Udaipur

Udaipur was our first stop in Rajasthan, India. We stayed in an idyllic home stay, a tranquil haven outside of the city center. The food was incredible; the chef was amazing!

On our second day, we left the home stay to go sightseeing! Udaipur is nicknamed the city of lakes: there were many man-made lakes. We cruised along the picturesque lake Pichola, visiting the Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace hotel along the way.

Then we went to the City Palace. Udaipur was founded by Maharana Udai Singh, and was built where it was for two reasons: defense (the area is very hilly) and the fact that it was easy to create a water body as a river flowed nearby. The palace is a beautiful structure in which the kings of Udaipur and their many wives were housed.

Our next stop was Ganesh Emporium, a haveli containing the beautiful art – such as Miniature Painting, Shrinathji (a form of Krishna) pichwai and beautiful textiles. We looked at elegant Kashmir shawls, detailed paintings and patchwork wall hangings.

After a lunch overlooking the lake, we went to a miniature painting workshop called Maharani Art. After browsing the overflowing shop for a bit, we headed home for a delicious dinner.

The next day we went to two miniature painting workshops, where we learnt the process to make the exquisite art and I even painted my own! I learnt that the painters use squirrel hair brushes made from one pair of a squirrel. The artist by the hair from local tribes people, though they say that they catch it themselves, to train for the patience of the art!

Ishani

This is us in the Ganesh Emporium Haveli.