Trip to Ahmedabad-Udaipur-Mt Abu-22nd Oct-27th Oct Day 3

Day 3

 

On the 3rd day, we had made a list the previous night to see the following places ie Monsoon Palace/ Sajjan Garh Palace, City Palace etc .In fact were just discussing that the guide who showed us around the previous night will not turn up seeing the bickering 7 ladies. Well we were half right as that guide did not turn up but another guide with a sweet smile greeted us and told us that he will take us around. We  were not keen but just checked how much he will charge for showing us around . And because he told us a nominal rate for a half day sightseeing we hired him. He first took us to Monsoon Palace. The Monsoon Palace, also known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is a hilltop palatial residence in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. In Fact our driver had to take us there. But he had his own nakhras and refused to take us insisting that his owner had told him very clearly not to take the vehicle in the steep area. We were totally pissed off and had to call my friend to sort out the matter as we were paying even for the vehicle. After 15-20 minutes when  we were not getting any solution we finally decided to book another vehicle to take us to the top .The charges were for the vehicle and per person entry to the palace. It is named Sajjangarh after Maharana Sajjan Singh of the Mewar Dynasty, who built it in 1884. The palace offers a beautiful view of the city's lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside . One can view the Aravalli’s mountain of the West region. It was built chiefly to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace. As per the guide the Maharaja had 5 queens who stayed in the palace. After seeing the palace and taking snaps, the guide took us to an Sajjan Art school. The miniature paintings were really good .The colours used are from natural stones which stays fresh for many years. After admiring the painting but buying none, we moved on.

 

The next we went was Shilpgram which is very similar to Delhi Haat, in Delhi. Situated 3 kms west of Udaipur near the Havala village is the Centre's Shilpgram - the Rural Arts and Crafts Complex. The Rural Arts and Crafts Complex showcases the lifestyles of the folk and tribal people of the West Zone. Within this complex, huts of the member states are constructed incorporating traditional architectural features of different geographical and ethnic groups residing within the West Zone of India comprising of five Federal States ie Maharashtra, Gujarat,  Rajasthan, Goa. Here   folk dances, puppet shows are conducted for the visitors who drop in. Was a lovely experience. Oh yes! One can try out the traditional outfits and get your snaps taken at a price. I just loved my photos taken in the traditional attire.

 

 

Post Shilpgram,we stopped for lunch  and all ordered for Thali . We decided to visit City Palace as we also had to go to the ropeway in the evening. City Palace, Udaipur, is a palace complex in Udaipur, in the Indian state Rajasthan. It is located on the east bank of the Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex. Udaipur was the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar .The City Palace in Udaipur is considered the largest of its type in Rajasthan, a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, and was built on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding, including several historic monuments such as the Lake Palace in Lake Pichola, the Jag Mandir on another island in the lake, the Jagdish Temple close to the palace, the Monsoon Palace on top of an overlooking hillock nearby and the Neemacha Mata temple. The tour took us 1 hour inside the palace . One can view all the cutlery, cars , coins etc.


 
 




It was already 5 pm .We took some light snacks and went to buy tickets for the ropeway. One needs to wait according to the crowd for their turn to take them to the top which is a5-10 minutes ride. One can really get a nice view from the top of the city palace and Udaipur and a beautiful sunset. The top has Karni Mata temple. We paid our homage and spent some time in the place. It was around 8 that we reached back to the hotel. After getting freshened up we went out again to have dinner and shop, shop and shop till we dropped. One can buy beautiful lehengas, sarees, bangles , jootees etc and we all  picked up stuff from the local market near Clock tower.

Trip to Ahmedabad-Udaipur-Mt Abu-22nd Oct-27th Oct

Day 2-23rd Oct

The next day got up refreshed after a tired night. But as we had a lot of places also to see decided to get ready fast , have breakfast and mve on to the next to see place on the list.The friver had suggested that we should see Kankaria before we move out of Ahmedabad as it might take a little time for us to go around the place. So by 9am we were out of the guesthouse   and today also we were seeing only Fafda being available were not in a mood to eat that.Sao we went in search of a nice South Indian restaurant. But we soon found out that Ahmedabad wakes up up at 10 am-11 am  as wherever we went in search of resturant it had still not opened so we decided to directly go to the lake and see if we could find anything to eat there.

Kankaria Lake is the biggest lake in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, India. A lakefront has been developed around it, which has many public attractions such as a zoo, toy train, kids city, balloon ride, water rides, water park, food stalls, and other entertainment facilities. The first thing we did when we entered the lakefront was to search for a restaurant , ordered some sandwich, dosa, etc and then explored around the Kankaria Lake. Definitely a nice place to visit in evenings  as even at 9 am the weather was a hot and humid. We were there for a hours, my friend trying out the train ride which  takes you arounf the lakefront and you can have a glimpse of the zoo, boating, garden ,entertainment park etc. It was 9 am when we left the place and post that , we told our driver to take us to Ekalingji temple  which comes on the way to Udaipur which was our next destination.

Eklingji Temple is one of the most famous temples of Rajasthan. Located in the town of Kailashpuri, the place got its popular name from the temple. Eklingji Temple is located at a distance of 22 km in the north of Udaipur, on the national highway no. 8. Eklingnath Temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva of the Hindu religion. According to history , the temple was built in 734 A.D. by Bappa Rawal. Since that time, Eklingji has been the ruling deity of Mewar rulers. We reached the temple at 9:30 am but the temple opens at 10 am so we had some half an hour to kill.We explored the area around.Just a couple of minutes away from the temple is a small pond and a small Shiva temple .We sat there for some 20 minutes and came back to the main temple. By that time there was already a huge line of people waiting to go inside the temple. Finally by 10:15 am , the temple opened but  no one is allowed to take mobiles or cameras inside so we had to deposit it at the entrance.

On entering the hall, there is a huge idol of Nandi outside the main entrance. The temple houses a  striking four-faced idol of Eklingji (Lord Shiva) that is made out of black marble. Its height ranges around 50 feet and its four faces depict four forms of Lord Shiva. The east-facing part is recognized as Surya, the west-facing part is Lord Brahma, the north-facing part is Lord Vishnu and the south-facing part is Rudra i.e. Lord Shiva himself. The zenith of the multifaceted idol is known as 'Yantra that stands for the ultimate reality. The Shivlinga (Phallic form of Lord Shiva) garlanded by a silver snake, acquires the major attraction of people. The temple also comprises of 108 small and big temples. Loved the sculptures in the temple. It was am by the time we came out.The next we visited was Nathdwara, abode of Srinathji, Krishna, as the temple opens at 11 am .But our vehice could not go as the road was blocked for big vehicles.One has to take an auto rickshaw and it is some 15 minutes ride.

Nathdwara is a town in Rajasthan state of western India. It is located 48 kilometres north-east of Udaipur.This town is famous for its temple of Krishna which houses the idol of Shrinathji, a 14th-century, 7-year-old "infant" incarnation of Krishna. Nathdwara means ‘Gateway to Shrinathji’.One sees a different version of Krishna, a black faced idol of the God. I mean the face of the idol is different in its own way. According to history, The idol of the Lord Krishna was being transferred to a safer place from Vrindaban to protect it from destruction of the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. When the idol reached the spot at village Sihad or Sinhad, the wheels of bullock cart in which the idol was being transported sank axle-deep in mud and could not be moved any farther. The accompanying priests realised that the particular place was the Lord's chosen spot and accordingly, a temple was built there under the rule and protection of the then Maharana Raj Singh of Mewar. Here too, one is not allowed to take cameras and phones . It was just too crowded at the temple with people almost pushing each other to have a glimpse of the God. There are various rooms one goes through to see different idols of Krishna. We came out finally after the Darshan, collected our belongings and explored the market area in Nathdwara buying some souvenirs . One can get some nice items to buy if you have the patience to look around .We all bought some dresses, sarees, toran, shoes .Of course you need to bargain but we shopped happily with one of the Aunty being the unanimous winner when it came to shopping but for some reason , do not know why she denied that saying she never shopped that much .Finally we made our way back to our Tempo Traveller around 1:30-2 pm I think.

Now we moved towards Udaipur. Here too we did not check into the hotel but told our driver to take us to the Lake Pichola.We reached around 5-5:30 pm in Udaipur. Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake. It is one of the several. Two islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are located within Pichola Lake, and have been developed with several palaces to provide views of the lake. There are four islands on the lake:


 



 


 

• Jag Niwas, where is built the Lake Palace.
• Jag Mandir, with the palace of the same name.
• Mohan Mandir, from where the king would watch the annual Gangaur festival celebration.
• Arsi Vilas, Small Island which was an ammunition depot, but also a small palace. This one was built by one of the Maharanas of Udaipur to enjoy the sunset on the lake.

 


 

 

 

We took a boating ride around the lake to view the various places and the sunset which was just amazing sight to witness. The boating ride is a 20 minute ride on the lake. After the ride we thought of going to the ropeway which takes you to the Karni Mata temple and once can view Udaipur from the top. But the person at ticket counter suggested us to come the next day as the tickets were booked. So we roamed around the place for sometime and then went to the Hotel to check in where the rooms were already booked. It was 8 pm already but we thought of freshening up and decided to visit some shopping areas which usually close by 9pm.Unfortunately the guide whom we checked  in the hotel took us to the govt handicraft emporium which was very expensive and not in out budget . In spite of us telling him that we want to local shopping he was adamant on the emporiums .I guess he will be paid a small commission on taking the tourists to these places. Anyways we argued and made him show us the local shopping areas. We reached the hotel back at  pm and retied for the day.