Udaipur

Trip Start Nov 01, 2005

Trip End Apr 30, 2006

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Flag of India Udaipur, India
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Udaipur is a lakeside city surrounded by low mountains. Here I spent five hours cross legged in the shady courtyard of a haveli learning how to do Rajasthani minature painting. It requires a very fine brush and a steady hand, my clumsy efforts have given me an appreciation of the skill of the experts.

The following afternoon I went up to the Monsoon Palace, with views across the Aravelli range. A cool wind refreshes the echoing halls of the palace which was built for the former king to escape the opressive humidity of the monsoon. It was soon abandoned as they were unable to pump water sufficient water up the mountain.
It was a relief to be up here in the cool and see the extent of modern Udaipur which stretches in each direction away from the tourist core around the lake.

I have spent two days sketching in the hindu Jagdish Temple in Udaipur to the sound of women singing devotional songs and the chiming of the wind bells. I can sit on the cool marble floor and the morning worshippers come to say hello and see what I'm up to, but soon return to their busy lives.

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