Udaipur

Udaipur, often referred to as the "City of Lakes", is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities situated in the state of Rajasthan, it is renowned for its history, culture, scenic beauty, and regal palaces.

Travel was from Kochi to Ahmedabad via flight and train from there.

Day 1 (25 Dec)

Stay was at Hotel Udaigarh, 21 Lalghat, Behind Jagdish Temple.

Had Traditional style lunch

Restaurant - Traditional khana, Navidya, khamma gani, Upre by 1559

Pichhola lake view at night dinner was near that

Covered

 City palace Udaipur, 

Jagdish temple and 

Bagore khi Haveli

Bagore-ki-Haveli is a Cultural Gem of Udaipur, is located by Lake Pichola, at Gangaur Ghat. Amar Chand Badwa, the Prime Minister of Mewar, built it in the 18th century. The massive palace has over a hundred rooms that display costumes and modern art. The glass and mirrors in the interiors are structured in classical haveli style.

Though temperature was in between 14 to 16 degree,  felt very cold. Streets were crowded with tourists. 

Day 2 (26 Dec)

Hotel terrace breakfast time.

Kumbhalgarh fort

Kumbbalgadh is known for thick wall around the fort . Its like the wall of china. The location of fort is unique. It's a hidden fort . You come to know when you are close to it . The drive from Udaipur to kumbhalgath is interesting.

The Great Wall of India, though less extensive than China's, is the world's second largest.  

This 36-kilometer-long, formidable fortification encompasses numerous temples and artworks.  

Constructed in the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, this UNESCO World Heritage Site showcases Rajasthan's military architecture and rich history.  

The Kumbhalgarh Fortress, situated within the Aravalli Mountains, serves as its centerpiece.

Initial climb was steep.The fort is on one side… the walls  run 35 kms.

Ranakpur Jain temple

The work there is just too good…. took very less photos. Baroda palace type is udaipur palace. This is full white granite  ….intricate work… Awesome,  Amazing carvings…. Difficult to understand.

Shrinathji temple

Rajsamand lake

It's too cold outside.  Don't feel like getting out of the hotel room.

Plan for next day was Mount Abu and fort enroute, but canceled … no travel…. near the hotel…bahubali hills n around another lake… Fateh sagar. That's the plan.

Day 3 (27 Dec)

View from hotel terrace during breakfast time. Looks like through out the day, the place is always misty. 

Bahubali  hills

This was the best  part of the trip. Hiking, trekking. To and fro walk one hour minimum…. very scenic👆

Lake badi 

badi lake👆

Agar cenotaphs

Sajjanghar monsoon palace

Saheliyon ki badi

Day 4 (28 Dec)

Chittorgarh fort

Built in the 7th century, Chittorgarh is the largest fort  in India ( In fact in Asia). Spread over the area of 700 acres, this place has 22 water bodies. Chitrangad Mori of the Maurya dynasty is said to have laid its foundation during the 7th Century. Chittorgarh Fort is a marvel, perched on a 180-meter hill and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are some beautiful buildings in Chittor, including a wonderful Jain Temple. However, much had been destroyed by the invasion by the Moghuls and there were many terrible stories of slaughter and suicide. The main entrance gate was not friendly as far as modern coaches are concerned.

The Chittorgarh Fort also popularly known as Water Fort and is home to 22 water bodies, palaces, towers and temples spread over 700 acres. The fort was captured numerous times; the first one to lay his hands on the fort was Bappa Rawal of the Guhila dynasty, who defeated the Moris to capture the majestic fort.

Originally called Chitrakuta, the Chittor Fort is said to have been built by Chitranga, a Mori king. The Guhila (Gahlot) ruler Bappa Rawal is said to have captured the fort in either 728 CE or 734 CE.

Chittorgarh Fort, us an exemplary representation of Rajput architecture and historical significance, with its origins dating back over 1,300 years. The fort was skillfully carved from the rocky plateau on which it is situated, and its structure was reinforced with stone bricks to withstand prolonged sieges. Notably, it is equipped with seven imposing gates, formidable walls, and an advanced reservoir system, which ensured a consistent water supply for its defenders.

The fort's history is punctuated by acts of extraordinary valor, particularly during the siege of 1303 by Alauddin Khilji. Faced with imminent defeat, the inhabitants made the poignant decision to perform jauhar, an act of mass self-immolation, along with saka, the final charge by warriors into battle, rather than capitulate to enemy forces. Today, Chittorgarh Fort serves as a powerful emblem of Rajput resilience, encapsulating narratives of bravery and sacrifice that have persevered through the centuries.

Vijay stambh

The Vijaya Stambha is a Rajput victory monument located within Chittor Fort. It is also known as tower of Victory and is new in comparison to Kirti Stambh or tower of fame.

Rana khumba palace 

Rana Kumbha Palace is situated inside the Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan. It is located near the Vijay Stambha close to the entrance gate. The ruins of the once famous palace have the temple of Lord Shiva, Zanana mahal, Diwan -e -aam, along with a stable for horses. According to the legends, the founder of the city of Udaipur, Maharana Udai Singh was born here, and his life was saved by his wet nurse Panna Dai, who hid him inside a fruit basket. This place was once the home of the famous bhakti poetess Meerabai. It is also believed, that Rani Padmini organi

Meera temple 

Padmini palace 

Suraj pole

Kirti stamba

Kirti Stambh also known as the Tower of Fame is a 12th century tower situated inside the Chittorgarh Fort Complex. Kirti Stambha is older than another tower in the same fort, known as the Vijay Stambha (Tower of Victory).

Lake Pichola

Udaipur certainly need more time with lots of monuments around Ranakpur, Chittore, Kumbhalgarh, Shreenathji, Eklingji,Nagda, Jaisamand, Jagat, Halidighati. The art, architecture,  forts and lakes are mesmerising with a rich history behind it.  Also we can find beautiful paintings.  

The best time to visit Udaipur is  September, October and March. During this time the temperature is not too hot, but with the start of November till February the weather is chilly. Udaipur is extremely hot from March to June, and that can be very exhausting for people who want to explore the city.

Christmas

 A Christmas message from the heart !

"All of us go through some form of suffering at some stage in our life, be it mental or physical. The degree to which we help one another – and draw support from each other, be we people of Faith or of none - is a measure of our civilisation as Nations. This is what continually impresses me, as my Family and I meet with, and listen to, those who dedicate their lives to helping others.

"On our recent visit to the South Pacific to attend the Commonwealth Summit, I was reminded constantly of the strength which institutions, as well as individuals, can draw from one another. And of how diversity of culture, ethnicity and Faith provides strength, not weakness. Across the Commonwealth, we are held together by a willingness to listen to each other, to learn from one another and to find just how much we have in common. Because, through listening, we learn to respect our differences, to defeat prejudice, and to open up new possibilities.

I am speaking to you today from the Chapel of the former Middlesex Hospital in London – now itself a vibrant Community space – and thinking especially of the many thousands of professionals and volunteers here in the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others - often at some cost to themselves. From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my Family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed. I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement."

Well had intended to be under the Christmas tree to let the world know that I am the gift...but seems I have become the Christmas tree. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New year...

Decisive Battles, Strategic Leaders ~ J.P. Alexander (120 of 2024)

 "Decisive Battles, Strategic Leaders" by J.P. Alexander delves into pivotal military engagements throughout history, analysing the strategic decisions of renowned commanders and their lasting impacts on nations and warfare. The author delves into the minds of these strategists to understand how their battlefield decisions influenced the outcomes of wars and the destinies of nations. The book presents fundamental principles of warfare and draws analogies between military strategies and business tactics, offering insights valuable to both military enthusiasts and practicing managers. Interesting point is that the author has visited each of these sites mentioned in the book, and was present there personally. 

Book begins with strategic leadership in 2014, and takes us back to ancient leaders and battles. 

The book examines campaigns from ancient to modern times, featuring leaders such as Pharaoh Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo (1479 BC), Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Constantinople, Charles Martel, Hastings,  Genghis Khan, Gustavus Adolphus, Blenheim, Napoleon Bonaparte, General Sam Manekshaw during the Bangladesh War of 1971 and many more of them. 

It also explores the fall of significant cities like Constantinople, Delhi and Singapore  providing detailed accounts of these events. Divided into 24 chapters, the book covers many battles. 

Autor mentions and pays special tribute to Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam (19 January 1929 — 2 February 2011) was an Indian international strategic affairs analyst, journalist and former civil servant. Considered a proponent of Realpolitik, Subrahmanyam was an influential voice in Indian security affairs for a long time.

A commander must handle three basic element - men, material, and ground. Success comes to the general who is adept at the art of applying the first two elements to the last, in the most effective way. 

According to the author, there are three deadly bombs waiting to be exploded - nuclear, financial and climate. 

Prof. Arnold Toynbee (author of the classic 'Study of History) in his Azad Memorial Lecture (1960) in Delhi -"The new danger to which our race is now exposed - the danger of our being destroyed by our own hands - ought to inspire in us a new patriotism for Mankind as a whole, and this ought to take precedence in our hearts and minds over traditional attachments to this or that fraction of mankind."

Samurai Spirit, pervades all aspects of leadership style and strategy. In his 17th century "Book of the 5 rings" Samurai Miyamoto Musashi spells out the strategic principles. Five brief studies titled over 5 elements of nature - Chi/earth, Mizu/water, Hi/fire, Kaze/wind and Ku/emptiness. He covers many leadership lessons in it, like Balance, Intuition/sixth sense, Negotiation, Seeing the big picture etc. 

Studies reveal that Ambition (Caesar), Hatred of Rome (Hannibal), Pride (Frederick the Great), Professionalism (Yamashita, Gustavus, Adolphus), Avarice (Genghis Khan, Abdali), Patriotism (Harold, Joan of Arc) and Sense of Destiny (Napoleon, Alexander) were their  more obvious motivation factors - all located close to the summit of the hierarchical 'needs' pyramid. 

Are geniuses born or made? nature or Nurture? Superstars are product of history and community of opportunity and legacy. 

Major clash between the nomads and settled civilisation occurred in the 2nd millennium BC when the warlike Indo-European hordes poured out of the central Asian grasslands around the caspan and Aral Seas, in search of 'lebensraum'. (Territory needed for natural development) Astride sturdy horses and wielding spears and swords, they swept south-eastwards into India (as Aryans) and south westwards into Iran (as Medes and Persians)

The first major battle every recorded was fought at Megiddo (Armageddon), south east of Nazareth in Palestine on 14th April 1479 BC. 

Interestingly, the 6th Century BC, Provides a contemporaneous galaxy of ethical thinkers - Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Zoroaster, Lao Tse, Confucius, Pythagoras of Samos and the Hebrew prophets of the Babylonian exile. Intrigued by this amazing coincidence, Jawaharlal Nehru devotes a full chapter to this spiritual phenomenon in his "Glimpses of world History', drawing parallels between these philosopher - prophet- teachers of different genres. He observes "There must have been a wave of thought going through the world, a wave of discontent with existing conditions and of hope and aspiration for something better."

Chinese mass lay far outside the fulcral area of the other major civilizations, under the Shang and Chou dynasties (till 771 BC) when they were unified by Chi'ins. Sun Tzu was a successful general of the  king of Wu and his  perceptive 'Art of war' was widely studied in China and Japan for his principles of "Creating confusion and friction."

Sermons of the Dead ~ Narendra Murthy (119 of 2024)

 

"Sermons of the Dead" by Narendra Murty is a book in three parts. Part one cover a brief sketch of six historical martyrs: Socrates, Jesus, Joan of Arc, Galileo, Gandhi, and Mansur al-Hallaj  and interviews with them. Was there anything drastically new you learn from this book? Nope if you have followed the lives of these six martyrs, believe in them and follow what the world is going through today. But the catch is there is lot to ponder and implement. 

What is commendable is the thought process, the way author has brought all the characters  to the present and tried to address most of the pressing problems faced by humanity and the need of the hour. Yes when asked there could be varying views on what the pressing problem are now, but most of them could be related or linked to one of the subject covered in the book. Values, Morals, Love, Peace, Hope, Freedom.

Am sure, the six historical martyrs need no introduction,  in the book they are are interviewed by Bertrand Russell a quintessential modern man born on 18th may 1872 in UK. His contributions to logic, epistemology, and the philosophy of mathematics established him as one of the foremost philosophers of the 20th century. To the general public, however, he was best known as a campaigner for peace and as a popular writer on social, political, and moral subjects.

Part 2 covers three eternal debate,  one on Mind Vs. Matter by Joan of Arc, Mansur and Russell; 2nd on Authoritarianism Vs. Democracy by Socrates, Gandhi and Russell and 3rd on Science Vs. Religion by Jesus, Galileo and Russell. These debates are age-old in which neither side has ever won a conclusive victory, may be so called the 'eternal debates'. 

Mind Vs. Matter: For the modern man what he can see and touch is real, but even matter is made up of minute particles that cannot be seen. Because matter is a form of energy, so is consciousness that give rise to mind. The objective world, a world 'out there' independent of the observer, simply does not exist when we delve into the atomic world. We can only perceive and cannot know what is out there. The same apply to all senses. What we perceive is our own invention. World out there is a work of art and not a scientific fact. We are creating this reality. We can know things only as they present themselves to us, and not 'as they are'. External world is Mind plus matter. Neither objective or pure matter or subjective or pure mind. So can we say 'Omnijective'? We see 'what we are' at different stages of life, and not 'what it is'. Mind evolves out of matter because it is already involved in matter. 

Matter = Expression of energy

Mind = Expression of Consciousness. 

Consciousness sleeps in the rock, awakens in the plant, moves and feels in the animal and thinks and imagines in the man. 

Matter is involved mind and mind is evolved matter. 

 Authoritarianism vs. Democracy

Democracy is not just the right to vote, citizens should be involved. The belief that human beings, societies and the environment should be ruled by the demands of the market place is diabolic and suicidal.  Only when poor are happy with neither ignorance or distress, there are no prisoners or beggars, taxes are not oppressive and aged are not in want only then we can say the democracy is successful. If we have to protect democracy, at some point we have to confront the violence of authoritarianism. 

Dysfunctional democracies with their bankrupt economic policies that exist only to serve the power elite, would respond with violence once the people rise in protest when it all becomes to unbearable. 

Democracy is controlled by the rich, which can lead to his failure. 

Science  Vs. Religion 

Our science is not an illusion, but it would be an illusion to suppose that what science cannot give us, we can get elsewhere. Science refuse to acknowledge God as God cannot be caught in laboratory experiment. God is a higher dimension and a state of being which simply cannot fit into a laboratory experiment. God is the whole, the totality of existence and science can never grasp God because its vision is fragmentary, because it deals with fragments. And even though science deals with the fragments when the fragments are integrated, we find that we are moving closer to a Unity, the Whole. Science has discovered that matter and energy are one. Time and space are one - time being the fourth dimension of space. 

Consciousness is an obvious, glaring fact of the universe and science is incapable of coming to terms with it. It happens to be the field of religion. Religion is all about illusion, revelation, inspiration, insight and vision. 

Science cannot run away from the sphere of Value judgement. There is science for knowledge and science for power. They are inextricably linked in the modern world. Power can never be free of value judgement. We are in the middle of a race between human skill as to means and human folly as to ends. The human race has survived hitherto owing to ignorance and incompetence; but given knowledge and competence combined with folly, there can be no certainty of survival. 

We are seeing the coexistence of the marvels of science on the physical plane but on the mental plane, we find an attempt to escape into irrationality and a regress into a Utopia where all our wishes come true if only we follow a prescribed formula.  We believe in Vastu, Feng Shui, and intense form of narcissism driven by the advertisement industry which place importance to physical body. 

Cults are mushrooming and they provide a refugee, by giving a sense of belonging and brotherhood. Religion has two aspects, the inner and the outer. Science see religion as a set of outdated morals. Nobody today is interested in salvation and heaven for virtuous behaviour. 

Science should not in arrogance provide blanket judgement, its best representatives - Einstein, John Wheeler - where all religious and mystics in the highest form.  The longing in man's soul can only be satisfied by a true and authentic religion. We need science to make the world a better place. 'For what would it profit a man if he gains the entire world but loses his soul?

and in Part 3 each of them give their final message, the need of the hour for humanity.

Socrates speaks on why do we live? Our souls long for things of a higher order: Love, truth, justice, peace and beauty though we are behind material things. Science lead to Truth, religion to goodness and art to beauty. Happiness would elude us in spite of possession of all the material luxuries if the higher motives or meta motives don't guide our lives. 

Joan of Arc ask us to strive for and work towards peace. 

Galileo to enhance our quest for knowledge, and not power and wealth. Though it is wisdom we should ultimately strive for. 

Gandhiji ask us to stop pretending that economics is a science. We have moved out of agricultural, industrial economics and have made finance a gamble, making money not out of goods or services but out of money. An unemployed man is a hungry man and a angry man. 

Mansur says that religious law/theocracy and freedom cannot coexist. The five pillars are enough for a good Moslem. Now we have 'clash of civilisation' because religion involves very strong emotions and it is coming out in the public space. Bertrand Russell had wisely remarked 'Religion is a department of Politics'. Beware, look where you are going. 

Jesus says, he had not asked for churches, blessed are the pure in the heart for they shall see God. Need of the hour is great LOVE. Love with tears of devotion can conquer the fear of death. 

Through these conversations, the book delves into enduring issues such as war, religious conflict, social inequality, and the essence of a virtuous life. This kind of writing do need a soaring, lofty flight of imagination that seeks to visit the realm of the departed to win the treasures of wisdom from the noble dead, making it difficult to categorise it under either non-fiction or fiction. 

 "Sermons of the Dead" is recommended for readers interested in philosophy, history, and the application of historical wisdom to modern societal challenges. Its imaginative premise and engaging prose offer a unique opportunity to reflect on the insights of some of history's most influential martyrs.