An Incredible Road Trip of a Lifetime to Udaipur, The Most Romantic City in the World

“As unique as a seashell, as deep as the sea
As eternal as the waves, our love is meant to be!
Friends forever we’ll always be!
My greatest blessing she’ll always be;
An answered prayer he is to me!”

It has been over a  years since we were into a relationship, And what better way to celebrate our anniversary, than do an incredible road trip to the most romantic city in the world, ‘The Venice of the East’, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Udaipur!

Our road trip was truly incredible and a once in a lifetime experience! We covered an unbelievable 998 kilometers in the whole trip,! We clicked almost 4000 wonderful snaps! We saw some amazing scenery which cannot be explained in words!

Before I start my travelogue, let me share some of our memories, which we captured forever in our camera!  

The journey starts…

Woke up on the 18th of July by 7:00 am and freshened up. Was in terrific spirits! The thought of going to one of the most beautiful cities in the world filled us with an extraordinary feeling of enthusiasm. I did my best to hide my glee, but couldn’t stop smiling!!!! Was absolutely thrilled!

  Loaded up my luggage in my Ford and  carefully kept my camera on the second row floor. I was sure that my dear will go crazy clicking, once we started our drive! So I wanted the camera to be within one-arm distance! 

The Flight landed Ahmedabad airport bang on time 10:00am, immediately we gathered our luggage had a strong cup of coffee and started off with the journey. The road from airport to Chiloda circle is full of pot holes and water moreover it was an single lane. once we reached Chiloda and hitted the main road for himmatnagar the whole scenario changed the roads were getting smoother and wider. The beast inside my little FORD FIGO was roaring and we were easily touching 120 plus km. 

I must say that the roads in Gujarat are bliss for vehicles,  I have been to udaipur earlier also but always with family or business trips I wanted this trip to be a slow and sedate one without any planning and wanted to enjoy every moment I am spending in this city. We reached himmatnagar around 12:00 and was not feeling ok because of all the spicy curry I had a day before @ home. I had a cup of ENO and some medicine and immediately started my journey. For this trip had made some assorted collection of my Hindi songs which comprised of 2 CD's. Me and Vaishu were singing songs all way round. When we reached Khedbhrama almost the border of gujarat the whole view outside was changing and now our concentration was diverted in clicking pics.  The view gets even more beautiful when you cross Rajasthan border vide Shyamalaji Post rains rajasthan was greener as ever, have never seen such greenery in my life and that too in Rajasthan. 

Reached Udaipur BP around 2:30 and checked in our Hotel Vishnupriya around 3:00 pm, we took some rest and freshened up and planned for some site seeing in the days to come. Iam not going to discuss here about my visit and my schedule rather would be explaining some of best moment which were there during this trip.

Can epithets like City of Lakes, The White City, City of Palaces, City of Dawn do justice to Udaipur? In 1568, Maharana Udai Singh established the seat of government here, having shifted the capital of the kingdom of Mewar from beleaguered Chittor. Udaipur, where royal traditions are part of the lifestyle, is seductive in its beauty, elegance and grace. Udaipur will always conjure a myriad images that will compel one to remember. Was I there last week, or was it a dream I did not want to wake from?

The Aravali range, weathered and humbled by time, plundered and ravaged by mindless mining are among the oldest hills on planet Earth. Pichola Lake, shimmering in its fullness, reflects the fabled palaces, a tribute to Rajput history. The monsoon skies are a many-splendoured panorama of changing moods. There are many lakes in the area, both with and without name, famed and hidden. Jaisamand Lake, 50 kms from here, is Asia's second largest man-made lake, with an area of 36 sq kms. Fateh Sagar Lake, originally created in 1678 AD, was later extended. Almost dry in the 90s, for the past 6 years it has remained filled. On 4th Sept 2011, it overflowed to the delight of the local population, who gathered in large numbers to witness the event. 

The City Palace Complex on the banks of Lake Pichola houses several palaces, including the museum that encapsulates Mewar's royal dynasty. It is the residence of the descendants of the Suryavanshi Rajput rulers of Mewar. Two of the palaces here, Fateh Prakash Palace and Shiv Niwas Palace have been converted into heritage hotels.
 

Like all tourists, I had once stood at the edge of Pichola Lake and gazed from afar at the Lake Palace, standing in all its pristine glory in the midst of the lake. The marble here is not cold, aloof, colourless, but a glistening pure translucent white. History here is alive. That is the very charm and romance of Rajasthan, that the past is ever-present

With its legacy of warm and elegant hospitality, All the  Hotels we visited  has hosted the same  hospitality of this Royal City  in its current ethos.  

 Nathdwara, just over 20 kms away, is famous for its temple of Lord Krishna which houses the idol of Shrinathji, a 14th century, child incarnation of Krishna, originally worshiped at Mathura, shifted in 1672, to protect it from Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. 

The art and architecture of Mewar is just one more expression of the multi-faceted character and personality of the Rajputs. Their art is a celebration of their living traditions which have survived the ravages of time. Mewar's rulers were patrons of all that was best in Indian martial and fine arts, architecture, and learning. 

Many names are written in gold, whose lives will continue to inspire. Maharana Pratap, the personification of Rajput values, took an oath to spend his life in tapasya, to re-conquer Chittorgarh from Akbar and regain the glory of Mewar. He underwent untold hardships, ruling from hidden caves and hiding in ravines, perpetually engaged in warfare. He is arguably the most honoured among the honorable Rajputs of Mewar for standing resolute in the face of bitter battles, in the darkest era of Rajput history, upholding the valour, dignity and cherished values of his clan. He died in 1597 held in the highest esteem, by friend and foe, alike. 

I can see hundreds of years of the history of Rajasthan as though I have witnessed it: been bereft at the death of Maharana Pratap's horse, Chetak; grieved inconsolably at the bloodshed at Haldighati; been humbled by the tradition of honour and glory at Chittorgarh. I know the integrity and the valour of the Rajputs, I know their hardships, I know their lands, I know their customs, I know the generosity of their spirit. I can cry with them and rejoice with them. I doubt whether any other state can boast of women so courageous, while upholding traditions, so strong and fearless behind the traditional ghunghat. And nowhere are the men so emotional and expressive. And yet, the women are so feminine and graceful and the men so valiant and chivalrous. It is these very contradictions that remind us that Mewar is truly unique. The fact that paradoxes co-exist is itself a celebration of life.