Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Udaipur: Our Newly Found Love

Udaipur, or the capital of the erstwhile Mewar kingdom, is known as the land of lakes. The land of warrior kings, the throne of Mewar was adorned by eminent rulers such as Rana Udai Singh II (whom the city is named after), Maharana Pratap Singh, Maharana Sangram Singh etc. The Mewar dynasty traces its roots to the Sun God. Its history has been a continuous struggle for freedom of religion, thought and land against other Rajput groups as well as the overbearing Mughals and Muslims of bygone eras.

Sisodias, offshoots of the Chauhanas who ruled the Mewar region, were against Mughal dominion and tried every trick possible to distance themselves from them. Udaipur remained untouched from Mughal religious and aesthetics influences and remained so till the coming of the Europeans. Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur was the only royalty who did not attend the Delhi Durbar for King George V in 1911. This fierce sense of independence earned them the highest
gun salute in Rajasthan, 19 against the 17 each of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bundi, Bikaner, Kota and Karauli.

Recently, the Travellers were on a trip to Rajasthan again. It is Udaipur, that was on our radar.
Begining today, here's an account of how it went. Keep watching this space for more

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