After the new year we continued our holiday break in Udapiur, a beautiful city in the southern part of Rajasthan that was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh.
Udaipur, known as the City of Lakes, is a very regal city with magnificent palaces and three man-made lakes. The largest of the lakes, Lake Fateh Sagar Lake, was built in the 18th century by the King to enhance the city's natural beauty. Soon after Udaipur became the destination for royal summer palaces.
The city's setting is very romantic; it's set amidst the Aravalli Mountains and is surrounded by picturesque lakes-- and is appropriately called the "Venice of the East".
Our first visit was to the City Palace, the largest palace in Rajasthan. The palace was built on the top of a hill on the lake, giving it a panoramic view of the city as well as surrounding palaces and temples. The palace was built in a flamboyant style in that its architecture is a real fusion of both Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The current King of Udaipur inhabits half of the palace, while the other half is a museum. The Palace was featured in the James Bond film Octopussy.
View of City Palace from the water.
and from the road.
In the picture below one can see the mix in architectural styles of City Palace. The dome is very indicative of Mughul architecture while the arched windows reflect Rajasthani architecture.
Along the lake we saw some very picturesque ghats, with their distinctive steps, still being used by the locals.
The lake side is lined with the havelis (summer mansions) of the nobles, the most prominent being the Bagore ki Haveli.
Shailen sitting with Jagmandir Island Palace in the background.
We stopped inside the palace for a quick bite and then wandered the lush grounds.
It was so pretty that we lingered for as long as possible.
Akash waiting for the boat...
...that was coming in the distance.
There were so many great photo opportunities on our boat ride!
We didn't want to leave this idyllic wonderland but our next destination was calling. Next we went to the Garden of the Maidens (Sahelion Ki Bari). On the way I had to capture this camel nonchalantly walking down a street as motorcycles buzz by.
The Garden of the Maidens is one of the most beautiful gardens in Udaipur, famous for its lush green lawns, marble statues and fountains. It was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh for the royal ladies. The entrance was especially pretty.
By this time the kids were pooped so we ended our day and went back to our hotel to relax and dine on typical Rajasthani cuisine.
The next day we woke up bright and early to drive to Nagda, a small town about 20 kms northwest of Udaipur, to visit the Sas-Bahu temple (means mother-in-law, daughter-in-law temple). The temple was built in 1092 by King Mahipala who supposedly built the temple for his mother who worshipped Lord Vishnu. When he got married his wife became a devotee of Lord Shiva. He built another temple on the same grounds for her. Another version of the story is that the King's mother and wife did not get along so separate temples were built for them. I think I believe the second version.
The kids posing in front of the main entrance to the temple.
This is a shot taken from below. The larger sus (mother-in-law) temple is straight ahead while the smaller bahu (daugther-in-law) temple is to the right.
Akash and Priya in front of the Sas temple. It is believed that the statue of Lord Vishnu was swung from the archway of the Sas temple while hymns were sung in praise of the lord on ceremonial occasions.
The delicate carvings outside the entrance illustrate stories from the "Ramayana" (Indian epic).
Below is a better view of the Bahu temple. The temple has an octagonal ceiling, which is adorned with beautifully carved intricate female figures.
Always ready with my camera, I fired away.
Afterwards we went for lunch on another of Udaipur's beautiful lakes.
It was such a beautiful day and the scenery was perfect so I made the kids pose once again. They were not happy but they obliged.
Shikshantarl is for kids that drop out of school because they don't relate to its rigid structure. It is an integrated school where kids find their passions by exploring all sorts of disciplines. Kids are exposed to sewing, cooking, gardening, music and a host of other activities.
Both Akash and Shailen loved sewing on the old fashioned sewing machine.
Akash made this ipad mini cover!
Priya loved the organic gardening...
...and then making lunch after picking the vegetables.
Priya and Shailen enjoyed making a necklace out of coconut skin.
Here Shailen is riding a bike to motor a washing machine.
Before we left Chennai we met some relatives. Here the kids are pictured with their great great aunt -- their great grandfather's younger sister.
Here pictured with their great aunt and uncle.
I was so happy for the kids to meet their extended family in Chennai. It was the perfect way to end our vacation! Later that evening we hopped on our flight back to Delhi...and back to school the next day.
Udaipur, known as the City of Lakes, is a very regal city with magnificent palaces and three man-made lakes. The largest of the lakes, Lake Fateh Sagar Lake, was built in the 18th century by the King to enhance the city's natural beauty. Soon after Udaipur became the destination for royal summer palaces.
The city's setting is very romantic; it's set amidst the Aravalli Mountains and is surrounded by picturesque lakes-- and is appropriately called the "Venice of the East".
Our first visit was to the City Palace, the largest palace in Rajasthan. The palace was built on the top of a hill on the lake, giving it a panoramic view of the city as well as surrounding palaces and temples. The palace was built in a flamboyant style in that its architecture is a real fusion of both Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The current King of Udaipur inhabits half of the palace, while the other half is a museum. The Palace was featured in the James Bond film Octopussy.
View of City Palace from the water.
and from the road.
In the picture below one can see the mix in architectural styles of City Palace. The dome is very indicative of Mughul architecture while the arched windows reflect Rajasthani architecture.
This is an exterior view of the corner of the palace. The intricate architectural detail is quite amazing.
Upon entering the palace museum you are greeted by Lord Ganesh - the remover of obstacles. The ornamental tiles surrounding Lord Ganesh were brought in from Italy and hand painted.
The museum displayed all sorts of historical relics. I love this photograph as it shows what royalty pursued as sport. The elephants played a sort of "tug of war" with their elephant tusks as spectators cheered them on.
As we walked through the palace museum we were treated to some rooms that have been left intact for hundreds of years. This luxurious room, called the Moti Mahal, is finely decorated with mirror tiles and paintings to keep the King warm in the winter (lit candles reflected in the mirror causing heat).
The King and his staff sat in this room to discuss important matters.
This is the royal swing.
The courtyard where dancers would perform for the King and Queen.
After our visit to the City Palace we went on a boat ride on Lake Pichola. The picturesque boat ride gave us a whole new perspective of the city. We not only were treated to the best scenic views of the lake and the mountains in the city, but also some important historical monuments which dotted the lakeside. One such monument is Monsoon Palace, which is perched on the top of the hills behind City Palace in the picture below. The palace was built by Maharan Sajan Singh in the late 19th century to enjoy the beautiful monsoon season in Udaipur.
The kids loved the boat ride!
Along the lake we saw some very picturesque ghats, with their distinctive steps, still being used by the locals.
The lake side is lined with the havelis (summer mansions) of the nobles, the most prominent being the Bagore ki Haveli.
The most resplendent sights on the boat ride were the island palaces. The 17th century Jagmandir Island Palace is one of the oldest and most grandiose. The elephants below welcomed us as we disembarked our boat.
Shailen sitting with Jagmandir Island Palace in the background.
We stopped inside the palace for a quick bite and then wandered the lush grounds.
It was so pretty that we lingered for as long as possible.
Akash waiting for the boat...
...that was coming in the distance.
Another beautiful palace on Lake Pichola is the island palace of Jag Niwas, now the Lake Palace Hotel. It was built in the 18th century by Rana Jagat Singh II who constructed the palace after his father told him that if he wanted to live in an island palace like Jagmandir Island Palace, he should build his own.
There were so many great photo opportunities on our boat ride!
We didn't want to leave this idyllic wonderland but our next destination was calling. Next we went to the Garden of the Maidens (Sahelion Ki Bari). On the way I had to capture this camel nonchalantly walking down a street as motorcycles buzz by.
The Garden of the Maidens is one of the most beautiful gardens in Udaipur, famous for its lush green lawns, marble statues and fountains. It was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh for the royal ladies. The entrance was especially pretty.
By this time the kids were pooped so we ended our day and went back to our hotel to relax and dine on typical Rajasthani cuisine.
The next day we woke up bright and early to drive to Nagda, a small town about 20 kms northwest of Udaipur, to visit the Sas-Bahu temple (means mother-in-law, daughter-in-law temple). The temple was built in 1092 by King Mahipala who supposedly built the temple for his mother who worshipped Lord Vishnu. When he got married his wife became a devotee of Lord Shiva. He built another temple on the same grounds for her. Another version of the story is that the King's mother and wife did not get along so separate temples were built for them. I think I believe the second version.
The kids posing in front of the main entrance to the temple.
Our first glimpse at the ancient temples.
This is a shot taken from below. The larger sus (mother-in-law) temple is straight ahead while the smaller bahu (daugther-in-law) temple is to the right.
Akash and Priya in front of the Sas temple. It is believed that the statue of Lord Vishnu was swung from the archway of the Sas temple while hymns were sung in praise of the lord on ceremonial occasions.
The delicate carvings outside the entrance illustrate stories from the "Ramayana" (Indian epic).
The intricate carvings are mind blowing when looked at in detail. As can be seen below, the sculptures are made in two steps, one encircling the other. On the first step, the images of Lord Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu are carved and on the other there are images of Rama, Balarama and Parashurama.
Inside the temple.
Akash and Priya posing in front of the Sas temple.
The backdrop of the temples was one of the most scenic I've seen in all of India.
As we left the temple we were greeted by locals.
Afterwards we went for lunch on another of Udaipur's beautiful lakes.
After lunch we visited an old friend who runs a school called Shikshantar in Udaipur.
Shikshantarl is for kids that drop out of school because they don't relate to its rigid structure. It is an integrated school where kids find their passions by exploring all sorts of disciplines. Kids are exposed to sewing, cooking, gardening, music and a host of other activities.
Both Akash and Shailen loved sewing on the old fashioned sewing machine.
Akash made this ipad mini cover!
Priya loved the organic gardening...
...and then making lunch after picking the vegetables.
The kids had so much fun that afternoon that they seriously did not want to leave! There is a lot of merit to letting children explore their creativity by just providing tools and no structure. Very cool experience!
Later that evening we caught a flight to Chennai to catch the semi-finals of the Chennai Open.
Here pictured with their great aunt and uncle.
