Jodhpur to Udaipur journey could also be called a journey from Marwar to Mewar. Shortly after starting from Jodhpur, the entire topography changed. Desert was left behind somewhere. We were soon amongst greenery, cultivation, forests and beautiful hills. At one point when our google map decided to make us cut through some villages and agricultural fields instead of highway - it seemed we were in some hill station. This was quite remarkable as I never thought Rajasthan would have this kind of topography and greenery. This was also the first time during the trip when we found the roads to be not good as several times the highway was through the crowded villages and many a times we encountered narrow and broken roads.
When we started from Jodhpur, our intent was to go straight to Udaipur. On the way I saw a signboard showing a diversion for Kumbhalgarh. I asked Devicka if she wanted to visit Kumbhalgarh. She was quite indifferent but had no objection as long as I was driving the vehicle. I promised her that it would be a quick visit but the question one may ask is - having seen 3 major forts in last 4 days and several palaces, why did I want to visit another fort ?
Kumbhalgarh Fort
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The Kumbhalgarh fort is 3600 feet above sea level. It is on top of a hill.
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For those who haven't heard about Kumbhalgarh - it is no ordinary fort. It is built 3600 feet above sea level and has the perimeter wall of 36 kilometers ! This is second only to the Great wall of China in terms of length. In terms of fort complex - it comes just second to the famous Chittorgarh fort. Being so close to this wonder - there was no way I was missing out seeing it and touching it. It also happens to be the birth place of legendary Maharana Pratap. Inside the fort there are 360 temples and out of them 300 are Jain temples. There are famous gates like Ram Pol and Hanuman Pol and most prominent tank is Lakhola tank. We spent just 40 minutes at the fort. From Ram Pol you can see most of the buildings and that is how beautifully the architects have designed the fort.
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View from the Ram Pol
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There are plenty of temples inside the fort.
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While we were driving up the hill and going towards the fort, at one point the fort suddenly comes into your view. The view is breathtaking. I had to park the car on the side to appreciate how majestic the fort looked and how its wall kept going on and on till it disappeared into the horizon. That image will stay with me for a long time.
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Length of wall is second only to the great wall of China
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Udaipur and Lake Palace
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Lake Palace hotel glistens in bright sunshine.
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The Jharokhas. Perfect place to sit and listen to music.
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| Lake Palace at night |
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Inside the palace there are some beautifully landscaped areas.
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Someone had warned me that the charm of staying in Udaipur is to live around the Lake Pichola. I had booked club Mahindra but at the last minute decided to stay at a hotel which I had been seeing in the films since childhood. Lak Palace hotel is in the middle of Lake Pichola and the only way to go is by boat. There are many luxurious and world class hotels around the lake like Oberoi's Uday Vilas and Leela palace but my mind was set on Lake Palace which is run by the Taj group. Many Hindi films have been shot here and I think James Bond movie 'Octopussy' was also shot here.
The city of Udaipur was quite messy and to reach the lakeside the streets were narrow and very crowded. I wonder how those large tourist buses reach the hotels. Taj has a place where one could park the car and hand over the luggage. The view of sparkling white Lake palace in the middle of Lake Pichola is a lovely sight. The city palace had shut down by the time we moved out after lunch but it was nice walking in that huge complex as we walked towards the old town. It had a very rich and historic feel about it. The old town had interesting shops and at times it was difficult to imagine that the shop which seemed innocuous from outside would turn out to be so large and have such exquisite handicrafts and other stuff.
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| Welcome with chattri and this was followed by rose petals from the roof. |
Staying at Lake Palce was very refreshing. They gave us a great welcome and chef urged me to have local delicacies. I had earlier during the trip had the famed 'Laal Maas' but that had too much chillies. The chef here prepared the same dish for me having all other spices required for flavour but cut down the chillies. It was amazingly tasty. Then next morning for breakfast I devoured their Pyaaz kachoris and daal kachoris before leaving. These are special dishes of Rajasthan.
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| Famous Kachoris of Rajasthan |
Once we got back from the walk to the old town it had become dark and the Lake Palace looked very nice lit up. We went up to the roof and sat for a while as some classical music ( Baansuri) was being played there. It was very serene. Our room was lake facing and one could see the city palace from there. So, relax is all we did at Udaipur. This was good as we had been travelling quite a bit last few days and this was a good respite from all the hectic activity. The hotel was not very large but it was very charming. Taj had its own boats so one could go boating and enjoy the lovely November weather.
We left hotel the next morning after breakfast. Our next stop was to be Pushkar near Ajmer which was around 6-7 hours drive. Going directly home would have been too much driving for one day. As we got out of Udaipur there was a sign saying 'Chittograh - 98 km's.' Devicka looked at me as if to say ' Don't you dare..................' and we both started laughing. Chittorgarh and Mount Abu would have to wait for another trip. But we did stop on the way to buy some stuff from Arts & Crafts store.
To Pushkar and then back home
The famed Pushkar was extremely dull and dead as normally it is thronged by foreign tourists. In their absence, the place looked real moribund. Their famed cafes and restaurants were all shut and the shopkeepers seemed to be doing no business. Even the lake looked very lifeless. Normally at this time of the year - just before Diwali - Pushkar is supposed to be a very happening place. In normal circumstances, the really popular Pushkar Mela with all the camels and all would have been around the corner as it normally starts around Novemeber 17th. We took the round of the lake, visited the famous Brahma temple and drove back to our hotel. We were leaving for home the next morning and looked forward to tell all stories about the trip to our daughter who had decided not to come with us. It was also Diwali time so its always nice for family to be together at this time.
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