A guided tour through The City Palace, Udaipur

One of the most magnificent palace complex in the world can not be toured without a guide’s help. Why? Because, you don’t want to miss out on any interesting facts and stories that a seasoned guide can regale you with. The palace I am talking about is the marvellously built City Palace in Udaipur. As you ascend the gradient towards the complex, you are transported to an era where horses and elephants walked the path you now are treading. Enter the main gate and you would be informed how the complex is divided into four parts - The palace and museum, Two ultra luxurious heritage hotels - Shivniwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace, and The private residence of the erstwhile ruler of Mewar where the erstwhile royals still reside. 

Let's tour the palace and the museum. The Suryavanshi’s palace, the descendants of Lord Rama’s son Luv, have a huge image of The Sun God right at the entrance of the palace. The interesting fact is that, every morning every citizen and the ruler too paid their obeisance to the Sun and for days when the Sun would get obscured by clouds, they had these large images to pay their respects to - one inside the palace for the Maharana and the other outside the main gate for the citizens. The family history of the rulers of Mewar with brief introduction of each successive ruler is given along the path that leads into the palace. Enter the palace and you are greeted by Lord Ganesha himself, in a tiny temple right at the entrance.

All over the palace you would spot vintage tiles and stained glass imported from Belgium, China, Europe and many other places adorning the walls and windows, a few doors decorated with ivory too can be seen. The huge palace was built over many centuries (we are talking about 400 years here !!) with each successive ruler adding his own bit to the existing complex. The first part of course is where Maharana Udai Singh Ji, the founder of Udaipur resided, this being the simplest residential quarters with minimalistic decorative architecture. The complex has Indo - Sarasenic architectural influence.

As we ascend the steps after marvelling at the personal weaponry used by Maharana Pratap and a life-size replica of his favourite mount Chetak, we reach the place where a newly coronated Maharana would sit for the public to get a first glimpse and would throw gold and silver coins from the little window as gifts for the citizens. The tub used for storing these coins is larger than most jacuzzis! Walking on, we reach a courtyard where tall trees provide shade and serenity around a beautifully manicured garden. One wonders which floor would one be on, since there were lots of steps that one has taken to reach here but the presence of the large trees suggests something else. Well, another interesting fact here for all to know - the palace is built over a mountain without the mountain being levelled. The whole mountain was encapsulated inside a beautifully built fortress wall, all painted white. From outside it looks like a magnificent fort with many many floors inside but as you ascend the steps inside you realise you are on a mountain and not a building which has many floors. Isn’t that just amazing?

Another interesting fact to know is that the Maharanas never attended any courts other than the ones they themselves presided, be it the Mughal or the British courts. Hence after the merger of the Mewar state with the British Union, the empty chair that was kept for the then Maharana was sent to him as a gift of respect by the British along with two thorough-bred horses - the chair being an exhibit that you can see in the palace museum. Take a look at the city below from the heights that you have now ascended to, soak in the sights before moving onto the residential quarters of the Maharanas which are decorated with mirrors and gold and exquisite colours. The opulence and class, the taste and the extravagance, the true royalty of yore is here for you to see and experience. Hand painted walls and ceilings where stories are painted, many imported decorative glass pieces and tiles, ivory doors, - words aren’t enough to express the richness of this palace. 

Moving on, you would cross one beautiful corridor after another and one narrow stairway after another to reach the entertainment arena - The Mor Chowk. Mor- the peacock themed courtyard was the entertainment place where the royals sat all around, one floor above, and dancers and musicians entertained them below in the courtyard. Interestingly, the Maharana’s seat is a few inches lower than the guests’ seats in keeping with the tradition of “Atithi Devo Bhava” (Guest is God). The Lake Palace which is an ultra luxurious hotel now, is visible from many windows of the city palace. The palace also houses an elevator which was built for Maharana Bhupal Singh Ji who was differently abled. Not just that, there is a specially made wheelchair and an imported toilet seat that are exhibited in his residential quarters. The elevators are in perfectly working condition and are used for wheel chair bound tourists for them to get a glimpse of the most beautiful part of the palace.

As we move on, we see the many exhibits including the utensils, palanquins, armoury, cradles, silver ware, statues, musical instruments and a collection of a very many trophies. Us, the dazed tourists, walk along the Ladies quarters and approach the exit to the complex but this isn’t all that is there to see. Walk towards the ancient Jagdeesh Temple and see the elephant stables along the way and the Torans that look like large ornamental open gates - eight of them. A Toran was built each time a Maharana took a pilgrimage and returned. The Jagdeesh temple is built outside the palace complex but has been raised high to bring it to a level where the Deity would be seated higher than the King - another important fact to know.

One more very important fact that intrigues is that the passages and stairways are quite narrow and the entrances to the private quarters are through small doorways. What could be the reason? Any Guesses? Well, the answer is very interesting again! The small doors ensure that one must bow and enter - a symbol of respect to the Maharana, also in case of a siege attempt, the enemy would also bow and enter least expecting a warrior attacking him with a sword decapitating him in one strike! 

There is so much more to The City Palace and Jagdeesh Temple that words aren't enough. One must take out time to visit the Palace at leisure, spending time appreciating each feature and feeling a part of the era gone by! I have visited this marvel twice and will not miss another chance if it comes by.

PUSHKAR MELA

Rajasthan, the land of fairs and festivals is famous world over for the eclectic, vibrant and most colourful fairs that are held all the year round. Each fair has a central theme that it revolves around and has its own significance too. But Pushkar Fair sure wears the crown when it comes to the popularity of these fairs. Not just is the fair popular among the village folks who come here for religious reasons but also among farmers and animal traders who visit the fair to trade into cattle and livestock. But the star of the “Pushkar Mela”, as it is referred to in local parlance, remains the ship of the desert, the camel! Read on to take a tour through this amalgamation of colour, culture, tradition, celebration and festivities.

Pushkar is a sacred town situated 530 metres above sea level in the enchanting valley of the Aravali hills. It is about 11 kilometers northwest of Ajmer in Rajasthan. The holy town has a central lake , The Sarovar which is surrounded by as many as 500 temples all around. But the most important temple here is the one dedicated to Lord Brahma, The Creator God in Hinduism. In fact, till recent times it was only in Pushkar that one could find a Brahma Temple, now though a couple more have been constructed elsewhere too. The lake is about ten meters deep and gets its water supply from the rains. It is surrounded by mountains on the three sides. The Hindu Scriptures describe Pushkar as "Tirtha-Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites related to a water-body. The Pushkar Lake finds mention on coins as early as the 4th century BC. Pushkar Lake is surrounded by 52 bathing ghats (a series of steps leading to the lake), where pilgrims throng in large numbers to take a holy dip, especially around Kartik Poornima when the Pushkar Fair is held. A dip in the sacred lake is believed to cleanse one of sins and cure skin diseases.

A Pashu Mela or the animal fair is also held at the same time as the 'Pushkar Mela’. The fair is held from 'Kartik Shukla Ekadashi' (11th day of the moon) to 'Kartik Purnima' (full moon night). The Kartik Poornima is of utmost importance for people who visit Pushkar for a religious reason. The water in the lake on this day is considered to acquire miraculous healing powers and people throng the ghats to take a holy dip. It is believed that any ailment or disease gets cured if one takes a dip in the lake on this day.

The local Govt. authorities organise events on each day of the Pushkar Mela. The calendar of the events is released a month in advance from the date of the commencement of the fair. There are fun filled races held for each section of the society. While the women can run with a pitcher of water in the matka race, the men can proudly show-off their moustaches in the moustache competition. Musical evenings enliven the atmosphere of this quaint holy town which buzzes with life during these 9 days of the famous Pushkar Mela.

The stadium in Pushkar turns into the arena for these multi cultural programmes. Classical dancers, folk dancers, Drum and Nagada Troupes, Dancing Horses and Camels, Sufi singers, folk singers all vie for a spot under the arch lights of the magnificent stage set up for the Mela in the arena. Of all the activities that are organised here, the maximum draw is of the Dulha-Dulhan Show where tourists are encouraged to participate dressed as Indian groom and bride and compete for a prize. Another crowd puller is the turban tying competition where men compete to tie that perfectly perched turban in as less time as possible.

Pushkar attracts crowds from all across the world, some come for religious reasons, some for buying or selling camels, horses, cattle and other household and farming wares, but there is a big number of tourists who flock Pushkar to witness this extravaganza of fun and frolic going hand in hand with business. Photography walks, heritage walks, culinary walks and shopping walks are the usuals for the tourists along with henna tattoo making, yoga classes, art classes, cycling excursions, horse riding and camel riding with camel cart riding as well. You would meet the masquerade champs too who dress up as Indian Gods and Goddesses and will oblige you with a picture for a tiny treat or a paltry cash reward. 

Evenings at Pushkar are enchanting to say the least. Colourful play of reflected lights on the still water of the lake, reverberation of Aarti, bells and conch coming from afar skimming the waters to reach your ears, hunger-inducing aromas wafting through the air and people with a skip and dance in their feet everywhere - that’s a Pushkar evening for you.

A shout out to the foodies of the world to savour mouth watering Maal Puas and traditional Dal Bati Churma. There’s Falooda, Lemonade, Chhaas and Ice creams to keep you cool during the sunny days. Hot Jalebis and Rabri, Samosas and Kachori with Kadhi make for a fantastic breakfast or evening snack. The many restaurants by the lake and in the market also serve up international favourites like Pizza, Pasta, Falafels, Tacos and the likes. And the masala chai with a liberal amount of milk is a must-have.

When visiting Pushkar, the must dos include participating in one of the fun events in the arena, observing the nuances of animal trading, savouring the local flavours, paying your respects at the Brahma Temple, spending a quiet evening at the ghats observing the goings around and very important (!) , stock up your collection of leather bags and multi hued bangles made in lac (lacquer).

Pushkar is the Festival for you and me and everyone!