Udaipur City Palace

Let me apologize for the gap since my last post. I am running a multitude of projects at multiple sites, and at times one takes a back seat to the others.

In addition, I've been doing a lot of deep inner work regarding processing the past three years of my life, as the past week was the third anniversary of my arrival in the Indian town (McLeodGanj, Upper Dharamsala) which became my second home!
I am now fundraising for my return to India, a trip which will be part pilgrimage and part research for my next book.

But without further ado, let's continue the photo retrospective.

We left off with an overview of Udaipur, a fabled destination in the state of Rajasthan.
Today we are going to visit the city's amazing City Palace.

From the roof of my hotel, the exterior of City Palace seemed like a fairy tale.

Udaipur City Palace Exterior 

The palace grounds are splendid, filled with fountains and gardens.
As usual, I declined a tour guide (unwilling to pay the extra fee on my limited budget) and wandered deeper into the site, where I spotted these guards on their magnificent horses.

Mounted Palace Guards

The interior features ornate carvings, hand painted murals, gilded statues both sacred and secular, graceful lantern fixtures and mirrored ceilings and walls.

As part of the experience, a boat tour is offered, which takes visitors on a cruise around Lake Pichola, including a stop at another famous site, Jag Mandir, which I will feature in my next entry.
From the boat, the magnificent lines of the massive palace can best be appreciated.