From
primarily a cultural tourist destination for several decades, India
has emerged as one of the most sought-after adventure destinations
for discerning international travelers. Perhaps no other single
country in the world offers the variety of adventure opportunities
as India does.
I
had a burning desire to visit Rajasthan in my next trip to India, as I have
been to India many times, therefore the hesitation of the first time was not
there. As the time approached my sole started becoming restless..... a small
part of myself was still there in India waiting for the rest of me and was
giving erotically appealing allure that had some kind of magnetic fore in it
that made me strive to go there, to leave those well known boundaries behind
and meander along unfamiliar roads. As I have known so far, India is a country of fantasy- a huge peninsula, knitted of myriad cultures, stud with Hindu temples and Muslim mosques and Christian churches, seasoned by a thousand savor and colored by a diverse variety of attires. I am absolutely spellbound by the friendliness and warmth of this country. I had expected the travelling to the interiors of Rajasthan would be harder, and more of a botheration, but it was rather the opposite way. The simple people were all there to help you when ever it was required.
At Udaipur, I took a guide, who took almost 2 to 3 hours to illustrate each and every artifacts kept in the royal City Palace along with the some of the portraits of erstwhile rulers. From there he took me to a Shiva temple almost 20km from the palace to experience the rural district and the small villages having absolutely a different lifestyle - simple and valued.
I could enjoy the scenic splendor from the temple site over a cup of tea, I also met a group of sadhu's there in the temple who acknowledged me about the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism and the Western and Eastern ways of the world, to my wonderment, these holy man of God had enough knowledge of the world far away from theirs. The bustling streets of Udaipur were just marvelous,... you can enjoy the true life of the people just by sitting anywhere, may be at the corner of the street... that is so India is. There is just so much life in everything you see... your mind reaches a land of fantasy.
Udaipur really made me poetic, and pulled me back to stay another couple of days enticed in its charms. I end up my trip to Udaipur by watching some more masterpieces - Pichola Lake, Jag Niwas, Jagdish Temple, Nathdwara, Rajsamand and Jaisamand.
My next destination was Jaisalmer City this is a place where you wake up in the morning to be greeted by prayers chanted by Priests and Brahmans, echoing the whole environ........where you stroll down through the streets and experience the infinity of life reflected in the cups of tea...commonly available on every nook and corner and seems to convert every talk into a long conversation.
Jaisalmer is also known Desert City, the Thar Desert - biggest desert of India adjoins the city.
I was absolutely wonder stuck to see that every house at the back street decorated by a simple divine 'Om'- one of the auspicious word of Hindus, on the walls in deep red color. I also visit Jaisalmer Fort, and magnificent Havellis rich in art and architecture. As I sat on the rooftop terrace of my hotel and hear the soft whisper of the breeze in the soothing twilight, my heart embraces the delicacy of all those magic moments. Yes... indeed the days were like magic at Jaisalmer and a part of me just wanted to be there to treasure those moments, to nab them, to clench them tight in words and in pictures, so that I will have some tangible remembrance to hold on to, a lucid proof that Jaislamer wasn't just my fantasy and illusion ... it existed.
It was time to sojourn to Jaodhpur, this city looked like as if it still belonged to a Maharaja, especially when the golden sun rays intrude the morning through the arched gateway of a temple while the pristine moon still lights this boundless blue sky. The city is famous for its hilltop forts-Mehrangarh Fort, Umaid Bhawan Palace an art-deco royal palace converted into a hotel, and of course its unique shopping hub...I enjoyed shopping some artifacts and handicraft items.
As it is just a vain to collect a nectar in a sieve, holding sand of Great Thar Desert was just similar to it. I explore this golden desert on a camel's back... a real royal ride to the sun set point where I could see with my own eyes how sky meets the earth and sun submerge in their lap...seeing was believing. I watch the stars of horizon and spent some time talking to rural people of desert sitting on the cool sand dunes listening to their local music and enjoying their folk dances in the great desert of Thar at least for two days...
In the last days I have been travelling through a remote part or Rajasthan called the Shekhawati Region... miles and miles of extended desert patched with desert dunes and Joshua trees, with small villages and wooden huts amidst the desert. The desert holds the charm of rural life, queue of Rajasthani ladies decorated with colorful veils and long skirts.... they call it ghaghara, marching towards the nearest waterhole with the earthen pots on their heads- humming along, what a magnificent sight.........I could not resist the temptation and capture them in to my handy-cam.
Last but not the least, Jaipur was my last destination in this great region of Rajasthan, rightly called as the 'pink capital city'.
I stayed there in the City Palace, residence of the erstwhile rulers of Jaipur, now has been converted into the heritage hotel. I happened to visit Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jal Mahal and Jantar Mentar all a masterpiece in them..... as next very day the city was raining so the nice ideal was to relax in the hotel, there I spent time taking some photographs of this royal palace and then sitting in a coffee bar drinking hot black coffee- my favorite drink, eating Indian snacks, reading Indian magazines and writing about India and just making a mosaic of heart-rending memories of the entire trip revolving in my mind.
