ENCHANTING RAJASTHAN_2009_I

Udaipur, the White City of Rajasthan.Viewed from the hill of Sajjangarh.

My wife is from Rajasthan.Therefore, I have visited Rajasthan on many occasions during the 3 decades of married life. I have visited Udaipur and Chittorgarh , among other places, more than once. I have always been influenced deeply by the splendour of these places offered to the visitors.

A visitor of Rajasthan looks forward to views of historical monuments, lakes (of Udaipur) and hills ( Araballi) and desert. This trip added a new chapter to our previous experiences.During this trip, we discovered the beauty of the Ranakpur valley , lush green after monsoon. As our car travelled through winding roads of this valley , cutting through the green hills dotted with small hamlets and rolling meadows, we soaked in the tranquility of nature.

View of Lake Palace on Fateh Sagar Lake @ Udaipur, as viewed from top of Sajjangarh.

We visited quite a few places and monuments we have missed out so far. We visited Sajangarh @ Udaipur, offering wonderful view of the city and lakes below) , Eklingji's temple (30 km from Udaipur), Snaolima temple ( on the way to Chittorgarh), Ranakpur's temples and Bikaner's forts.There was one problem we faced throughout this tour - that of cloudy sky, often coming in the way of photography.Nevertheless , we clicked a lot of photographs of the places,events and monuments, some of which are quite interesting.

Jagadishji's Temple @ Udaipur. Built by Rana Jagat Singha(1st) in 1652.The temple's front was extensively damaged by Aurangzeb's army in 1736. Rana Sangram Singha(2nd) restored the temple to its glory in 1780.

A hermit stands unperturbed while a couple is engaged in sex on his right and two women dance on his left. Jagdishji's Temple @ Udaipur.

The entrance of 'Jayastambha' compound @ Chittorgarh, just before the sunset .

The ones I liked most - three faces of Shiva(Chittorgarh),oblique rays of the sun lighting up a plaque showing Palidana's temple, 'jhoroka's of Bikaner, private collection of paintings @ Bikaner ( some of you may have heard/read of 'RasikPriya' series.... presumably the better paintings are in the private displays in the confines of the palaces, still a clutch of interesting ones in display @ Lalgarh Museum), sleepy pregnant camels in the Camel Farm.

Three faces of Shiva.LH - solemn.RH - Rudra. Temple @ Chittorgarh.The details will show lots of emblems .

Monkeys abound the premises of 'Jayastambha' @ Chittorgarh. A view of a monkey sitting on the head of a Lion @ 30' height .

Temples of Rajasthan are opulent. The silver facades, gold ornaments, exquisite clothes make a visit to Rajasthan's temples an experience out-of-the-ordinary. It is a pity that for security reasons, photography is strictly prohibited in most of the temples. For memory, one has to depend on framed photographs sold outside these Temple complexes.As a positive fall-out of this practice, I found artists of Rajasthan create paintings of Srinathji some of which are work of art.The price, including framing, can be Rs 10,000/- or more.But, the display of artistry is awesome.

I shall end this introductory part of my 'visit report ' with a few photos from my repertoire.