Udaipur is happy again. And the stim­ulus of Udaipur’s happiness has stirred everybody. The minia­ture painter at Hanuman Ghat adds strands of emotions to his creations with nonchalant ease. The white-bearded Sikh guide is childishly cute as he does a Col Tod in Gujarati. The owner of a restaurant is adamant about reciting the verses sent by his Polish love, the ones that inspired him to visualise her as a mermaid. This happiness will also imbue your being. It will make you sit by the lakeside and listen to its sounds and cherish its silen­ces. It will make you climb up a fish-shaped hill to gently stroke age-old, crum­bl­ing walls. It will make you wander aim­lessly in the galis and streets, or spend hours in the palaces learning about his­tory and fate, war and misfortune.

Udaipur is happy again. After many par­ched years, its skies are full of water and so are its lakes. The walls are a smil­ing cream or a radiant white, and the capa­­­risoned elephants and horses painted next to welcoming doors sport a splash of red and indigo. The mango and rayan trees are vibrant green and muted auburn, the skies a brooding grey or a tender crim­son. The abandoned ruins muster up an ochre melancholy, and the lively palaces are a shower of gold. The waters provide a silvery sheen. Colours have come to life and Udaipur has become a charming, seduc­tive miniature painting of the Mewar School, once again.

ORIENTATION

The Old City is to the east of Lake Pich­ola. The city wall is hardly seen, but many areas are still known by the gate names of yore: Suraj Pol, Hathi Pol, et al. The City Palace sits on the east bank of Lake Pichola, with its back towards it. The tourist hub is to the north of City Palace. Fateh Sagar Lake is further north. The train station and the bus stand are just outside the Old City, to the south-east. The airport is 25 km from the city centre to the east. Autos here don’t run on meter and the minimum fare is Rs 20-25. An auto for the day should cost Rs 300-350. The taxi fare for the day should be Rs 1,000-1,100. There are numerous travel agents around the city centre, and it’s best to compare rates or ask your hotel to arrange a taxi.