Udaipur is proof that the best travel moments are those unplanned. Before I went to India, I spent weeks researching the top places to visit on my three week adventure. All the usual suspects popped up, familiar tourist destinations and major cities that promise to deliver the sensory overload of culture that people have come to demand from India. But one little gem went unnoticed during my planning, and fortunately I heeded the words of locals during my stay and changed my plans. I decided to pay Udaipur a visit, and this detour ended up serving me my favourite Indian destination. Udaipur is a literal modern oasis, a city sustained by five lakes and tucked away deep in the Rajasthan desert in north-western India, nested in the bosom of the Aravalli mountain range. Tucked amongst these peaks lie ancient white-washed buildings and palatial monuments built on the scattered lakes, swan-like in serene beauty and grace. There is no denying that Udaipur is the most romantic region in India – it’s the wedding destination of choice in the country. I arrived right in the middle of the wedding season (Nov/Dec), and every single night the marital eulogy of music, fireworks and celebrations filled the air in a blanket of joy. One evening, at dusk, we witnessed an elaborately decorated elephant lead a wedding procession through the streets. Weddings are big business in India. Chatting to some local friends I had made, I was told about the numbers. A small wedding will see about 1 000 guests, a large one will host around 10 000 people. The celebrations last about five days and the family will not only have to feed all the guests but often times provide accommodation and cover transport costs. Families who welcome daughters into the world will often start saving for her wedding day from her birth in order to ensure that all the costs will be covered when she weds one day. The city is rumoured to be the land upon which the sun gods descended upon. The city was established in the 1500’s by Maharana Udai Singh, a successor of the Sisodias, a 1,500 year old Rajput clan who claimed to be the descendants of the Sun God. And it’s undeniable that this city has a special relationship with the sun. Possibly the most spectacular element of Udaipur are the sunsets, a visual love affair of orange hues hugging onto the last moments of the day whilst gently being whisked away by the lavender and purple hues of the night. As the last sliver of daylight quickly but gracefully dips behind the mountain peaks, the night unleashes the true romance of this city as various light sources cast dancing beams off the abundant still water enveloping the city. As in every region of India, Udaipur has an intricate regional culture expressed through theatre and dance. My favourite memory of the city was an evening spent watching the Dharohar folk dance. The show is a visual feast of colour, fabric and jaw-dropping grace. Veiled fire dancers moved in unison as gracefully as the flames they balanced upon canisters on their heads, rhythmically creating a mirage of colours and fabrics. The most memorable of these was an 80 year old local performer who dedicated her life to the art of movement. She performed a solo piece in the show, which involved stacking clay water pots on her head whilst dancing and walking across crushed glass. As the tower of clay pots got higher and higher, and the applause of the crowd got louder, the woman seemed to transcend into a space of pure joy. After her performance, during the standing ovation, the narrator announced that the performer would be retiring soon and was passing her craft down to the next generation of traditional dancers. The humble elation on this woman’s face as she witnessed crowds appreciating her life’s work will stay with me forever. As will Udaipur.
The city that kisses the sun, where ancient culture is weaved into the fabric of narrow alleys, where joy is business and architectural marvels hold sanctuary as floating masterpieces in the city of lakes.
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July 2017
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