THE DIARY OF A TOURIST
(By Subbaram Danda)
 |
| A traditionally caparisoned white Mewar steed |
Udaipur offers to tourists a colourful mosaic of
attractions, besides an exhilarating boat ride on the placed waters of Lake
Pichola and a unique opportunity to stay in exquisite palaces-turned luxury
hotels. It provides a rare insight into
the lifestyles of the kings of the former princely state of Mewar, now a part
of the state of Rajasthan, and the cultural background of its people over the
centuries.
City Palace
One major attraction is the City Palace, an
enormous white edifice that stretches along the waterfront of the lake. It encompasses several mansions, courtyards,
pavilions, terraces, corridors and halls built over a period of more than three
hundred years by successive rulers of Mewar.
A significant portion of the palace has been
converted into a museum, which is what the tourists mostly see today. In the course of our Rajasthan tour in March
2015, my wife and I spent more than two hours going round it, accompanied by an
official guide.
At the entrance, a huge masonry arch with three
large portals greets visitors to the City Palace. Once through it, we entered the museum. Inside, on a wall we found a large mural of
an elephant charging in a battle field.
Then on we had to wend our way through a labyrinth of pathways and
stairwells.
 |
| An arch with three portals |
 |
| Entrance to the City Palace Museum |
 |
| A mural of a charging elephant |
Some sights in the palace were fascinating. The Sheesh Mahal (The Mansion of Mirrors) had
reflectors, glass panes and glazed tiles all over its walls and the ceiling in
a colourful scheme. Similarly, a large
room used for royal dining displayed a comparable décor. On the wall of a hall a huge ornamental
artwork portraying Sun God glistened gorgeously.
 |
| Sheesh Mahal (The Hall of Mirrors) |
 |
| Royal dining hall |
 |
| An ornately crafted image of Sun God |
A narrow staircase had on both its side-walls
neatly-plastered glazed tiles with floral designs. Interestingly, it had vertical metallic grab
bars at intervals, in addition to regular ones.
At the Mor Chowk (The Peacock Square) we could see artworks on buildings
reflecting the peacock theme. From a
courtyard overlooking Lake Pichola, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the
“Floating Palace” – the Lake Palace on an island in the lake.
 |
| A staircase with vertical hand-grabs |
 |
| A building in the Peacock Square |
 |
| The "Floating Palace" as seen from the City Palace |
Among the museum’s collections were old weapons,
paintings, artifacts, sculptures, royal paraphernalia and models of animals
that served the rulers. Of interest
were a gold-plated howda (seat for a ride on an elephant), a palanquin, a
horse-drawn carriage, a model of a caparisoned white horse ready to participate
in an official procession and an all- silver cradle for royal children.
 |
| A gold-plated seat for use during elephant rides |
 |
| Another artistically crafted seat for royal rides |
 |
| A horse-drawn carriage used by the royalty |
 |
| An all-silver cradle for royal babies |
Chetak
The cynosure of all eyes was, undoubtedly, the life-size model of Rana Pratap Singh’s gallant white steed Chetak. Its exploits are legendary. We were told that the horse displayed its incredible valour and loyalty in a battle fought in 1576 against the forces of the Mughal emperor Akbar at Haldighati about 40 km from Udaipur. Wearing a long mask that resembled the trunk of an elephant, it carried its master Rana Pratap on its back and charged forward. The mask on a fast-moving horse was intended to confuse the enemy elephants.
 |
| CHETAK, the loyal white steed of Rana Pratap Singh. See the long mask of an elephant trunk attached to its mouth. |
When the Rana decided to take on elephant-riding
Man Singh, a Rajput vassal of Akbar and commander of the Mughal forces, Chetak
pounced on the elephant and pounded its head with its forelegs to immobilize it. The Rana threw his lance at Man Singh but he
ducked and avoided it. In turn he threw
a sword at Chetak and succeeded in badly injuring its right rear leg. As enemy forces tried to surround it, the
horse galloped out of the battle field on its three legs carrying Rana Prathap
and ran for more than five kilometres, saving its master. Finally on the banks of a stream it
collapsed. At this spot stands a
memorial erected by the grateful Maharana for his truly loyal horse.
No tourist can afford to miss the City
Palace.
The Jagdish
Temple
A prominent place of worship in Udaipur is
Jagdish temple, an architectural splendour dedicated to Lord Jagannath, an
avatar of Lord Mahavishnu of the Hindu pantheon of Gods. The presiding deity is the same as in the
famous Jagannath temple at Puri in the state of Orissa. We saw a large number of people, including
many foreigners, visiting the Udaipur shrine.
 |
| The exterior view of the Jagdish Temple |
The temple is located close to the main entrance
of the City Palace. Built in 1615 by
Maharana Jagat Singh I on a hillock, it can be reached by climbing a flight of
32 steep steps. The stairway is flanked
at the top by a pair of massive elephant statues with their trunks raised in a
greeting fashion. The temple rises majestically in tiers with its main tower soaring
high at the rear. All the external walls
and the plinth are replete with exquisite bas reliefs of elephants, horses,
alligators, musicians, dancers and celestial nymphs. They are well-preserved. Inside, ornate halls, carved pillars and
painted walls cast a mystic spell on the visitors.
 |
| The temple rises majestically in tiers |
 |
| Tastefully carved sculptures on the walls of the temple |
 |
| Another set of sculptures |
The sanctum enshrines a magnificent four armed
black marble statue of Lord Jagannath in the standing posture. There are also idols of Lord Krishna and
Goddess Mahalakshmi. During the times
of worship, sacred chants and chimes of bells emanating from there can be heard
all over the temple premises. Around the
main shrine there are four smaller ones dedicated to Lord Ganesh, the Sun God,
Goddess Shakti and Lord Shiva.
The Jagdish temple is undoubtedly a grand icon on the skyline of Udaipur.
Eklingji
It is an ancient temple complex located 22
kilometres north of Udaipur. Within its
high walls there are 108 shrines. The
main temple, dating back to the 15th century, was rebuilt on the
ruins of an earlier one. It is
dedicated to Eklingji, a form of Lord Shiva, believed to be the presiding deity
of the Mewar rulers.
 |
| The high outer wall of the Eklingji temple |
In the sanctum the image of Lord Shiva appears as
a linga with four faces. It is made of black marble. The temple features an enormous
double-storyed elaborately pillared hall under a vast pyramidal roof. Facing the main sanctum is a life size idol
of Nandi, the bull mount of the Lord.
Nathdwara
It is a 17th century temple dedicated
to Lord Krishna, known locally as Lord Shrinath, located about 50 kilometres
from Udaipur. We were told that it is one of the richest shrines of India and
attracts millions of devotees from all parts of the country every year. The magnificent black marble image of the
lord enshrined in the sanctum is believed to be over 600 years old and was
brought here from Govardhan Hill near Mathura in 1669 in a bid to protect it
from the fanatic hands of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. According to a legend, the
place where the temple came up was the site where the chariot carrying the idol
got stuck and this incident was interpreted as the divine direction not to move
it anywhere else.
From the point where our car was parked, we had
to walk a long distance through narrow lanes flanked by small shops before
reaching the main temple. People
thronged it and we had to wade our way inside for darshan. The security was tight and foreigners were
not permitted inside. Photography was
prohibited.
Sahelion ki
Bari
Sahelion ki Bari (The Garden of the Maidens) is
another tourist attraction to the north of Udaipur. The garden was designed and raised by
Maharana Sangram Singh in the 18th century. It was presented to his queen to be used by
the 48 young companions she had brought with her as dowry. It was a place of pleasure and relaxation for
the royal maidens. Vast lawns, flower
beds, ornamental trees, pools, ponds, fountains, paved walkways and huge portals
enrich the beauty of the garden. Raised
on the banks of the Fatesh Sagar Lake, its fountains function through
water-pressure coming from it and no pumps are used.
 |
| A doorway at the Garden of the Maidens |
 |
| The neatly-tended lawns, bushes and trees |
 |
| Another view of the garden |
“Udaipur is a jewel among the cities of
Rajasthan” -- this is how our tourist guide described it and we have no reason
to dispute his claim. (Ends)
June 13, 2015
