TRAVEL THE WORLD - UDAIPUR, INDIA

The Peacock Square or Mor Chawk in the City Palace in Udaipur gains its name from the peacocks in vivid blue glass mosaic that decorate its walls. This is only one example of the many beautiful rooms we admired in India. The peacock is the national bird of India.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - JAIPUR, INDIA

While the city palace complex in Jaipur was not old or particularly beautiful, it was large, impressive and interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to see the nicely decorated Christmas tree (it was late December). The vessel in the second photo is one of a pair. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, they are the largest sterling silver vessels in the world. They are 5'3" tall and each one weighs 345 kg. They were taken to England by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II in 1902 for the coronation of Edward VII, apparently to serve as receptacles for the Maharaja's drinking water.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - UDAIPUR, INDIA

All three of these photos were taken in 2007 from the roof of the City Palace looking down onto the city of Udaipur. In the middle photo you can see Lake Pichola and, in the distance, if you look carefully, you can make out the outline of the hills. Right clicking on the photos and opening them in a new window will give you a much closer look at this beautiful city.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - UDAIPUR, INDIA

This beautifully decorated balcony is part of the City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Though the palace remains the home of the Maharana of Udaipur, much of it is open to the public. The balcony was built as a place where the women of the palace could stand unobserved while watching what was happening in the palace courtyard below. This seclusion of women was practised by the Rajput rulers of Udaipur as part of Islam. To see the decoration more clearly, obtain a larger version of the photo by right clicking on it and opening it in a new window.

INDIA VACATION 2007

INDIAN PALACES

India has many beautiful palaces. The one pictured in the first photo above is in Mehranghar Fort at Jodhpur and was built in the 17th Century. It is now a museum with many interesting things to see from the original palace furnishings.

The City Palace complex in Jaipur, part of which is pictured in the second photo, covers a very large area, and consists of gardens, courtyards and buildings. The Jaipur royal family continues to live in part of the palace.

The Jahangir Mahal in Orchha, seen in the third photo, is a fine example of Mughal architecture featuring typical stone latticework. Construction by the Orchha ruler, Vir Singh, began early in the 16th Century in honour of the Mughal emperor, Jehangir.