Day 100 - Day in the Lake City

We spent today exploring Udaipur, the Lake City. It is so named because it is situated around three man-made lakes. Until recently poor management and spotty monsoons had reduced the lakes to almost nothing. The most famous hotel, the Lake Palace, which used to be on an island was suddenly accessible by jeep or elephant, and cricket was played in the lakebed. 2005, however, brought proper rains, and within weeks the lakes were full again, and they remain so today.

Our first stop of the day was the Hindu temple built in the 15th century. Our guide explained in great detail the significance of the different carvings and rituals. For example, the tiers of carving on the towers show the levels of existence. On the bottom level are the demons, then animals, then humans, with the angels and gods occupying the highest level. Souls move freely between the levels according to how they live their lives on earth. Also striking were the erotic carvings all around the temple. Sex is considered a way to honour the gods. The relief carvings are illustrations of the kama sutra, dreamed up by a blind monk to educate the people.

From the temple, we moved on to City Palace, the largest fort-palace in Rajasthan, maybe all of India. The tour took us through sumptious rooms and lavish courtyards. Peacocks made of over 5,ooo,ooo pieces of coloured glass decorated the wllas of one courtyard. Some rooms sported large silk fans or elaborately carved screens. It was a very informative tour into the life of the Mahwari rulers, but unfortunately we took no photos. The camera fee was more than four times the entry ticket, and that money goes directly to line the king's pockets.

One wing of the palace is still occupied the by the current Mahawari. Nearby, another wing is a five-star hotel. In this wing, there is an impressive collection of Murano crystal. Almost as striking as the exibit itself are the views of the other palaces and landscape around the lake. These are enjoyed over the complimentary tea and cookies which are included with the museum admission.

From the crystal collection, we moved on to another of the king's collections. Back in the day, Mahrajas and Mahawari kept many wives and concubines. Today they keep many cars. We started with lunch at the car museum restaurant - very good, and super cheap - and then were shown the antique cars in the current Mahwari's collection. There were some beautiful machines, ranging from a 1924 rolls, all the way up to a 1971 Rambler. One of the Rolls (there were several) was even used in the James Bond movie Octopussy, as was the City Palace!

Udaipur is also known for its miniature paintings. We visited a workshop to watch the artists at work, and to learn about their technique. Of course the end of that tour ended with a sales pitch, and we bought far more art than we had been intending to. Oh well, Christmas is coming, or our hypothetical apartment will be very thoroughly decorated.

Our final stop of the day was the ladies' garden. Orginally only open to the king and his wives, it is now a public park with an assortment of pools and fountains. The fountains are all gravity fed from the lakes, an each is named for the sound that it makes. My favourite was the monsoon fountain, whose jets were directed into the branches of elephant-ear and other tropical plants. the water rattling around the leaves sounded just like the monsoon rains, and I can imagine how cooling that would be on a hot summer day.

We returned to our hotel by early evening, which was fine by me, as I was tired. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, planning flights for the final legs, and updating the blog. We are now totally current. Don't get used to it.