A trip down the Royal lane

Bright pink Bougainvillea adorns my window as I sit on the sill and marvel at the lustrous lake, the serene greens, and the majestic mountain that completes this royal setting. The tea pot simmers with water, and a bag of mint tea waits in the cup to let loose its flavours. The pamphlet on the table entices me with its offerings of a royal spa, and a ‘unique’ body massage. Paintings of rare birds garnish the distinct stone walls, as I soak in the delight of being in the lap of nature. I am at the Royal Shikarbadi, Udaipur – property of the Maharana of Mewar, who I am told, frequented it every evening, till of course, it was converted into a Hotel and opened for public. As we drove down the long pathway leading up to the Hotel, a Horse ranch on the left and a cricket pitch on the right, our driver informed us of the Maharana’s love for flying, pointing at the little ‘Shikarbadi’ Airport, from where he used to take off on his private jets. The ‘special’ room I’m booked in is perhaps the one the Maharana chose too, each time he decided to stay at this property. The imperial whiff in the air tells me that even though I may not be in the august company of his highness, I am lucky enough to be sitting on the chair he once may have sat on!

Rajasthan rubs off its royalty, not just with its opulent palaces, but also with its rich delectable fare, the vibrant colours of grandeur, its regal propriety, and also its everyday life. Even the guard manning the entry to the Hotel looks noble enough with his well fitted jacket, flashing the royal emblem, his stiff etiquette, a long big moustache, so quintessential of the stately staff. I almost felt like a princess, walking through the embellished corridors of The City Palace yesterday, looking at the glass studded bedrooms of the royalty, the burgundy coloured velvety cushions, and the high balconies that overlook the state. The Palace still houses the royal family of Mewar, in a posh private part, far from the peering eyes of tourists like me. Prince Lakshya Raj Singh, the heir to the throne, is also the President of the Udaipur Cricket Association. Of course, his love for the game ensures that teams visiting the city for a game get the best it has to offer, like this stay at one of royalty’s own.

The City Palace, Udaipur

But, about a 100kms off Udaipur, on the road to Kota, is Chittorgarh, the abode of the valiant Maharana Pratap Singh and his beautiful Queen Padmini. I am reminded of the Chittor fort, as I hear the tales of courage of the then Maharana of Udaipur, who fought the Mughals to protect his land. The City Palace was never attacked, for a saint blessed it with powers, that they say still hold the Palace in good stead. Unlike the City Palace, the fort of Chittorgarh was attacked several times, plundered, looted and vandalized.

Our guide, Vishal, at the Chittorgarh Fort, was a young boy of fifteen, who perhaps tricked his age, and looked ten, and continues to stay on my mind. He was smart, charged merely Rs 30 for a tour, while the rest asked for a whopping Rs 250, ensuring enough business through the day. He was well connected, had a mobile he co-ordinates his tours on. And more importantly, he was well-versed, knew the dates, and the events on his finger tips, which he recited like a nursery poem, and of course didn’t like being disturbed. Questions were invited, but only after his narration.

The trek up the road leads to this fort built on a mountain top, high enough to daunt every passerby. Spread over an area of 700 acres, this perhaps, is the biggest fort in the country, being in fact a city in its own. Since, this wasn’t a visit, but a stopover, we requested Vishal to keep it ‘short’ and ‘sharp’, a term my husband’s coach uses often to describe a session just before a match.

Queen Padmini's Summer Home @ The Chittorgarh Fort

Haven’t we all read copious tales of Chittorgarh, of its valour, of its sacrifice and of its nationalism in our history text books, and heard of its undying glory in many a popular folklore. But, to stand there, right next to where Queen Padmini jumped into her pyre, with her 13,000 maids, is nerve-wrecking to say the least. Centuries after this act of pride by the fearless Rajput ladies, tourists, ironically walk over the ground where the royal bodies were once reduced to ashes. At a separate spot in the fort, close to where the Queen decided to reveal her illustrious beauty to the Mughal King, in a bid to save her husband from his wrath, walls are chipping, spelling the love of a certain ‘Goldy’ for ‘Annu’!

Vishal recommended a visit to the ‘Battle field’, which first sounded like ‘Better Feel’, to which my husband nodded, and said he did feel better, looking a little confused though. We’d been travelling with my husband’s team mates to Udaipur for their next match, via Chittorgarh which became an impromptu stop. I have been with the team for now close to two months, and I must say, they are the funniest and the craziest lot I’ve been with in recent times. Their humour is colloquial, their language rustic, and they themselves as humble as humble can be. I bring them up here, because of the sheer joy they added to this trip to the fort. Their jokes kept coming; their witty one-liners not just tickled my funny bone, the way it hasn’t been in some time now, but also made me marvel at their knack of quipping about almost anything. And so, when ‘Better Feel’ sounding ‘Battle Field’ came up, the gang laughed out loud, teased Vishal, which of course he took in his stride. Must mention, the various names that Vishal had got by the end of this tour – Chota Dainik Bhaskar, Unlimited Recharge, et al

Vishal a.k.a. Chota Dainik Bhaskar!!

The evening was spent driving down to Udaipur, and discussing ghosts! What brought it up? I may not be able to pin point, like most chit chats, that start arbitrarily, and end that way too. One of the team mates had stories to tell, quite spooky at that. The USP of a horror story is of course its hair-raising, blood curdling, and spine chilling effect, its aftermath being the terrifying feeling one gets when alone in a room, at night! We may have discussed phantoms, after life, and all that is blasphemous, till we moved on to the topic of religion and temples. What started this one, I vividly remember. The temple of ‘Sanwaria Seth’, which we passed on our way, is certainly one of the most fascinating temples I’ve heard about. Of course, Jwala Devi Mandir with its incessant flame left me shocked, and so did Jodhpur’s Chamunda Devi with its animal offerings, but this one was in a different league. Have you ever heard of a temple devoted solely to thugs, smugglers, thieves, bandits and all that is profane? Well, ‘Sanwaria Seth’ is perhaps the first of its kind, protecting the wicked and ensuring them a scot free life.

We’ve been put up here now at The Shikarbadi for a week, and between writing this post and sipping my tea, I took a break to click the deer that came in my backyard. I’ve been informed that Prince Lakshya Raj Singh has invited the Team for a dinner at the Jag Mandir Island Hotel tomorrow. Exciting times ahead!