4 Feb - Udaipur time 00:12
There are three ways to get up to the Jaddish Temple which is in the middle of the heart of the Old Town, the Lal Ghat area - at the foot of the City Palace.
One is the main road, which is about 20 m large and borded at each side by shops of all kinds. Artist stands and workshops, little groceries, book stores ... you name it. Some are very touristic others are just shops necessary things such as water and toothpaste. That street is used by cars, rickshaws and pedestrians - and it's very polluted. All motor vehicles sends exhaust right into the air and there is a blueish mist hanging at all times.
A second way of getting up town is by the back streets which are narrow and quiet. Full of kids, cows, stray dogs and dirt. Ups and downs, stairs or just slippery bumps.
The nicest way to get to the Temple is definitely through the site of the City Palace - but to enter there one must pay each time 25 rupees which is the price of the same distance covered by a rickshaw. It amounts to 50 euro cents - not much, but at a long run it becomes quite a lot.
Being a long term resident, I hope to get a "free pass" and, therefore, I'll meet tomorrow morning with Mr Surendra Singh Shekawat, Head of City Palace security. If he cannot help me, nobody can.
This evening I wandered around in the Temple area and entered an alley way just next to the entrance of the Palace. Walking in front of me was ne of these well dressed, Indian bauties accompanied by a little boy of maybe 7 years. We exchanged our polite Namesta's and she made big signs for me to follow her - into her house where I was offered massala tea. Neat, new and clean. She appears to be a primary school teacher with 4 children (3 girls and this small boy). The oldest daughter would be around 14. Beautiful kids, well educated and full of questions above the usual ones like "where are you from" and "what's your name" which we hear all the time.
I spent a small hour in that family and had to promise to come back another day, preferable after 19 hrs or on a Sunday. If I get to live behind the temple we'll be neighbours. And the brother-in-law is a miniature painter who gives art classes ! As a curiosity it's he who has restored the paintings in the main building of Rang Niwas where I live now.
So that was the happening of my second Thursday in Udaipur. The rest of the day was spent reading on my private balcony, fetching money for the wall (ATM) close to the Temple, talking to the owners of respectively the "Kankarwa Haveli" and the "Pratap Bhawan Guest House". I would have to chose between the two equally attractive Lal Ghat places when I move from Rang Niwas.
And to end the day, not one but two weddings were celebrated at the play ground behind Rang Niwas. One is bad, but two are absolutely killing - noise wise. Have you ever assisted to a sonorisation competition ? Quite impressive, believe me. End of the show at 23h00 (almost) sharp.
One is the main road, which is about 20 m large and borded at each side by shops of all kinds. Artist stands and workshops, little groceries, book stores ... you name it. Some are very touristic others are just shops necessary things such as water and toothpaste. That street is used by cars, rickshaws and pedestrians - and it's very polluted. All motor vehicles sends exhaust right into the air and there is a blueish mist hanging at all times.
A second way of getting up town is by the back streets which are narrow and quiet. Full of kids, cows, stray dogs and dirt. Ups and downs, stairs or just slippery bumps.
The nicest way to get to the Temple is definitely through the site of the City Palace - but to enter there one must pay each time 25 rupees which is the price of the same distance covered by a rickshaw. It amounts to 50 euro cents - not much, but at a long run it becomes quite a lot.
Being a long term resident, I hope to get a "free pass" and, therefore, I'll meet tomorrow morning with Mr Surendra Singh Shekawat, Head of City Palace security. If he cannot help me, nobody can.
This evening I wandered around in the Temple area and entered an alley way just next to the entrance of the Palace. Walking in front of me was ne of these well dressed, Indian bauties accompanied by a little boy of maybe 7 years. We exchanged our polite Namesta's and she made big signs for me to follow her - into her house where I was offered massala tea. Neat, new and clean. She appears to be a primary school teacher with 4 children (3 girls and this small boy). The oldest daughter would be around 14. Beautiful kids, well educated and full of questions above the usual ones like "where are you from" and "what's your name" which we hear all the time.
I spent a small hour in that family and had to promise to come back another day, preferable after 19 hrs or on a Sunday. If I get to live behind the temple we'll be neighbours. And the brother-in-law is a miniature painter who gives art classes ! As a curiosity it's he who has restored the paintings in the main building of Rang Niwas where I live now.
So that was the happening of my second Thursday in Udaipur. The rest of the day was spent reading on my private balcony, fetching money for the wall (ATM) close to the Temple, talking to the owners of respectively the "Kankarwa Haveli" and the "Pratap Bhawan Guest House". I would have to chose between the two equally attractive Lal Ghat places when I move from Rang Niwas.
And to end the day, not one but two weddings were celebrated at the play ground behind Rang Niwas. One is bad, but two are absolutely killing - noise wise. Have you ever assisted to a sonorisation competition ? Quite impressive, believe me. End of the show at 23h00 (almost) sharp.
posted by Bente at Thursday, February 03, 2005
1 Comments:
When saying "there are three ways to get to the Jaddish Temple ...", I of course mean "to get there from where I live, at the Rang Niwas (Palace) Hôtel" -
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