Udaipur Unplugged!

The hustle and bustle of narrow lanes can get overwhelming, but soon you find solace just a walk away at Gangaur Ghat. One moment you are relishing the humble lip-smacking Kadhi Kachori outside Jagdish Mandir, the next minute you are walking through the epitome of royalty at the City Palace. The bashful faces all celebrate their reverence to this gorgeous lake city. That's how contrasting Udaipur is, a city that has something for every kind of traveller, particularly for intrepid travelbandars like you and me!

First five breaths in this city will change your perception: Udaipur’s splendor is in its arid Thar as much as it’s in the beautiful lakes reflecting the Indian sun; it’s not only about magnificent palaces, it’s a backpackers’ haven! And that’s what I did as soon as I reached Udaipur, checked into Zostel. I planned my roadtrip to reach Udaipur early evening and take the rest of the day off (solo travellers too need a break). The staff recommended the roof-top terrace for an early dinner at Zostel. I sat there strangely torn between my captivity by this mind-blowing sunset and a sense of longing for my baby daughter.

src: https://www.zostel.com/zostel/udaipur/

src: https://www.zostel.com/zostel/udaipur/

Opulence, Folklore and Dolce Far Niente!

The next morning I did what I always do in a new city: hit the markets. Be it any time of the day, Jagdish Mandir Chowk is the busiest place in Udaipur. It’s buzzing with locals thronging the temple’s steps, colorful shops of handicrafts, striking lacquer bangles & radiant puppets. For the foodies there are restaurants offering samosas, pakwans (deep fried, crispy Indian bread) & goti soda (fresh lime soda in an interesting bottle). But my hungry eyes were searching for something very specific: Kadhi Kachori (deep-fried puffed Indian bread stuffed with split green gram served in thick Indian gravy). My first experience was in Ajmer and since was fanboying it. After a quick recce, I found a restaurant serving it and walked right in to order 2! One bite of the Kachori and you feel the burst of flavours: the dal & garam masala instantly hit your senses and make you fall in love with strong Indian spices with every munch. Top that with the hot and tangy Kadhi and you will be licking the gravy off the plate and fingers. One needs a lion’s appetite and a steel-lined stomach to enjoy this because you will never be satisfied with one helping and the spices can stir a storm in your tummy. Thankfully, my Indian DNA has equipped me with both.

Kadhi Kachori

After a heavy breakfast, I headed towards the City Palace. Just as you enter the grand gate, you can visualize the flamboyant life enjoyed by the Sisodia Rajputs. Every stone of the palace spells opulence with a capital ‘O’. The current structure is an extension of the original structure built by Maharana Udai Singh II. It’s occupied with smaller structures within the palace built in quadrangles & connected via zigzag corridors for an ambush. Be ready for a long walk, the palace is huge & BEAUtiful.

City Palace Quadrangle

City Palace Interiors

My date with the City Palace ended around noon time, not a good time to roam the open streets. In search of shade & thrill, I chose to relax in a boat ride at the azure Lake Pichola. The scenic locales had the photographer in me kicking. I kept clicking different structures, playing with the water and light it reflected. Amateur photographers beware of exposure levels. The facade on the lake side is dominated with white with the strong sun & water, all reflecting light. But if you get your shutter & aperture right, you can literally strike gold (pun intended). Consider this as a test for your quest of photographic excellence!

Boat Ride on Lake Pichola

Ambrai Ghat Facade

Ganguar Ghat Facade

After my bipolar boat ride of lazy relaxation & active photography, I reached Jag Mandir. Akin to the City Palace, it’s an architectural marvel with an interesting history. Shah Jahan along with his family sought refuge at Jag Mandir during his campaign against dad Emperor Jahangir. As an act of benevolence by the Mewar king Maharana Karan Singh towards the Mughal prince Khurram (who later became the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan), Gul Mahal (the first structure of the Jag Mandir), a domed pavilion, was specially built for the prince. The palace had such an impact on Shah Jahan that it later became an inspiration for one of the most magnificent wonders of the world, The Taj Mahal.

An island palace in the middle of the lake! Imagine the indulgence the Mewar kings enjoyed. And here we are: where buying a 2 BHK in an overcrowded city is the ultimate luxury of life! As 50 cent says, get rich or die tryin! The only luxury I can afford is to build and live in a tent in the middle of nowhere: my kid would love it though! Like other Indian palaces, the Jag Mandir too has been partly converted into a 5*hotel. I suggest a visit in the evening, get a seat by edge of the lake, read or maybe just enjoy the sunset: just to live a royal evening!

Gul Mahal, Jag Mandir

The Perfect Sunset Seat

Dance & folklore were on my cards. I headed to Bagore Ki Haveli, where the Dharohar Dance Group organizes and performs various Rajashtani folk dances everyday between 7–8 pm. DO NOT be late, in fact reach early for its worth the wait. The enchanting tunes of the Ravanahatha and the swaying beauty of the folk women weave a story that will captivate you. If you let it, the dances and the ambience will make you feel that you belong here in the humble arms of Udaipur!

Ghoomar Dance

Terha Tali Dance

Ghoomar Dance

After an overwhelming hour of vibrant dances, it was time to take it easy, or as the Italians call it Dolce Far Niente, literally translates to ‘sweetness of doing nothing’. And for this, I headed to Jheel Ginger Coffee Bar & Café. Situated right on the banks of Lake Pichola, this café offers an astounding view. You can literally dip your feet in the lake and be consumed with the amazing view. I just sat there staring at the water & the glittering reflections of Udaipur. And just randomly staring into oblivion I realized that the best part about solo travelling is not having a fixed plan, where you can just sit at a place and do nothing for as much time as you want. The true life of Dolce Far Niente!

Night View at Jheel Cafe

View From Jheel Cafe

Sunrise to die for, Unusual Art and Octopussy

I found myself walking in the chilly dawn towards Ambrai Ghat also known as Manjhi Ghat, the locals call the best sunrise points in Udaipur. I knew I had to come here for the “capture” of the visit. I was ready with my camera & I started clicking away just when the sun popped. Unluckily I was unsatisfied with the pictures because I’ve seen better or maybe I didn’t capture them well (my ego would like to believe the former). Also, there was no drama unlike my Cambodian Sunrise. Disheartened and on my way back, outside the small bylanes along the lake is where I witnessed the most stunning visual of the Udaipur sun just risen above the Gangaur Ghat façade. All I wanted to do was just click one picture and sit there absorbing it. And guess where did the karmic sunrise lead me to? The Jheel Café! The Dolce Far Niente feeling oozed back & I just sat there, like the previous night. Nothing except the feeling of hunger could have moved me from there, which eventually did.

Golden Sunrise

The next two places I visited were the reason for my Udaipur visit. I am grateful to Deepak Vyas who arranged my experience with Jal Sanjhi & Miniature Paintings. Jal Sanjhi, the art of painting on water, is a famous, unusual and almost extinct art form. Legend has it that when Radha wanted to send an amorous message to Lord Krishna, she hierographically arranged flowers on the Yamuna river that only Lord Krishna could decode. The flower painting floated across the river and delivered to the Lord. Devotees of Lord Krishna evolved this into an art form and created stunning paintings made of coloured powder floating on water. Rajesh Vaishnav is probably the only artist who still creates beautiful portraits of Lord Krishna on water & I wasn’t going to miss a chance of meeting him. Rajesh started beautifully and meticulously filling coloured powder over water in a mud container, sometimes using hand-made stencils (an art in itself), to paint a beautiful picture in 20 minutes!

Jal Sanjhi

Artistically awestruck, next in line were the miniature paintings. At an antique shop tucked in new Udaipur were these gifted artists calmly painting landscapes, palaces and markets depicting the history and riches of the Mewar Kingdom. Originally painted on palm leaves, miniature paintings are now done on paper or wooden carvings. The word miniature describes not the size but the pattern of intricate detailing by these fine artists.

Miniature Painting

After devouring some Greek food at the Udai Art Café, I noticed the vibe at Jagdish Chowk was different rather religious. All of Udaipur was on the streets celebrating the Gangaur Festival, a colourful and one of the most important festivals in Rajasthan observed throughout the state with great fervour and devotion. Marked during March–April, Gangaur festival is the celebration of spring, harvest and marital fidelity and the festival is observed by womenfolk who worship Gauri the wife of Lord Shiva. Gana is a synonym for Lord Shiva and Gaur stands for Gauri or Parvati who symbolizes saubhagya (marital bliss). Unmarried women worship Her for a good husband and married women for the welfare, health and long life of their husbands as well as a happy married life. And colourful it indeed was with women dressed in multihued lehariya attires and men with vibrant turbans! Beautiful street performances were followed by the procession that went from Jagdish chowk to Ganguar ghat. The lane was a sea of people swaying in an organized fashion (unlike India). After clicking some performances, I headed to the entrance of Gangaur Ghat, and somehow convinced the gatekeeper (it wasn’t a bribe, just charm au Travelbandar) to allow me to the top of the Arc. And boy! That was an adventure in itself!

Gangaur Celebrations - Street Performances

Gangaur Celebrations - Procession

Gangaur Celebrations - Birds Eye View

True to the cardinal rules of solo travelling, my next POA wasn’t imagined. I had just finished my first round of beer and the huge LCD screen started playing a monochrome video with Rita Coolidge singing ‘All Time High’- the background score. I had decided to watch one of the 40 shows of Octopussy. This is a great did-you-know fact about Udaipur: Octopussy has been playing for over 4 decades now in most of the cafes here. Why only Octopussy? Because it’s the only Bond flick that had been shot extensively in India, in Udaipur. Restauranteurs proudly display ‘A Free Screening of Octopussy’ signboard and it works well for tourism & the hotel business!

And thus ended my colorful rendezvous with the Venice of India: the grandeur of the palaces, the sparkling lake & the omnipresent art had cast a Rajputana spell on me. I know I will return to Udaipur time and again if not in person, definitely through my pictures and this video: