Finally I boarded train for Udaipur. After envisaging and planning for the Lake city for quite a few years, finally a friend’s wedding in Udaipur gave me a chance to visit the city. Contrary to my recent experiences with Indian Railways, this time it was a smooth sailing through IRCTC and then the travel. When we arrived in Udaipur; I was in a shock. A pleasant shock, as it was very different from the image that comes to mind when we imagine Rajasthan; ‘It’s quite clean & green.’ The antique wooden and ivory carved door & cabinet shops just outside the railway station hinted me of the cultural heritage of the city.
Since it was my virgin trip to
Udaipur, I wanted to pick the Taj Lake Palace as my home for the short stay;
but my pocket didn’t allow that. We took shelter in a hotel arranged by our
host near her home. After taking some rest and participating in some wedding
rituals at our host’s place we moved out to wander around the streets of Udaipur,
just for a leisure walk while exploring the city. And we heard that Lake Pichola
and Foreigners
market are best for that.
The best way to commute in
Udaipur is TukTuk, which took us to city palace gates from where we started our
stroll in the Udaipur’s narrow lanes. The main market street was like any other
tourist spot market but as you drift away towards the inner lanes, you will
smell the real fragrance of Udaipur. I am sure you will enjoy those tiled
narrow lanes with European style small shops of Leather bags, Handmade paper
diaries and the hand-painted T-shirts. Walking in streets you will never know
which blind-turn will surprise you with the magnificent view of Lake Pichola. The craziness of the main
market, the elegance of the slender lane shops and the calmness of the Lake,
all co-exists there and believe me you can spend a whole day soaking all that
within you without any hint of exhaustion.
Meanwhile while visiting Jagdish
temple on the market street itself, I noticed few strange things - Sadhus
are more interested in getting clicked than the Puja; couldn’t found any
history note anywhere in the compound & when I tried asking someone they
were not bothered to reply or maybe they didn’t know either; the strangest
thing was – Kamasutra images all around the sculptured building. I believed
these belonged only to Khajuraho temples but I was dumb-stuck wrong. The high
point of the day was the evening Puppet show at Bagore ki Haveli.
Don’t miss it at any cost, I bet you will be hypnotized by the sheer talent of
the artists.
Next day we were to attend the
wedding function in the afternoon, so we utilized first half of the day to visit
Sajangarh-fort
/ Monsoon Palace located bit away
from the city rush on a hill top. The all-around view from the fort was
mesmerizing; but alas, I must have visited this place during Monsoon as the sun-rays
were so sharp that we squint more than the vision and missed soaking-in the
beauty of the place.
Many hours of day three in
Udaipur, were dedicated to the City Palace. Big Museum for commoners, crystal
Museum, Vintage cars gallery, Boat rides, Restaurants, souvenir shops
everything in the premises. Walking through one of the largest palaces in the
country, I couldn’t help but reflect on the business acumen of its owner Arvind
Singh Mewar. He was really earning a-lot from every inch of the place. That
privately owned and operated palace was so beautifully and cleanly displayed
that for sure every visitor will be overwhelmed including my kind of sceptics.
Day four was our last day in
Udaipur and we wanted to keep it relaxed and leisurely. Karani Mata temple
was our first point, I opted this place as I was told by someone that at this
place a temple and a mosque cohabit under the single roof. But the realty was
somewhat different; you can check it once you visit the place. But yes, the
rope-way ride and the view from the temple top were really beautiful. Next, our
TukTuk took us to Shilp-Gram (a must visit place for the tourists, especially
during the festival season – December end) that gave us the insight to the old
forgotten culture and tradition of India. Interacting with the local handicraft
vendors and potters was really an awesome experience and yes you must not miss
the local food served there.
To conclude I can say that the
very air of Udaipur was free from the element of exhaustion that is always
evident in NCR, but it was filled with the weight of the centuries, the baggage
of rich history. The essence of any place lies in the fabric of its local
people and honestly, the local public was so warm and welcoming for the
tourists that you won’t feel homesick. But you will definitely find yourself
dim while arriving at station for your return train.
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