Friday, February 25, 2011

Povestiri din Rajahstan 26. Orasul Lacurilor, Udaipur / Stories of Rajahsthan 26. The Lakes City, Udaipur

Udaipur, lies in the Southern part of Rajahsthan. Due to its aspect, it was nicknamed "The Lakes City", "The White City" or "The Venice of the East". There are several man built lakes in town and the great majority of the buildings are white.

As usual, we started to visit as we entered the town. Saheliyon Ki Bari, "The Maiden Garden", is a garden constructed by Maharana Sangram Singh, as a gift for his wife. This park was at the disposal of the 48 maidens who came to Udaipur as part of the queen dowry. There are a lot of fountains, elephant marble statues, flower beds, palms and other trees. A nice place to stroll.

After we checked in, we went to see a little bit of the town. Not far from the hotel is a mosque. Then, we approached the entrance gate to the old city. Some cows were lying in dust, near the walls. On a little commercial street we went to the center of the old town. A lot of shrines and temples, people praying. A heavy enough traffic, as usual in towns. A lot of touristic shops. After we had a glimpse of the town and oriented ourselves for the objectives we intend to visit in the  morning, we went back to our hotel, just in time to see the last sun rays over the Pichola Lake.
 
De la Ranakpur nu mai e mult pana la Udaipur, supranumit Orasul Lacurilor, Orasul Alb sau Venetia Estului. Cred ca va imaginati deja ca toate aceste denumiri provin de la aspectul acestui oras care numara peste jumatate de milion de locuitori si este asezat in sudul Rajahstanului.

Ca intotdeauna am inceput vizitarea obiectivelor inca de la intrarea in oras si am continuat-o a doua zi, Udaipur fiind al doilea oras din circuitul nostru in care am ramas doua nopti. Cu exceptia parcului Saheliyon Ki Bari, aflat in nordul orasului, am mers la toate obiectivele pe jos, ele aflandu-se destul de aproape de hotelul-haveli in care ne-am cazat, aflat pe malul Lacului Pichola.

Parcul de care aminteam a fost construit de Maharana Sangram Singh, ca dar pentru sotia sa. El se numeste Gradina Fecioarelor pentru ca a fost pus la dispozitia celor 48 de femei care au insotit-o pe regina la Udaipur, ca parte din zestrea ei. Copaci umbrosi, Bougainvillea inflorite, straturi de flori, fantani, statui de elefanti, pavilioane. Multe grupuri galagioase de elevi sau eleve. Cateva, mai indraznete, se apropie sa dea mana cu noi.  "Hello", "How are you" si "Good bye" este intregul repertoriu dar cele curajoase sunt intampinate cu hohote de ras de colegele lor. Toate sunt frumoase.
 floare de lotus
 La poarta parcului, se vand fructe si suc din trestie de zahar.
trestie de zahar
Dupa ce ne cazam, plecam sa ne plimbam in orasul vechi. In imediata apropiere a hotelului se afla o moschee musulmana, in renovare.
Ne apropiem de zidul care inconjoara orasul vechi. In fata portii, o "parcare" de vacute. De o parte si de alta,  o intindere de apa, invadata de zambile de apa.
 poarta de intrare in orasul vechi
Ne indreptam spre centru pe o straduta comerciala. Pe masura ce ne apropiem, e tot mai aglomerat. Oamenii se strecoara greu printre masini si tuk-tukuri. Trotuare nu exista.
 Multe temple sau altare, oameni care se roaga.
Chiar in centru, in apropierea celor mai cautaate obiective turistice, magazinele devin foarte colorate, cu adresa speciala pentru turisti.
Dupa aceasta plimbare, in care ne-am facut o idee despre orasul vechi si ne-am orientat pentru a gasi mai usor dimineata obiectivele pe care le cautam, ne-am intors la hotelul nostru, pe malul Lacului Pichola, la timp pentru a prinde ultimele raze de lumina ale soarelui.
 Lacul Pichola la apus
 Hotel Sargam Sadan




22 comments:

Liliana said...

Ma innebuneste floarea de lotus din poza! Se ridica din noroi si e totusi atat de splendida. Imi doresc sa ajung sa o vad in delta. Poate in primavara asta, poate in alta... Superb!

Traveling Hawk said...

Dupa cate stiu eu, la noi nu rezista lotusul, in delta gasesti nuferi. Exista o specie anume de lotus la Baile Felix (altfel decat acesta din India, unul cu niste frunze uriase) dar eu nu l-am vazut acolo.

VertAnge said...

Foarte frumoase imagini!
Acum cativa ani existau intr-adevar lotusi la Felix. In Franta se gaseste un lac imens plin de lotusi in Vendee. Se numeste Parc Floral Court d'Aron. Acolo insa se vede doar partea frumoasa, nu contrastele ce ne izbesc din fotografiile din India.

Traveling Hawk said...

Sa inteleg ca nu mai sunt lotusi la Felix, VertAnge?

VP said...

Very lively and colorful images!

joo said...

I love everything about this post!!! Simply fabulous!
have a great weekend:)

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, VP! Usually photos from a town are like this because there is a mix of them.

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, Joo! A great weekend to you too:)

escape said...

whoa! its the culture that really captivates a travelers soul. reminds me of paul theroux stories.

magda said...

Another wonderful trip, colorful and interesting!!!
A friend of mine, many years ago, said that of all the trips she liked India.
As I see your photos, I understand that she was right.
Thank you for this trip !!
Have a nice weekend

Traveling Hawk said...

You are right, dong po! I've heard about Great Railway Bazaar but I never had the opportunity to read it. May be I can find it somewhere, abroad.

Traveling Hawk said...

Thank you, Magda, for your frequent visits on my blog! Probably that India is one of the most interesting country from the point of view of a traveler.

Liliana said...

Sunt ignoranta, credeam ca e una si aceeasi chestie - lotus, nufar ...

Sahildeki Ev said...

I just love India. Its so unique and colorful. Its been more than 10 years thatI have been there but constantly dreaming about going back. Lovely photos..

Traveling Hawk said...

@ Liliana: aha:)

Traveling Hawk said...

Thank you, Turquoise Diaries, for the visit! I think India has this effect...

Joop Zand said...

I ike this again very much, you have seen a lot of nice places.

greetings, Joop

Traveling Hawk said...

Thanks, Joop! Have a nice Sunday!

Randy said...

Another amazing place. I love the shot of the cows and it looks like alot of shopping could be done there.

Traveling Hawk said...

Yeah, it depends what are you looking for...

VertAnge said...

Nu am mai fost de ceva vreme la Felix, asa ca nu pot sa bag mana in foc daca mai sunt sau nu lotusii. Ultima data cand i-am vazut erau cam pricajiti.:(

J_on_tour said...

Colourful place and shops. Interesting stall of sugar cane. Good detailed post as usual.