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Published: November 29th 2018
This morning we visit the Juna Mahal, the old palace of the ruling Maharajahs on which construction started in 1304. It clings to the hillside a couple of kilometres away from the Udai Bilas. It claims to be the longest continually inhabited palace in India, occupied by 22 successive generations of the same family, the Rawals of Vagad, a remarkable feat of survival considering the conflicting sultanates and dynasties on all sides of them. The Rawals were Rajputs who had broken away from the Mewar court of Chittorgarh and Udaipur.
We are the only visitors and it’s not immediately clear if the place is open. Eventually Mr Singh locates a youth of about 16 who shows us round this amazing place. The outer courtyard where you arrive used to house the elephant stables. The palace has nine stories in all, two below and seven towering above the Jambua Chowk, the central courtyard dominated by a large maulashree tree. The exterior looks cold and unwelcoming, but inside is stunning faded glory. We start in the durbar hall or main meeting room, with every wall and pillar brightly painted with animals and people. Apparently this was still used for durbars by the
Maharajah to hold his durbars until the late 19
th century and was still in use as a magistrate’s court in the 1940s. We gradually ascend to the very top, stopping off at ever more extraordinary rooms. Unexpectedly there are useful panels telling us about the key rooms in English. One is a Shish Mahal, covered in mirror tiles even on the floor, others are full of painted walls and ceilings. Some have a mixture of lacquerwork, mirror tiles, pietradura, and even some walls with Chinese porcelain set in the walls. There is even a cabinet which is unlocked for us to see a range of paintings from the Kama Sutra. Sadly it’s too dark to be able to see the images very clearly!
From the upper levels you can see all the ancillary buildings attached to the palace, stables, guardrooms, servants' quarters and so on. There’s a great view onto the town below, with the newer buildings easily discernible from the old because of their flat roofs that make it easy to extend upwards at a later date when finances permit.
We drive back down into town, and stop at the 16
th century Shrinathji temple, with a row
of white shrines along each side of a courtyard leading up to the main temple. It’s deserted, which is a first for a temple!
Finally we drive to the Badal Mahal, which must be the smallest palace ever built. It juts out into the lake, and has three small rooms which now house mock ups of a tribal village hut and shrine. Not at all palace like!
That’s it for the sights of Dungarpur, a modest but pleasing town, so we retire to the hotel for another lazy afternoon, while Mr Singh gratefully seizes the opportunity to see his wife for the rest of the day. After he finishes driving us, he has a 32 day job starting next week, which his wife is not pleased about!
Like so many heritage hotels, the Udai Bilas Palace is beautiful but eccentrically run. The reception desk is manned only sporadically, and there is no phone to call for housekeeping. Our best ally has been an elderly retainer who like all of them wears a black uniform with a red beret. He’s shown us round the hotel, and serves as a waiter at mealtimes. David has not felt well for
a couple of days, so our new friend offered to cook him plain rice and steamed vegetables for dinner the first night, then came to our room the next day to check on what we wanted to eat.
It’s a very peaceful place to spend some downtime, and also turns out to be an excellent place for bird watching. Ducks and cormorants paddle across the lake in lines, while kingfishers and bee eaters settle on the telegraph wires. No need to go to a bird sanctuary to get some good close ups.
As David is feeling better we adjourn to the bar this evening for the first time. It’s located at the back of the garage containing the maharajah’s vintage car collection, and is on a raised platform full of motoring memorabilia. ‘Staying Alive’ starts to play as we enter, which feels somehow appropriate! The barman does his party piece of raising the entire bar seating area 6 feet into the air using the hydraulic jacks that are cunningly hidden underneath where we sit. We enjoy a gin and tonic before one last dinner at the marble table in the dining room.
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Keep Smiling
Mike Fossey
This is a Red-vented Bulbul
Now you know at least one bird's name! (Its common name is certainly easier to pronounce than its species name: Pycnonotus cafer)