Udaipur is the last stop in Rajasthan. (sorry I don't have my camera as the desk clerk is trying to chase a cow out of the enclosure around the front lawn. She likes the green grass and shows little sign of wanting to leave.) The kings here are part of the 26 generation Merwar dynasty and began the fort in the 1450's. The king was out hunting and found a nice valley with water. He met a holy man who said that if the maharana built his capital on the rock where the shrine was he would never be conquered. He did so and created 3 beautiful lakes by damming the rivers. It is now famous for the posh hotels that dot the lake. The Merwars were pretty successful at staying independent until 1947 when the maharana at that time led the other kings in giving his power to the state to form a democracy but keeping his lands and riches.
Before entering the palace we visited a Hindu temple created by one of the maharanas. It features a black marble shrine to Vishnu and had lots of old women singing along with a drummer. The guide said they come there as much for gossip as for praying. Sorry, no pictures inside.
The carvings were the best we had seen in any Hindu temples.
Holy men take cover in the shadow of a marble elephant
One for Yayo. This is the god of dogs. If you look closely the dog is standing on his hind legs and reaching up for a bag something the god holds in his left hand.
The palace is now divided in three parts. The right section is a luxury hotel, the center is where the present maharana and his family live and the left section is the museum. The picture is taken from our boat ride around the lake.
The entry gate is much more decorated than others have been, more ceremonial than defensive. You can barely see the two sun medallions in the upper corners, but like other kings, these claimed direct decent from the sun god.
Some odd things, an "English toilet" (i.e. more than a hole in the floor) from the 1800's and this scale that was used to weigh the monarch.
The Peacock room featured beautiful mosaic peacocks. The feathers were created by individual splinters of glass.
They weren't exactly good looking, but always were encrusted with lots of jewelry and medals.
One had decorated this dining room in disco style, all colored mirrors.
Since the palace was built on a large rock hill (as some others were) the view down to the city is spectacular. Directly below in the courtyard they used to have a version of elephant tug-of-war. The elephants on either side of the wall would hook trunks and the first to pull the other's feet into the wall won. I guess it was better than hunting tigers, leopards and bears, amusements that we also saw many fine paintings of.
Before entering the palace we visited a Hindu temple created by one of the maharanas. It features a black marble shrine to Vishnu and had lots of old women singing along with a drummer. The guide said they come there as much for gossip as for praying. Sorry, no pictures inside.
The carvings were the best we had seen in any Hindu temples.
Holy men take cover in the shadow of a marble elephant
One for Yayo. This is the god of dogs. If you look closely the dog is standing on his hind legs and reaching up for a bag something the god holds in his left hand.
The entry gate is much more decorated than others have been, more ceremonial than defensive. You can barely see the two sun medallions in the upper corners, but like other kings, these claimed direct decent from the sun god.
Some odd things, an "English toilet" (i.e. more than a hole in the floor) from the 1800's and this scale that was used to weigh the monarch.
The Peacock room featured beautiful mosaic peacocks. The feathers were created by individual splinters of glass.
They weren't exactly good looking, but always were encrusted with lots of jewelry and medals.
One had decorated this dining room in disco style, all colored mirrors.
Since the palace was built on a large rock hill (as some others were) the view down to the city is spectacular. Directly below in the courtyard they used to have a version of elephant tug-of-war. The elephants on either side of the wall would hook trunks and the first to pull the other's feet into the wall won. I guess it was better than hunting tigers, leopards and bears, amusements that we also saw many fine paintings of.
Finally, our hotel which had a carved marble facade rivaling some of the monuments. All the hotels here had good points but never got it all right. A beautiful swimming pool but no internet, beautiful view but no hot water, nice bed but only one pillow and no top sheet...all of which doesn't matter because it has been a fantastic vacation.
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