a very old house.  It is constructed of stone, clay and cow dung.  It will last for hundreds of years.

The streets of Burja.

This is a temple in Burja.  The tree is used in a religious ceremony in which the women pray for the long life of their husbands and brothers.  The practical reason for this ritual is to promote the long life of the tree.

This tree in the center of town serves as a kind of City Hall.  The people (aka men) of the village gather around the tree to discuss and decide on civil and legal issues.

Scenes of village life.



Despite being a fairly poor community, Burja still has a few houses with some beautiful carvings.

Just like everywhere else in India, Burja has plenty of cows blocking the road.

This ox cart is used to transport goods and people around Burja.

This stone is used to sharpen the villagers knives and machetes.

The resort where I am staying, Fateh Garh, employs 18 women from the village.  One of the women is on her day off.  She sees us and invites us in to have a look at her home.  I do not take pictures.  It is small with 1 room that serves as a bedroom, storage area and kitchen.  The roof is used for the laundry and for cooking when the weather permits.

The women here are hard and weathered from all of the hard work.  But, they are beautiful and what they lack in softness they make up for in strength, vigor and kindness.  This old women requests I that her photograph ( you should have seen her primp beforehand).  She is grateful to me for taking her picture.  After examining my bone structure (rather closely I might add) and reading my energy she exclaims that I am of royal Indian descent and insists I come in for chai.  This will probably kill me in the end but, the experience was worth it (and the milk was boiled, sort of).  When I leave she smiles and slaps me on the back hard enough to nearly crack a rib.  She will be the envy of all of her neighbors for having a Westerner in her home.

The countryside around Burja is stunning.

This was an incredible opportunity and an experience that I will not soon forget.

I'm in Udaipur

Ok first thing, 2 whole days NO RAIN!!!!!!  Just sun, sun, sun!  Yipeee.

                                                                                                                                                                 

I have spent the last 2 days in Udaipur, the first stop on my tour of the Rajasthan. 

Udaipur has several nicknames including “Venice of the East”, “The World’s Most Romantic City” and “The City of Lakes”.  It is in fact built around 3 man-made lakes, Lake Pichola being the most famous.  The lakes were created by damming the Kapila Nadi River and provide Udaipur with fresh water.  I am told that I am lucky that I arrived when I did because poor monsoons over the past 3 years had left lakes nearly dry but this year’s monsoon was good and now the lakes are full again.

Founded in 1559, Udaipur and the surrounding countryside (known as Mewar) is the only region of India to have remained independent throughout its history.  The ruling family has consisted of 22 Maharanas all from the same bloodline.  The term Maharana references this area’s independent history in its difference from the usual term for the king, Maharaja.

I begin my tour of Udaipur at Jagdish Mandir, the city’s main Hindu temple built in the 1600s.  It is dedicated to the Lord Vishnu. 

The temple has many intricate carvings:

Next I walk to the City Palace.  This is the main attraction in Udaipur.  It is the largest palace in Rajasthan.  The City Palace was started in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh.  It was expanded by 21 subsequent Maharanas.

Entry to City Palace

I enter the City Palace through the Tripolia Gate:

Above the gate is a large Sun face.  The ruling family of Udaipur comes from the Sisodia clan who claim to be direct descendents of the Sun.

The entry courtyard features several wall paintings and the royal stables complete with Rajasthani horses.

The entrance to the Palace features 2 small temples.  The first dedicated to Ganesha (god of wisdom, good luck, prosperity and success) and the second to Lakshmi (goddess of wealth).  Today we are in time to see the priest cleansing and anointing the statues.

 A flight of steep narrow stairs leads to Bari Mahal.  From the outside Bari Mahal looks like a rather boring stone tower.  But Bari Mahal has a secret.  Its stone walls enclose a hilltop.  Built in 1699, the hill could not be removed so they built around it.  At the top is an amazingly beautiful courtyard complete with the neem trees planted in the hill itself.

Next we see Kanch Burj, the “Glass Turret”.  This room is completely inlaid with silver and red glass.  SPECTACULAR!!

We enter Mor Chowk, the “Peacock Courtyard”, which houses 4 mosaic peacocks.  They are stunning!

The courtyard leads us to Zenana Mahal, the Queens Palace.  Here we can see the traditional living quarters for the queen or Maharani.

As we drive through the streets of Udaipur we see a traditional folk dance, Gouri, being performed.  The dance depicts scenes from the Hindu epics and is performed over a period of 40 days.  This is a treat to see.

After the dance, I stop and take a camel ride.  It was fun but, it would have been better if I hadn't had to work so hard to keep from losing my shoes.

After the City Palace we go to Saheliyon ki Bari, “Garden of the Maids of Honor”.  The garden was built in the early 1700s for a queen and her maids of honor.  The garden features many fountains and flowers.

 

Our next stop is the Udaipur folk art museum, Bagore ki Haveli.  Here we see a variety of folk art including masks, musical instruments and puppets.  Rajasthan is known for its puppet making and I even get to see a traditional puppet show.

My final stop for the day involves a boat ride on Lake Pichola which offers marvelous views of Udaipur.

We stop at Jag Mandir, an island palace on the lake, said to be the inspiration for the Taj Mahal.  Here I take a break to sip rose tea and enjoy the views.