We finally finished our chabutra! After many days of working with cement and rocks to build a solid structure around a tree in the temple, the construction project is finally complete! Two local laborers, Larry and Mukhesh, were a blast to work with. We plan on painting the chabutra and finishing up other paint jobs around the temple and Raola and then transitioning to spending more time in the local schools so we can tutor students. We can hardly believe we only have about a week left at the Raola.
After a few hour bus ride from Kotri, our group has arrived in Udaiper for a two-day trip. After quickly dropping off our bags in our hotel room yesterday, we went straight to City Palace, which was tranformed into a musuem open to the public. The entire city has a rich heritage of royalty, and members of the royal family still live in a residence next to the palace. We even had a chance to meet the current prince of Udaipur, Lakshyaraj, outside of a nearby cafe. The son of Mahandreji, the owner of Kotri Raola, Lokendraji, is married into this royal family of Udaipur; the king is his father-in-law and the prince is his brother-in-law. We saw the Crystal Palace and its many rooms of portraits, swords, and other objects representing the family’s past. Afterward, we hopped on a boat to get a closer look at the Lake Palace and a nearby garden, and on our way back, we entered the shopping bazaar. The girls bargained and scored some great deals, from traditional anklets to pants and paintings.
This morning, we had the chance to sit in on the City Palace School’s Foundation Day ceremony, where we saw how a typical Indian high school functions. We had lunch at a German bakery and then the girls headed off to an art workshop at Ashoka, where they learned how to paint in the style of a local organization of talented artists.
The girls at an art workshop for local Rajasthani artwork.
Until next time,
Lizzie & Aditya