It's all over the front page. The glass lake Pichola in this splendid city in southern Rajasthan, is desparate for more monsoon. The mud caked lake bed is currently the stomping ground for a lonely elephant and a short cut to the markets for the tourists. Next year, a pipe will transport the water to fill the lake, which will keep the tourists satisfied. And where is that water going to be coming from?
What I’ve discovered about this city is a heritage of brave Rajputs – Kings, invasions and undecided battles. Maraharana Pratap and his horse Chetek fought against the incessant attacks of King Akhbar in one local area named Chitogarh. He disguised his white horse to resemble an elephant and charged bravely leading his men into battle. When the battle turned against him, he fled to the hills on his horse, which according to the legend, then jumped over the river and carried the Maraharana to safety. He died exhausted in his master’s arms.
From the Jagdish temple, in which icons from the Karma Sutra have been carved into marble rock, the market road leads to the City Palace. The “Lake” Palace is a building which reflects the majesty of power in transition. Ornate masonry, central courtyards with subordinate doorways, intricately carved windows to protect women from purdah, columns and arches and a splendid hotel attached to the wing show the many influences. Within the palace, I learned about the custodians, administrators, Maharanas and the influence of the different generations on the Palace. Today, the locals complain at the entrance price, but decorative artwork and views make it a fantastic place to visit. The audio guide was helpful in describing the paintings, the architecture and the different residents. The sculptures told me about the cultural beliefs in Surya, Shiva and Ganesh. One highlight was the peacock courtyard, which presented a montage of peacocks painted in different ways.
The haveli in which I stayed was 400 years old. From here I could see the palace, the temple roofs and the bridges to the downtown area. The markets were so full of rural handicrafts and foods in made my mind boggle. Browsing was really difficult as the rickshaws, motorbikes and scooters raced along at a fierce speed. Hindus love their cows and keep them as sacred livestock. There are plenty gently walking the roadsides contributing to the organic matter and heaping up the gutters. Transport of another design came in the Maharana’s collection of Vintage cars. By the Garden Hotel, I found the Rolls Royce from Octopussy and abut 20 other cars from about 1924 upwards. The solar bicycles seemed like a bit of an experiment, but the collection was definitely going in the right direction.
I decided to stay In Udaipur to practice the sitar with Suresh. I learned to play “Do, Re, Me, Fa, Sew, La, Tea, Do” and my finger tips hurt really badly. The sound was very atmospheric and buying my own did crosse my mind. Aside from which, I found a local fair trade cooperative c/o Sadna and bought hand made garments to keep cool in. There were so many new things to discover and an opportunity to exchange thoughts and feelings about the ways things are with backpackers and a kind hotel manager called Hussain.
