Rajasthan TourismVibrant Rajasthan – Travel to the Land of History, Legends, Valorous Warriors And Heritage Hotels….

Udaipur City

Almost all of us love to celebrate occasions in a royal approach, as a friend of mine invited me to the reception party of his marriage at Lake Palace, Udaipur. Being an addict to celebrations and an explorer, I packed my bags and planned a tour to Udaipur – ranked as 2nd best city in Asia and 7th in the world. As the function was organized in the splendid white marble structure of Lake Palace in the middle of Lake Pichola, I started my exploration from there only. This island kind of structure was established in 1746 and was called Jag Niwas. Recently, it has been converted to a luxury hotel under the property of Taj Group of Hotels.

Next morning, I left for other major attractions in Udaipur. This royal city of Rajput Kings of Mewar has a huge 450 year old monument – the City Palace, located alongside the Lake Pichola only. I entered the palace through a triple-arched gate – Tripolia and came across lovely terraces, corridors and gardens. I clicked several wall paintings of Lord Krishna that were displayed in Bhim Vilas. Similarly, the architectural pattern of Dilkhush Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal and Krishna Vilas were spellbinding. These grand palaces still retain the age old glory of bygone era in the form of antique articles, paintings, decorative furniture and utensils.

In the evening, I visited Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal for several folk art performances and puppet shows. After a tiring but enjoyable day, my last activity was boating in the splendid Lake Fateh Sagar. For dinner, I was served awesome Dal Bati Churma in my hotel.

Next morning, I planned for a half day tour during which I paid short visits to Maharana Pratap Memorial, Saheliyon ki Bari, Sajjangarh Fort (summer resort of Maharajahs), Jagdish Temple (a perfect example of Indo-Aryan architecture), and Udaipur Solar Observatory (Asia’s only solar observatory).

I had my lunch in Gulab Bagh (rose garden) where small restaurants serve tasty and spicy fast food. The trip was short but crisp. I marked all the untouched attractions for my next visit.

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I was thinking about my next vacation considering that I had

Nakki Lake, Mount Abu

only 2 days in hand. I was flipping through the pages of Srishti, the nature based magazine and came across an article on Mount Abu. I really liked the article and decided to visit Mount Abu in Rajasthan. One of my friends Monika accompanied me.

While on our way to Mount Abu I read a little bit about it. It is the only hill station of Rajasthan, the land of raja-maharajas. It was once the abode of saints and sages and it is believed that around 330 million gods and goddesses used to reside here. Also it is a place where 36 warrior clans emerged from the great Agni Kund or sacred fire pit.  I wondered what a rich history Mount Abu has! It is also an important Jain pilgrimage. After listening to the history I realized that Mount Abu is much more than a summer retreat.

We arrived at Mount Abu in the early afternoon. We were booked in Connaught House Heritage hotel. Its wonderful architecture and pleasant ambiance were simply overwhelming. After refreshing ourselves with tea and delicious snacks we decided to visit the Nakki lake. The climate was pleasant, just like the destination.

We had hired a guide named Shankar who was a nice chap. He told us an interesting legend about the lake according to which it was dig by a Hindu God by his nails and hence was named nakki, meaning ‘nails’. It was very rejuvenating to be at this lake, which offers picturesque views of the surrounding hills. We also enjoyed a boat ride on it. With gorgeous green surroundings in Mount Abu it is hard to believe that this place is in Rajasthan which is  a desert.

The day was drawing to a close and we now moved to the Sunset point, which is located at a short distance from the lake. We were all eagerly waiting for the famous sunset of Mount Abu and here it was. It was overwhelming!

Elated, we came back to the hotel and after a delicious dinner, retired to bed a little early. The next day we were slated to go for Dilwara Jain Temple, Guru Shikar, Mount Abu wildlife Sanctuary and Adhardevi temple.

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