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 - UDAIPUR, INDIA

In 2007 the City Palace complex in Udaipur was one of the most interesting palaces we saw in India. We had a very nice, very informative guide all to ourselves for over an hour. The palace was built by the Rajput Maharana Udai Singh beginning with the royal courtyard in 1568. He was given the title of maharana in recognition that he did not submit to defeat by the Mughals. The palace complex is a blend of medieval European and Chinese architecture. It has buildings of immense beauty, as well as gardens and fountains - all well planned and finely executed over the years.

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 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS, EGYPT

The religion of ancient Egypt and the mythology associated with it are very interesting and reveal a lot about the way of life of the people. As you can see from these photos taken at Hatchepsut's Palace in the Valley of the Kings, reliefs like these are very beautiful and quite amazing when you think about how old they are and in what good condition they remain today. The first photo shows Anubis, the jackel-headed god of the dead.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

During our 2001 visit to Istanbul, we spent a few hours at Topkapi Palace and saw these two beautiful buildings. In the first photo is the Treasury and in the second, a Byzantine church which now functions as a concert hall.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - FLORENCE, ITALY

Here is the Palazzo Vecchio which was built at the end of the 13th Century and became the home of the Medici family in the 17th Century. The statue to the left of the building is of Cosimo de'Medici. His grandson Lorenzo became famous as a patron of the arts during the Italian Renaissance.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - BIKANER, INDIA

These hand prints, displayed just inside the entrance to Junagarh Fort in Bikaner, Rajasthan, serve to commemorate the women of the fort who committed sati (or suttee) when their men were preparing to face certain death in battle. Rumour has it that sati is still practised in India, although it was banned by the British in the early 19th Century and I believe continues to be against the law today. Certainly, there was no useful role for widows in traditional Hindu society, and today a widow in India is often tossed aside by her husband's family. When we visited the fort in 2007, we were deeply touched by the sight of these hand prints and by the tragic fate of the women.

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.

INDIA VACATION 2007

MANDU - PALACES AND MOSQUE

Mandu is a lovely town, near Maheshwar in the state of Madhya Pradesh, off the beaten track approximately one day's drive from the city of Indore. The Jahaz Mahal, pictured in the first photo above, is a palace built between 1469 and 1500 in a blend of local and imported styles, one of the latter having come from Afghanistan.

The mosque of Dilawar Khan, built in 1409, is a blend of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles. It is shown in the middle photo.

The Hindola Mahal is called the Swing Palace because the distinctive sloping walls are said to look as though the building is swaying from side to side. The palace has very advanced systems for providing and disposing of water and for heating and cooling. It is pictured in the last photo above.

The government of India appear to be devoting resources to make Mandu a tourist destination. The guide we had was excellent, a wealth of information and very personable. The site itself was very attractive and well-maintained. And extensive road construction was underway in the vicinity to improve access to the area.

INDIA VACATION 2007

UDAIPUR, RAJASTHAN

Udaipur is a beautiful city in Rajasthan on the man-made Lake Pichola. The Lake Palace, pictured in the third photo above, was built in 1743 by the Rajput Maharana Jagat Singh. Today, it is a luxury hotel.

The Rajputs, prior to India gaining its independence from Britain, were rulers of states within what is now Rajasthan. These states joined newly- independent India, though they had not been part of the British Raj.

The City Palace complex, featured in the middle photo, is the historic home of the Udaipur maharanas. The current Maharana, who continues to reside in the palace, has no political power but is held in great esteem by the people of Udaipur.

The first photo shows beautiful Lake Pichola. It is possible to book a room in a lovely moderately-priced hotel that faces directly onto the lake.