August
11, 2013: Today, we toured
Udaipur.
·
Early Morning Yoga
Tom grudgingly agreed to do early morning yoga
with Emily and I. Actually, I sort of
forced Tom to do yoga with us. Tom has
been promising me for 2 years that he would take a yoga class with me – and so,
I told him it was time to man up, grab his mat, and get his butt to class once
and for all.
A woman with a sing-songy voice taught our yoga
class. The class was very relaxing. It was focused primarily on stretching and on
sun salutations. We methodically
stretched each and every facet of our bodies, and our teacher was very
thorough, talking about how each yoga stretch benefits the body
specifically. (E.g., this stretch aids
in digestion). She then led us through
sun salutations,
or Surya Namaskar. Sun salutations are
traditionally performed in the morning and consist of a sequence of flowing
postures that can be a complete yoga practice in itself or can simply be the
beginning for a longer series of asanas.
Sun salutations provide various benefits for practitioners, including
physical toning, weight loss, and relaxation.
Overall, the class was very Zen-like.
Although, I did have to fight to urge
not to laugh when our yoga instructor directed us to “relax your buttocks… that’s right,
just relax your buttocks…. Relax, relax, relax.” This killed me. Thus, perhaps, it is I (and not Tom) that needs to grow up, focus, meditate and practice more.
Actually... Tom liked the yoga class much that he even agreed
to do yoga again on our trip. More than
that, he asserted that he wants to (and needs to) incorporate yoga into his
weekly exercise routine. You heard it
hear folks….
·
Jagdish Temple:
Jagdish Temple
is the largest Hindu temple in Udaipur.
The temple was built by Maharana Jagat Singh I in 1651 and
enshrines a black stone image of Lord Vishnu. The exterior and the plinth are
covered with base relief of elephants, horsemen and celestial musicians,
dancers and Gods/Goddesses rising in tiers.
As you remove your shoes, and enter the Temple,
chanting, ringing of bells and music resonate vociferously. Today, temple
visitors are mainly older women who are praying/repenting/worrying about the
afterlife and their impending reincarnation.
The temple was very beautiful. But my one regret was that our tour guide, Vikram, did little to
explain the nuances of Hindu spiritual practice.
That said, he did encourage Emily and I to circle the
Basil Plant enshrined near the Temple.
He explained that in Hinduism, there are certain sacred plants,
including the Basil plant, also called Tulsi.
In fact, we learned that most Hindu homes have a basil plant. The daily worship and care of the plant is the
responsibility of the women. The plant is regarded as a “symbol of ideal
wifehood and motherhood”. Thus, single women pray to Tulsi for a
husband, and married women pray for the long life and prosperity of their
husbands. Emily and I both participated
in the ceremonial walk around the basil plant.
To good hubbies for one and all…
·
City Palace
Museum
Like the palace in Jaipur, the City Palace in
Udaipur is a fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles. The City Palace Udaipur has a marvelous assortment
of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens.
Encircled by fortifications, this imposing Palace was wholly built in granite
and marble. The Palace sits on a hilltop that provides
a panoramic view of the city and it’s surrounding, including several historic
monuments and a gorgeous view of our hotel in the center of Lake Pichola.
Today, the main part of the palace is a museum displaying a diverse
array of artifacts. You can also explore
the rooms of the palace, which are superbly decorated with mirrored tiles and miniature
paintings.
Udaipur is
famous for its traditional miniature paintings, which are mural-like paintings
mostly depicting Mughal emperors, Queens, court scenes, hunting scenes, special
ceremonies and love scenes. The
miniature paintings, which can be viewed all throughout the Palace, are
beautiful if viewed from a normal distance; however, they are better
appreciated close up where you can examine the details and intricacies in the
paintings. When you look close up, every inch of the painting seems to come
alive as you see each and every hair on the Mughal’s beard, feather in a bird’s
tail, or jewel and embroidery in a Queen’s majestic costume.
Miniature painting
continues as a thriving art form in the region.
After our tour of the palaces, we visited a cooperative where local
artists still work on these paintings.
We learned that each creation takes a couple of days to several weeks to design
depending upon the detailing and size of artwork. Paintings are done on paper, silk, marble and
camel bone. The colors used in the
paintings are derived solely from natural sources as our guide demonstrated for
us.
While at the
cooperative, we had no intention of purchasing anything, yet we did. We bought a miniature painting of the Hindu
god, Ganesha who brings luck, prosperity, and good health to your home.
Tom, Emily, James and I had
developed an affinity for Ganesha, the elephant God, on our journey. I hope that you will enjoy the story of
Ganesha’s birth as told to us by our tour guide.
As the myth goes…
A long time ago while Lord Shiva was away at battle, the lady of the
house, goddess Parvati was alone at home. While bathing, she needed someone to
guard her home. Unable to think of a suitable alternative, Parvati used her
powers to create a son, Ganesh. She instructed Ganesh to keep strict vigil on
the entrance to the house and not to allow anyone into the house. Ganesh agreed.
In the
meantime, Lord Shiva returned home from battle only to be stopped at the
entrance by Ganesh. Ganesh, acting on Parvati's orders, did not allow Shiva to
enter the house. Lord Shiva was enraged.
And in a fit of rage, Lord Shiva severed the head of Ganesh.
Parvati was aghast.
In order to
make things right, Lord Shiva agreed to Parvati’s conditions: (1) that Ganesh be brought
back to life, and (2) that Ganesh be worshipped as a god. Unfortunately, Ganesh’s head was lost and thus,
Shiva
decided to replace his head with the head of the first living being he
encountered. Lord Shiva encountered an
elephant and the elephant's head was attached to Ganesha's body, bringing the
boy back to life.
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