A journey to the Land of Kings -PART 6: City Palace, Udaipur

         After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel, fully rejuvenated. On the way, the distant view of a ropeway was brought to our attention by our driver. We were assured a ropeway ride in Pushkar. My throat was hurting, with slight fever and I was on medicines and lozenges. We reached our first stop for the day- The City Palace, Udaipur.

City Palace, Udaipur

            Udaipur is known as the White city or City of Lakes, known for its magnificent architecture and well maintained natural and artificial lakes. The City Palace was constructed over a period of 400 years, starting from 1553, by the Mewar ruler, Maharana Udai Singh II. The long duration and hard work spend for the creation of this enormous Raj Mahal, is visible from each  nook and corner, each and every artworks. The palace is located along the banks of Pichola lake. The palace complex were built from marble and granite and had a somewhat homogenous design. While getting tickets we could overhear our fellow tourists, and we could hear some groups speaking in Malayalam, our mother-tongue. But since both of us were introverts, we did not initiate any conversation with them.. 

Lake Palace in Pichola Lake

            On the way to the palace complex we walked along the banks of the serene Pichola lake, and observed the majestic Lake palace located in the lake. Initially it was constructed as a summer palace for the Royal family, now it is maintained as a hotel. We could have done boating in the lake, but both of us were not interested in that. We took some photos with Lake palace in background and slowly walked upwards. 

            The city palace can bedazzle a person with its incredible architecture as well as with its sheer size. The palace complex expands over 4 acres. There is even a school located inside. There were some restricted areas also. But despite that we roamed around through minor and major palaces, admired the paintings, photographs, ornate balconies, and the detailed designs. 

                We had initially passed through the Toran pol, where the ceremonial Toran would be hanging for the royal weddings. A gallery which displayed the pivotal events in the Mewar Royal family, was intriguing to watch. Most of them were related to Maharana Pratap. The painting which depicts the removal of Prince Jagmal from the throne of Mewar for the installation of Maharana Pratap as the rightful ruler, many paintings about the 1576 battle of Haldighati against Mughal emperor Akbar, were some of them. Even some sand from Haldighati, was also kept in a bowl, labelled as "The Holy soil of Haldighati". 

Painting depicting the Battle of Haldighati

Ceiling art of Gandharvas and Apsaras

            There was a small shrine to Shri Ram on the way. One interesting feature is that, the Mewar rulers consider themselves as the direct descendants of Shri Ram (through his son Luv). We had also seen interesting ceiling arts, which followed the Mewar painting style- one depicting apsaras and gandharvas, creating a feeling of heavenly canopy above. 

            We had reached the Badi Mahal- which was actually a Garden Palace, next. There was a central Garden and surrounding marble corridors and side rooms. Another interesting feature was the single marble piece- rainwater collection basin observed inside some rooms. The water collected inside will be directed to underground storage areas, which was very practical, as Udaipur is a semi-arid region. This reflects the ingenious engineering ideas of the Mewar rulers. We rested for sometime in the central garden of the Badi Mahal area. We enjoyed the cool breeze while observing a variety of fellow tourists roaming there. Surrounded  by trees and resting in a marble bench was a refreshing feeling. This wide courtyard and garden was often used for Holi celebrations. The corridors lined with marble pillars and carvings was really showing off the richness of Mewar culture. The panoramic view of the city from the upper rooms were breathtaking. The windows adorned with colored glass brought a new palette of colors inside the predominantly white background inside. 

Outside view through jhali

            In Bhim Vilas- royal chamber with miniature paintings, the wall and ceiling was covered in drawings. Most wall paintings were based on stories of Krishna and Radha, the ceilings were having more of vines and flowers designs. The amount of creativity, talent and tenacity poured onto these by the artists were truly incredible.

            Another amazing spot was the Badi Chitrashali Chowk or Chini Chithrashala area. Embellished with blue and white Chinese ceramic tiles and Dutch mosaic tiles, the columns and walls stood majestically against a checkerboard floor. These show the century old trade relationships India has with foreign nations. Rajput style ornamental pavilions, jharokhas and multicolored tinted glass panes, bring a vibrant yet regal look to this spot. The ventilation and comforting breeze, thanks to the talented construction, took away some of our fatigue. The overview of the city from the balconies were never boring. This beautiful and elegant chowk was usually the venue for many dance performances. 

Badi Chitrashali Chowk

Ivory doors

            The Moti Mahal was a unique part of the palace complex with the iconic ivory doors, the walls finished with turquoise blue plaster relief. The ivory doors which underwent wear and tear over time is currently restored and preserved with great care. Elephants were also an important part of Rajasthan like camels, and ivory was a precious treasure. The archways and parts of wall were decorated with many small concave mirrors, in various patterns, known as the Thikri art. Striking multicolored glass panes, leading to the formation of vibrant pools of light was really a feast for the eyes. 

            Sheesh Mahal with the Glass tower (Kaanch ki burj) was another attraction in the palace. The mirror palace with Thikri art and multi tinted glasses was mainly created for the illusion of night sky inside the palace. The Glass tower was a heavily insulated room with mirror works with the purpose of being used as a winter palace. 

Throne room in Sheesh Mahal

View from Zenana Mahal

            Another part we explored was the Zenana Mahal- the quarters for the Royal women. This palace had marble pillars with  floral carvings inside along the walls, and big Rajput jharokhas (projecting palace windows), with heavy wooden doors and railings, with scalloped arch framing the windows. The light pastels, colored window panes, jhoolas(swings), floral designs were in contrast to other parts of the palace. The decorative ceilings, glass inlay mirror works and ornate designs point towards the luxurious yet captive life lead by the Royal women.

            One of the iconic historic piece on display was the Surya Chopad (The Sun Face Emblem), made with gilded gold/ brass, and the crown on the sun was embedded with emeralds and rubies. The Mewar dynasty declares themselves as Suryavansh, and that is being depicted with this strong representation. 

            The crown courtyard of City Palace, the absolute zenith of the mirror work was the Mor Chowk or the Peacock courtyard. This chowk has a three tiered facade and a checkered floor. The presence of three dimensional glass mosaics of three peacocks representing three seasons, is the central attraction. The sharp meticulous works of the artisans to create the vibrant shining peacocks really brings awe to the viewers. Graceful mirror inlay work to create mosaics of royal figures adds up to the uniqueness of this courtyard. 

Mor Chowk

            The Manek Mahal or Ruby palace with the intricate mirror inlay work and kaleidoscopic lighting, truly lived up to its name. This palace was a venue for formal private audiences. 

Chetak

            As the last part of the palace tour, we visited the Salehkhana - weapons' gallery and armory, which displayed the variety of sabres (talwars), daggers (katars), early firearms(muskets, matchlock). Also there were display of various personal protective armor, such as zarihs( steel chain shirts), iron helmets etc. The weapons and armory which were part of the Haldighati battle were an important part of this display. Decorative metal art- Koftgari was an unique feature of the Mewar weapons. The display of Chetak- the legendary horse of Maharana Pratap, in his battle outfit was intriguing to watch, The horse was fitted with a elephant mask to confuse the elephant army of the Mughals. The level of strategic planning is something else...

            Actually we has visited Amar Vilas also. But I don't exactly remember the pictures or specific memories. We spent nearly 3 hours to see the entire palace and finally with our minds full of the vibrant images of the Royal palace, we bid farewell to City Palace.  

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