As
we set out on our vacation to Udaipur, we were not aware that we
were about to discover two hidden gems of Rajasthan. On the first day of our
trip we drove to Kumbhalgarh, awestruck at the scenic beauty of Rajasthan with
mountains on both sides of the road and lush green fields dotting the horizon. The
first gem, Hameripal Lake, is hidden in Village Hameripal
in Kumbhalgarh district, a two hour drive from Udaipur. The lake welcomed us
with its calm waters which had clear reflections of the mountains, that stood
on its side, spread grandly across its shining surface. We created a stir of
excitement in the village as the lake is not frequented by tourists. We bought
bread and biscuits from a vendor near the lake and climbed down the steps to
the bank of the lake. It was an overwhelming experience to see all the catfish
come up to the shore the moment I threw a piece of bread in the water. The
catfish had their mouths open to catch the bread. They were literally jumping
out of the water to catch every piece of bread that we were throwing at them. I
kept throwing the bread and biscuits to see them storm near the shore and jump
up from the water. Children and adults from the village joined us to watch the
adventure in the water. There was a sense of fulfilment in our hearts as the catfish ate the bread and biscuits.
We
discovered the second gem on our return journey from Lake Jaisamand to Udaipur
on the third day of our vacation. Our driver, Rakesh Kumar, (prefers to be called
Panditji), decided to show us a temple that has been recently excavated. He had
read about this 10th century temple in the papers and wanted to impress us with
this information. We drove through the villages lining the lake in search of a
village called Jagat. This is where Ambika Devi temple was unearthed. The drive
through the villages was absolutely divine. Flanked by a lake on one side and
the villages on the other, we drove for almost thirty kilometres, stopping
frequently to get directions from the villagers on the way, before we found the
village of Jagat. The temple was definitely worth a visit. The entire temple is
made of marble and has intricate carvings of Gods and Goddesses giving it a
divine beauty. We stood there astounded looking at this beautiful piece of
architecture. The temple did not have any other visitors except us. A pandit had just finished
performing a puja as we could tell
from the smoke rising from the hawan
kund in front of the main temple. The serenity at the temple compound
filled us with a peaceful aura and the creativity of our ancestors filled us
with pride at the masterpiece of heritage they have left for us.
The
road less taken, had made us discover the richness of civilization of our
country.
