Udaipur

Amazing Views From the Hotel

Lots of oohs and ahhs from the women in the group when we arrived at the Fateh Garh Palace Hotel outside of Udaipur, which is west of the city amid green fields, atop a hill. The views from anyplace in the Palace were outstanding. All the stairs, no railings, was not so much appreciated. Fateh Garh is a ‘modern’ replica of a Rajasthan Palace and what made it even prettier were the decorations being put up for the Indian wedding taking place that weekend. The rooms were large, the doors quirky to get into. Lots of colorful saris about, women in the bridal party had their hands henna painted, the colors were vivid and the atmosphere festive.

Inner Courtyard Normally Open to the Sky
Now Covered With Coloured Streamers 

On one night we witnessed a show of dance performances by the wedding party, led by a DJ, that was very unlike a western night club. Amazing India!

Hennaed Hands

It was a pretty place, high above with a view towards Udaipur and the lakes (Lake Pichola). No wonder Udaipur is called the Venice of India. And so much water in the middle of a desert. Udaipur is called an oasis by some but that is because it somehow rains more here than, let's say in Jaipur. This extra rain, this extra water allows for a greener look. To preserve and save Maharaja (Warrior Kings) had 2 lakes built (hand dug), with a small canal in between with which they could regulate the content of each lake. Water is precious, especially around these parts.
water the old

Right after we checked in to the hotel we were on the bus again to start our city tour. The City Palace of Udaipur, while it is a tourist place is also still occupied by the Singh family. The Maharaja, (Great King) of Udaipur, has reigned over Udaipur for 1500 years or a total of 76 generations making it the longest dynasty in India. Udaipur started with Maharana Udai Singh in 1560 and his heirs are still the head of the

Gates To the City Palace Are Open

family today.  Tourist fees help pay for the huge cost of upkeep for this giant Palace. Still, the Singh dynasty lives within the part of the Palace which we did not see.

There are many, many large mansions, houses, estates and palaces in Rajasthan, the land of the kings. But this Palace is the largest. Decorated with personal taste (peacock mosaics along the grand reception walls) of the people of previous generations and ‘modernized’ here and there, the palace had add-ons made over centuries which grew the palace to today's humongous size. It sits on a low, but steep hill side, abutting one of the 2 lakes. The lake

(Lake Pichola) is large enough to house a few islands, which also contain palaces or pleasure spots. I

An Ornate Swing

felt a little bit like an intruder traipsing through their relics. Naturally we were only
shown that part of the palace that is now the museum. Fancy rooms built for functions which are no longer in vogue or needed. Throne rooms are decorated with gilded silver and gold chairs and windows with bright window dressings, ancient elevators that do not run any longer, hidden staircases no longer used by service people, etc. It is a museum now, no longer an active part of how the Maharana live today but how life used to be.

This Large Painting of the Palace Complex Contains Many Miniature Figures

These Are Some Of the Figures In the Above Painting

One very peculiar thing about the rooms in this Palace, all are full of miniature paintings. Large areas on the walls, ceilings, anywhere there was space, full of paintings in miniature. All show events from the past, special days but also everyday scenes. They were painted as historical records. Not much was written down, but events were painted on the walls. So we, the visitors could see, did not have to read, the events that took place. It's like a series of photos, but since there were no photos in 1600 those happenings were painted. Some were wall-sized but with very small and accurate detail. Every face in the paintings is different. Each rider, each horse, elephant, ladies in their saris, etc. were painted as they used to be, just very, very, small. The brush that was used to paint those large pictures had only 2 hairs; hairs from the ear of a squirrel or sable. This brush provides a very, very fine detail, even within the clothing of the people, their expressions, their body language.  Amazing India!

Much Tiny Detail In This Painting

Those artists, those painters were special people; it took generations to develop this art form. Today, there are no more commissions from the Maharana for them.

Rather Garish Decor

Those artists, still around, now have to rely on tourists for their income. So, naturally, there are shops that specialize in miniature paintings, and also of course, there are good artists and not so good ones. I looked and priced some of them, just to be curious. Sorry, it was way over my head. A picture as large as my hand for US$ 4000, - was just too much. I understand the delicacy and time it takes to paint those scenes, still a lot of money, even though I would have liked to support those artists.

Udaipur has ‘only’ about a half a million people, a manageable size for India. Udaipur lives off tourism, even though the state of Rajasthan also lives off the mining of zinc, cadmium, marble, phosphates and talc. These old Mountain Ranges (Aravalli) are full of natural resources.

Members of the Royal Family Exercising Their Horses

It can get hot in summer (112F) or 44C and while there is a lot of greenery visible, it is a desert city. Today, in March, it was already 31C.

On the way out of the Palace, we saw 3 horsemen in military uniform and we were told they were part of the Royal Family exercising their polo ponies. It must be nice to live at this high level with palaces, polo horses, luxury cars, etc. from birth. For 76 generations money is no object.

We Had Dinner Under the Stars At the Edge Of the Balcony

Dinner at night for us was “under the stars“, on Milky Way quite visible. People from the wedding party at the next table in their finest dress, in saris, kept us company. It was a festive and romantic evening and ending to our first day in Udaipur.
the terrace of the hotel. There were no other lights on around us (only the flickering candles on the table); it was a clear night, starry skies with the

After Dinner We Watched Some of the Wedding Celebrations
But the Blue Lights Turned the Pictures Blue