India Revisited: Glorious Udaipur

Often referred to as the “most romantic city in India,” (a favorite of mine for sure), this fairy tale city with marble palaces, set on three interconnected man made lakes and surrounded by verdant hills will not disappoint! It was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh and became the capital of the fiercely independent Mewar people who refused matrimonial alliances with moghuls and took great pride in their reputation as prime defenders of Rajput honor.

We are staying at the spectacular Oberoi Udaivilas, which is every bit as spectacular as when I first laid eyes on it in 2003. I was looking for signs of wear and tear, and seriously there are none. Oberoi has maintained it flawlessly and in spite of many new brands that have built here and are nipping at their heels, I remain convinced this is the premier address in Udaipur. Our premier rooms, facing the lake such as mine, #126, have a private patio overlooking the lake and a seemingly endless “swimming pool corridor,” whereby you can actually swim to your neighbor’s room! We were all mesmerized by the view when the curtains were drawn in the morning!

We started with the City Palace whose sprawling bulk measures over one kilometer from end to end and occupies 5 acres, making it the biggest palace in Rajasthan. Built over 3 centuries, it is actually 4 interconnected palaces, illustrative of various architectural styles. A whole gallery of crystal furniture was on display – these were actually just a few samples (one can only imagine the original order) that the Maharajana commissioned which included sofas, beds, desks. multiple chandeliers and wall sconces. Exterior palace walls often feature painted murals of an elephant (symbolizing wisdom) and a horse (symbolizing power) which we saw elsewhere in the city. They have an impressive collection of miniature paintings, a flat, one dimensional allegory depicted in various vignettes, but details are meticulously executed often with a brush containing a single hair from a squirrel’s tail! Perhaps this is a forerunner to today’s comic strip and animation?

A few hours of “R&R” was followed by a sunset cruise on Lake Pichola, and we basked in the glory of the golden afternoon light. The next morning we followed our fearless Negendra, Pied Piper-style as he led us through the labyrinth of alleys and lanes. At times, I could have closed my eyes and felt I was in a souk in Fez or Marrakech, but then there would be some quick reminder that this is India, like an obscure Hindu temple wedged in-between two buildings or an elaborately carved lattice stone screen called a “jali” or dodging a cow pile in the road! Our first stop was to buy some grass for a ceremonial feeding of a street cow – locals also bring leftovers from home early in the morning to feed, first the cows, and secondly the dogs – often lacing stale chapatis with sugar cubes.

Next was a visit to a temple dedicated to Krishna where the art of “Jal Sanjhvi” or the art of drawing on water is practiced. We crammed into a space the size of my mud porch at home and watched the temple caretaker gently sift colored powders through intricate stencils onto a “floating canvas” atop a tray of water — much the same way as I’ve sifted confectioner’s sugar through paper doilies onto brownies. This art has been passed down through our host’s family, and Betsy & Sarah tried their hand at it with success. Sadly the painting has a fleeting 3 hour life after which the powders all sink to the bottom of the tray and are discarded – a metaphor for the impermanence of life.

Next we visited an artisan specializing in the art of “Koftkari,” the inlay of gold and silver threads onto military objects like daggers, swords and knives. Again, a tiny cottage industry in an unassuming storefront; this place supplies all of the swords for Hollywood films with elaborately decorated handles and scabbards. There is no design or pattern to follow — just the free-flow hand of the artist as he first carves and then works the gossamer thread into the metal.

Our walk finished in the vegetable market with stout Indian ladies seated on the ground offering the finest produce available which included a special variety of carrots red in color and very sweet, used for desserts, fresh chick peas, baby egg plants, turnips, cauliflowers and so much more.

Sadly the next 24 hours are a bit of a blur for me as I succumbed to a sudden onset of food poisoning and thus took to my bed. I was sorry to miss (and sadly do not have pictures to share) of the gala evening we planned on the lakeside promenade with torches and flags and local performers offering the colorful dances of the region.

  • Poor kid…what did you eat on streets kiddo? Oberoi wasn’t finished when I was there..looks like it is time for a revisit

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