February 17, 2019 -
“Number 1 , it’s so bloody addicting. You meet more interesting people in an hour here than in a life time in England. It’s such a big world, but I keep coming back here ...”.
— ‘Ten Things I Hate About India’ Bald and Bankrupt Travels
It is nice to have a peaceful picture. There are not many moments of real quiet here. The noise of traffic and the huge number of people can be a constant static in the ear. You come to relish these interludes.
Chittorgraph Fortress is not far from here. This land was ruled by the Mewar Rajput clan for centuries and Chittorgraph was the largest fortress in India or Asia for that matter. It underwent several huge battles in the 16th century as the Mewar’s battled Akbar the Great, the Mughal Ruler. In 1568 the great Fort was finally sacked as the Rajputs fought to the death and thousands of women in the walls committed ritual suicide in support. The site is still venerated today.
It was not long after that Udaipur was founded as the new capital for the Mewar and a huge Palace on the lake was built to house the royal family. Today, the descendants of that dynasty mostly work to promote tourism here.
The relative lack of noise is priceless here though but short lived. Every morning at 6am the local minarets broadcast the Muslim call to prayer. It is very loud. Rather like a tornado warning set to a tortured melody. I imagine the most common prayer is “please turn it off!”
Not to be outdone, our Hindu friends often have services in the evening. Last night our very narrow alley leading to our AirBnB came alive with the sounds of loud drums, music, bells, and chanting. A pop up temple had set up and the alley way was filled with incense smoke, open flames, very intense looking pilgrims and one very frightened donkey. Another day in India.
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