Dancing and Painting in Udaipur

I've been starting to feel like a hardened traveller, but this trip renewed my delight in travelling through India, and Rajasthan (Canadian-English speakers should pronounce with a silent "h") played a big part. It's impossible to summarize India, and Rajasthan on its own is an immense task to capture. Rajasthan demonstrates some of the extremes. It also seems that the more beautiful the sight, the more difficult to capture on camera.

I started in Udaipur, known for its palaces. It is a major tourist town, but surprisingly low-hassle. (Completely opposite to Jaipur, my next stop.) Two palaces were built in the middle of the raja-made lake, although I didn't visit either (one is a high-end hotel now, so no riff-raff allowed). The monsoon arrived the night before I did, so the first morning I walked across the lake bed, and the next evening it was underwater. I understand that the lake hasn't been full in three years, though.

The Udaipur City Palace had fresco painting, the famous miniature painting, mirrored tile mosaics, and European tile work. Apparently the prince walked across the parking lot just as I arrived, but I only saw his back. I was fascinated by the part of the palace built around a hill, so there is a tree-filled garden on the top floor. You can see it on the right side of the palace photo.

After the palace I shopped for miniature painting reproductions, made popular during the Mughal empire. I also stumbled upon a wedding band, with the required white horse and... apparently bagpipes.

In the evening I saw incredible performances of Rajasthani classical dance, which included women dancing with pots of fire balanced on their heads, puppet dances, and finished with the most experienced dancer dancing with up to five pots balanced on her head. Because of the rains, we sat inside, and apparently she dances with twelve pots when the ceiling doesn't limit her! Of course the best dancers are not the thin young girls, but the solid older aunties.

The next day I visited the Bagore ki Haveli, a mansion on the bank of the lake. Most interesting were the puppet gallery, and the rooms reconstructed in the 18th century style.

In the afternoon I took a miniature painting lesson, and used my previous art training to impress everyone. Then the rains came again, so I chatted with a hotel owner while watching the water cascade down the steps outside. A great dinner at Sunrise restaurant, then moving on!