Saturday, 15 November 2014, Udaipur
Pati and BeeBee left Sardargarh at 9 am so that they could arrive at Ranakpur Temple for its 12 o'clock opening time. They actually arrived a half hour early, so Deepak stopped at an artisans shop by the roadside. Here they watched a demonstration of a craftsman making a dhurrie. These rugs are different from kilims and other rugs because they can be used on either side. Apparently there is jewelry making at that site also, but it was not being demonstrated. In another stall, a man was making sandals, but also not demonstrating the process. There were also tools of every day living just for viewing. In addition to Pati and BeeBee, there were two women from Australia viewing the procedures and products.
After the stop, they arrived at the temple before crowds were heavy. They got in line behind the same two Australian women and picked up audio guides and proceeded to the temple itself. This is a very beautiful, active Jain temple. In the very center, where non-Jain could not go, there was a group of Jains worshiping. The temple was built in the 15th century at incredible expense and covers 48,000 square feet. There was strict security both in checking for tickets and what people might be bringing into the temple (no shoes, no leather, no food or liquids - BeeBee is not sure why she was patted down). Also, there were guards watching to make sure that no one took any pictures of any Jain gods: the notice said that they could take away any pictures taken, and there was at least one incident with a guard repeatedly blowing a whistle and pointing at some tourist. But people were taking pictures of just about everything, and it was difficult to determine what would be considered a Jain god. In contrast, at the Jain temple in Phalodi, Pati was allowed to take pictures of anything in the temple.
Back on the road, they stopped after a half hour or so at a restaurant with an Italian name (but no Italian food). The two Australian women were just leaving. Deepak, their driver, said the women had left the temple very soon after entering, so they obviously did not listen to all 17 parts of the audio guide (as Pati and BeeBee did). Pati and BeeBee had a very nice lunch on the outer porch of the restaurant, with beautiful views of the hills. In the same part of the restaurant were some German tourists. One of the German men was finishing his second or third bottle of beer as Pati and BeeBee were eating, and the German group left just before Pati and BeeBee.
Continuing on down the road, they came upon, and stopped to observe, a rural scene of two oxen walking in a circle around a center capstan to raise water, by a series of buckets, from a large deep well. This water then flowed through channels into the newly-planted fields. The oxen were yolked together, and a slender young man sat on a board seat behind them to urge them to move forward. This seat continued to the other side of the capstan, where there were rocks placed on it as a counterbalance. Several cars of tourists had stopped to watch. In the midst of the picture taking, everyone became aware that the German tourist from the restaurant had displaced the young man on the seat. He immediately fell off the seat backwards, as if in slow motion, and rolled on the ground, unable to stop himself. (The effect of those beers at the restaurant?) Everyone - the other Germans, Pati and BeeBee, Deepak, the farmers, the gypsy children - roared with laughter. The German picked himself up as if nothing had happened, climbed back on the seat, and continued, making a feeble attempt to hit the oxen with the young man's switch to urge them on. The German was much heavier than the young man, so the young man went to the end with the counterbalancing rocks and hung from the end of the board as additional weight (as children do on a see-saw). At this point, a little gypsy girl became aware of Pati and BeeBee and came demanding rupees. They could resist her until she demanded shampoo (and she definitely needed shampoo) and then Pati relented and gave 10 rupees to each of the three Gypsy children. (One little boy promptly stole the rupees from the other little boy, but that was their affair by then...) As soon as Pati gave the "shampoo" girl rupees, she immediately stared at him and demanded "Rupees!"
After this diversion, they continued to Udaipur, where they checked into their homestay, Devran Udaipur. The local representative met them there, and they mapped out their activities for their visit. At 5 pm, they drove to the old part of the city to meet their guide. He led them through the market, observing fruits, grains, spices, and teas. After this, they drove back to their home stay. At 7 pm, they joined a group of Indian women to watch a cultural show of music and dancing. These women were occupying the rest of the homestay, and were celebrating a 50th anniversary (perhaps they had gone through school together as children?), and were a fun group to be around. Pati and BeeBee had a wonderful dinner at 8 pm; the Indian women appeared to be partying outside. Then internetting and to bed.
