When you travel through India, you quickly realize that the country is simply too big and diverse to be fully experienced in a single journey. So far we have only been in one state in India: Rajasthan, the Land of Kings. You can compare Rajasthan a bit with Germany. It is about the same size and has almost as many inhabitants. It also has a long history, marked by armed conflicts, but also by art and culture. Each major city has its own extensive fort with fantastic palaces, where generations of Maharajas have ruled and lived excessively over their local empire. From golden decorations to blue tiles, colorful glass windows, the finest stone work to miniature paintings: Every craft was needed for the construction, extension and decoration of the palaces of the royal family.
Very fine brushes are used for miniature painting, some of which consist of only a single hair of the chipmunk. That’s why you need a magnifying glass to admire all the details. On finger rings whole pictures are accommodated in finest craftsmanship. The walls of the palaces and temples are also almost completely decorated with reliefs or stone carved patterns. Sometimes they are so finely crafted that they could be confused with woodcarving. This handicraft can be found not only in the palaces but also on houses outside the palace walls. These are called Havelis and are today museums, expensive hotels or still used as houses.
We were especially looking forward to Indian food. Here, too, there are more variations than you can try out on a single trip. The Indian Thali is perfect for tasting. Here, several small bowls are filled with different dishes and served together on a large metal plate. It is accompanied by chapati bread, rice and spicy sauces, and various desserts. The Thali Rajasthani – excellent! The whole menu is usually vegetarian, chicken and lamb are usually eaten only by western tourists. We especially love the Indian Paneer, a cheese that is available in many different curry varieties.
Before heading to the next “country”, we have a look at one more scenic highlight of Rajasthan: Udaipur, framed by mountains and lakes. What better way to do that than on an old, rickety Indian bicycle. We prevail against the cows, mopeds and rickshaws running on the streets and survive. And it’s nice to be really exhausted again.
