India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [481]
Other goods worth keeping an eye out for are puppets and wooden folk toys, enamel or Meenakari work, dhurries (rugs), tie-dye and block-printed fabrics, embroidered bags and clothing, and silver jewelry. As is always the case, consider carefully before you buy (cheaper is not always better and often means the object is a poor imitation), and try to bargain. Plenty of places will try to sell you paintings, but if you’re looking for top quality (or at least want to understand the difference), you’ll need to visit the artist Kamal Sharma (15A, New Colony, Kalaji-Goraji; 0294/242-3451 or 98-2904-0851). A four-time national award winner, Sharma works on paper, marble, and silk. Nearer the City Palace, you can visit Shreenath (City Palace Rd.), where a father-and-son team has been in business for years and conducts considerable export trade; ask to view the more elaborate (and expensive) paintings in the back room, bearing in mind that quality is determined by the intricacy of the brush strokes, which (at first) really need to be viewed under a magnifying glass. You’ll soon develop a knack for spotting finer paintings at a glance. For a really kitschy souvenir, you can even commission a traditional miniature with your own face in the scene; just bring a photograph!
To view traditional Udaipur (and Gujarati) embroidery, visit Jagdish Emporium on City Palace Road; but note that a far superior and more affordable outlet, Rama Art Gallery (Haridas ji ki Magri; 0294/512-0771), is located near Udaivilās and the Trident. For beautiful beaded bags, head for Chandpole Road, where you will also find a number of jewelry stores.
A Special Spot Between Udaipur & Jodhpur
If you are traveling by car from Udaipur, Jodhpur signals the start of the flat, semiarid landscape that leads north-west towards the Thar Desert, and we recommend that you spend a few nights unwinding in the lusher more characterful landscape of the Aravalli Hills, and here there is no better place than Rawla Narlai.
The Rawla Narlai A stylish 17th-century hunting retreat of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, located in the heart of the semi–arid, granite-boulder strewn Aravalli Hills halfway between Udaipur and Jodhpur (an ideal and well-priced overnight stop after you visit the Jain temples of Ranakpur which are less than an hr. away, and/or Kumbhalgarh Fort), the lovely Rawla Narlai is an excellent-value destination, providing good food, good taste and undivided attention to the individual needs of guests. It’s also a destination in its own right, one completely free of touts, shops, and pushers; your dapper, congenial host, “Tikka,” who has been in the hospitality trade for 42 years, will gladly provide a guide to take you on a relaxed walk through the village, and personally accompany you on sundowner and bird-watching visits to the lake, local temples or the beautiful 7th century baoli (step well, still using both its old and new water drawing methods). Or you could go riding on beautiful Marwari horses. Follow these activities with cocktails in the idyllic garden or courtyard accompanied by a devotional sitar singer (jogi), a neck and shoulder rub, and a delectable, romantic, candlelit rooftop dinner.
140km (87 miles) from Udaipur (via Ranakpur 125km/78 miles); 160km (99 miles) from Jodhpur. Reservations through Ajit Bhawan, Near Circuit House, Jodhpur 342 006. 0291/251-0410, -1410, or -0610. Fax 0291/251-0674. www.narlai.com. reservations@ajitbhawan.com. 25 units. Rs 8,000 standard double; Rs 9,000 deluxe double; Rs 10,000 luxury tents around pool; Rs 15,000 luxury room double; Rs 2,000 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant and rooftop dining; babysitting; bird-watching; camel safaris; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; excursions, horse riding; Internet (complimentary); pool; rock climbing; transfers. In room: A/C, fan.
8 Jodhpur
336km (208 miles) E of Jaipur; 260km (161 miles) NW of Udaipur; 295km (183 miles) SE of Jaisalmer
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