Upon arrival, our driver Vikram, who had driven from Delhi, was waiting with a local representative of India Kosher Travel. He explained to us that we would be driven to the hotel to unpack and freshen up and at about 4 PM, a local guide, Suneel, would accompany us on a one hour drive to see a number of temples and shrines. We explained that we had seen a few temples already and were more interested in local life, how they live and interaction with the locals. As well, because of our religious restrictions on entering any temple that is based on multiple gods, it would be a drag to drive two hours to see the outside of a temple. The hotel Udai Kothi is what is called a heritage hotel, usually a former palace of some Maharaja or a luxury family villa now converted into a boutique hotel.
We had asked India Kosher Travel to give us an assortment of heritage hotels and modern hotels during our visit and this was our first heritage hotel experience. Visually, the place was stunning. Our suite was a fourth floor walk up with no elevator. The room had a foyer with a couple of chairs and a writing desk, the bedroom had a four poster canopied bed and the bathroom was a work of art in white marble. The front door to the suite was intricately carved in wood and the locking mechanism was a heavy wooden slide bolt with an oversized padlock that was a sight to behold. You definitely had the feeling that you were staying in something quite old and historic.
But the bed was comfortable and the amenities were fine.
The major drawbacks were trek up four floors, the very poor internet reception (I guess the Maharaja was not connected), and the proximity to the local mosque which woke the entire city up before 6 AM and then again about an hour later (if the first time was not punishment enough).
The staff was super attentive (which we are beginning to accept as a given in India), and their cooperation with our food needs was great.
At 4 PM, Suneel showed up and we drove to the local bustling Sunday market in the heart of Udaipur.
Suneel’s English was very good and as had been the rule with every guide or representative of the tour company, he proceeded to impress us with his knowledge of various Hebrew idioms and namedropped a number of famous Jews or Israelis for whom he had guided.
If you have been to Machane Yehuda or to the Shuk HaCarmel, you would not be prepared for this market. It wound around a number of streets in the heart of Udaipur and consisted of fruits, vegetables, kitniyot (lentils and beans) of various types, housewares, woven baskets (actually being woven as you walked by), fast food joints of mainly deep fried sweet and spicy edibles made from wheat and chick pea flower, spices and tea and sugar cane drinks where the juice was extracted from the sugar cane as you wait. What makes it different is the lack of cleanliness, the randomness of the placement of stalls, the jostling for space as motorcycles and tuktuks speed by honking on their horns and the occasional cow, ox or water buffalo that saunters by freely.
Everywhere we go, the people are very friendly and welcoming and there are people who want to take their picture with us. While we look at them as different, we stick out like a sore thumb. The only westerners in a sea of Indian people. And so they approach us and say “Ma’am, Sir, take a photo with you”. What is strange is that in the main, they are not taking pictures with their cameras (and most people here have smart cameras, even amongst the most poor), we are taking pictures with them on our cameras and all they want is to see the picture after we have taken it.
A local housewares store...think of it as the Indian Home Depot or Walmart. We are in the broom department.
But it was colourful and Suneel did a good job explaining products, how they were made or grown and the origins of the various tribes who were marketing their own particular specialty.
What has been coming very clear from every guide is that the growing of presence of Muslims in a Hindu dominated society is resented and more than once we have been told that Muslims are destructive to their society and to the world in general. More on this later.
As we were leaving the area, for the first time we were set upon by child beggars, poorly dressed covered in filth, and sent by their well dressed sari wrapped mother who was orchestrating the scene from a distance. Our guide told us to totally ignore them and not to give them any money, which was difficult to do.
By the time we returned to the hotel, it was almost time for dinner. This would be our first experience with food supplied by Chabad New Delhi, and we were not disappoiinted. The Udai Kothi placed us at a private table next to the swimming pool in their roof top restaurant. They did not seem to be too familiar with kosher but were ready and eager to learn and follow whatever instruction we gave.
They brought out this huge box from Chabad which contained the food that we would have on Sunday and Monday evenings. We had chosen from the online menu of Chabad Delhi and the portions came packed in individual plastic containers. On this first night of Chabad supplied dinners, we had chicken with peppers, peas and carrots, and carrot and coriander salad. Dessert was cut up fruit. Everything was double wrapped and therefore microwaveable and was delicious.
In the morning, after being wakened early for Muslim prayers, we went to the dining room and walked the kitchen staff thru the process of making omelettes and sunny side up eggs for us using our Chabad supplied fry pan and utensils.
Udaipur is known as the City of Lakes or the Venice of the East as it is situated among a number of man made Lakes. It is also known as a very romantic location, because the lakes and the surrounding elevated hills make it the picture perfect backdrop for weddings. Many of these location weddings take place amidst the perfect weather of February and we arrived during a time when there was not a room to be had in the city.
On Monday Suneel was there to take us on a walk thru the centre of town to the City Palace of Udaipur begun in the 1550s and built over a period of 400 years by the Family and descendants of Maharana Fateh Singh, who ruled the Mehar Kingdom and whose descendants still live in part of the palace. It is an intricately designed architectural wonder and assembly of 11 palaces overlooking Lake Pichola and is one of the largest and most beautiful in Rajasthan. When India declared independence in 1947, the royal family proceeded to convert the palace into a museum, royal residence and luxury hotel.
On the way, we passed by the ever present cows in the street and a number of eating establishments with Hebrew writing highlighting that they serve great Israeli food and one even declared itself to be the choice eating place of Famous Israeli model Bar Rafaeli and her husband.
To get to the palace we crossed one of the lakes and caught this great shot....
During the tour of the palace, Suneel explained the caste system of India, which despite being declared illegal by the Indian government, still continues unabated today, mainly because of the self imposed social pressures of families and communities to not allow the mixing or intermingling of different castes. It is quite complicated and really infringes on the the rights of individuals to succeed in the field of their choosing. It is all encompassing in its rules that relate to jobs, to dress and to status at every level of Indian society.
Suneel also explained in great detail Hinduism and its belief system and again it was very interesting and informative. In return we tried to impart our knowledge of Judaism to him.
The palace is a beautiful huge building and is a good example of the riches that were possessed by the kings, Maharajas or Maharanas of the various kingdoms that ruled various parts of India over the centuries. After Indian Independence in 1947, the Mewar kingdom merged with democratic India and the Mewar kings lost all their royal privileges and titles but retained their ownership of their palaces, many of which have been converted into Manley making museums and heritage hotels.
The palace courtyard was being set up for a “location wedding” that evening when over a thousand guest would party into the wee hours of the night.
One of the very interesting aspects of the palace and subsequent Maharaja palaces that we would see during our stay in India was what our friends Harvey and Achsah Weinberg told us to observe during our visit; observations made all the more timely by the impending holiday of Purim in a few weeks.
There was a palace for the king or Maharaja and a separate palace for the queen or Maharani. The king could visit the queen but the queen could not visit the king, unless summoned and then advance notice would have to be given so that the king’s advisors would have the time to exit his chambers before her arrival. When I asked what would happen if she decided to visit unannounced, Suneel’s response was “she would not do such a thing; it is not allowed”. And when I pressed and said “but if she decided to come anyway”, he said she would be punished for doing something that was not according to the rules.
When we completed our tour of the City Palace, we took a pleasant boat ride on the lake with a stop at a small island which housed the summer palace. We then drove to a pretty park built by the Maharani where we were asked by a number of sari clad women if they could take a picture with us.
In the evening after another great Chabad Delhi meal in the hotel, we walked to a local theatre to watch traditional Indian dances and music.
Tuesday is a long driving day from Udaipur to Jodhpur (5+ hours) but our driver Vikram has promised us some interesting stops along the way. Wednesday we will be spending the whole day touring in Jodhpur. More to come.
All the best
Fran and David
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