Being a great Indian Culture lover, I was always
bewitched by the majestic lifestyles of the great Indian Maharajas (king)
and Princes. I always had a strong lure and had a great instinct of visiting
this princely kingdom and encountering the affluent culture, the people and
their lifestyles. I got many opportunities to know much about the rich
heritage of the country through the slew of books on Indian Kings and
Palaces like 'The Indian Princes and their States', 'Indian temples and
palaces' and many more, that actually bacons my imagination and my
provocation's gained heights.
During
my reading courses, I gained much information about the royal Rajasthan
Palaces, still maintaining their royal ambience as well as, some of them are
converted into royal heritage hotels showcasing the same old charm of the by
gone era. On my 2weeks tour to India, my obvious choice was to visit the
beautiful Lake Palace at Udaipur in Rajasthan. I truly felt- it was the
perfect way to quench my lust and to luxuriate in the royal palace of by
gone era.
My tourist agent who booked my complete tour was much informative, and gave
me precise idea about the palace -- the Lake Palace was once the royal
summer palace of the erstwhile rulers of Rajasthan, and was later
transformed in to a 5 star luxury hotel.
After arriving at Delhi, I gave a halt of a day to get rid of my traveling
tiredness. Very next day I boarded the Indian Airlines flight for Udaipur,
within no time we were in Udaipur. From the airport, I was taken to my long
awaiting destination. No doubt, the Lake Palace was one of the most exotic
hotels that I ever stayed in. I was definitely bewildered by the ravishing
designed white prodigy palace and the scenic elegance of its adjoining. It
had a picturesque ambience, the hotel was amidst the twinkling blue waters
of lake Pichola and gave a mirage of a floating palace from a distance.
It was quite startling that the palace has 85 luxuriating rooms, There were
also some special suites for the celebrities. On my personal request, the
kind manager, rather I should address him by his actual name 'Rana Kishore',
was ready to show me these special suites of the palace. The ambience of the
rooms were just breathtaking, all the rooms had absolutely different
interior, embellished with glowing marble pillars and royal
paintings/portraits of royal family, antique furniture, curtains in fact
every thing was awesome. Beyond belief were the work of arts and glasswork
on ceiling and walls. Most of the spacious festooned chambers offer huge
windows providing a view to the pristine lake. The beautiful garden,
embellished with diverse flowers and green grass and where one can watch
many peacock and other kind of birds, took my imagination to the golden old
days where I was a prince, it was my kingdom, my palace and my people.
The attires of the attendants were just fabulous, they were dressed in
typical costumes, with red turbans on their head and stylish black big
mustache-giving a grace to their personality. Seeing my excitement and
enthusiasm one of the managers of the palace gave me a detailed back ground
of the palace - he told me the lake Palace was constructed by Maharana Jagat
Singh in the year 1754, and now days it is maintained by the Taj group of
hotels one of the renowned groups in India and offers the complete ambiance
for a romantic stay maintaining its royal dignity intact.
My long cruiser in the waters of Lake Pichola, was quite relaxing, the
reflection of the palace in the lake with the sun rays falling on it was
really a lifetime experience and I was lucky to capture these magnificent
moments in to my handy-cam. The boatman told me that beside fish, the lake
is also a home to turtles and a species of crocodile, I could enjoy the
glimpse of many colorful fishes and few migratory birds.
There is no doubt-- Kings and their Queens, Silks and Brocades, hundreds of
caretakers, servants dressed in most exquisite styles, royal hunts and
feasts - this palace has seen it all.
