Vrinda Raje Singh

A beautiful mystical religious festival, Kartik Poornima is celebrated on the full moon night in the auspicious Hindu month of ‘Kartik’, usually in November. It is believed that all worship done in this month contributes to the spiritual upliftment of the individual. When Lord Ganesha (son of Lord Shiva- The Destroyer in the Hindu Trinity) was designated as Pratham Pujya (the first deity to be worshiped), his younger brother Kartikeya questioned the decision and it was then determined that an entire month in the year would be dedicated to Kartikeya to be called Kartik. During Kartik Poornima at the onset of winter and on this night the moon is at its brightest.

Kartik Poornima is the only day of the year when Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, is worshiped. As the legend goes, Lord Brahma wished to perform a ‘Yajna’ or sacrifice on earth and therefore selected a hill on which he would perform. Here he followed his penance for 1000 years prior to performing the ‘Yajna’. From the sky, he then dropped a lotus flower, which is said to have created the holy lake of Pushkar (which means ‘lotus’). The Lord Brahma temple at Pushkar is considered the most sacred amongst the very few Lord Brahma temples in India.

Just before Lord Brahma was set to commence the sacrifice, his eldest wife, Savitri was nowhere to be seen, so he impatiently commenced the ‘Yajna’ with his younger wife, Gayatri. When Savitri learnt of this, she was outraged and cursed him, stating that, henceforth he would only be worshiped on one particular day of the year-Kartik Poornima.

It is also believed that on this day Lord Shiva with the help of Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu destroyed the demon, Tripur. Tripur had the boon that neither God nor humans would be able to kill him. With no fear of death, he started harassing everyone and so all the Gods asked Lord Shiva to destroy Tripur.

Holika Dahan is the first day of the popular Indian festival of colours called Holi. On this day a pious fire is lit on the full moon night of Phalguna (one of the 12 months of the Hindu calendar). According to Hindu mythology, it demonstrates the triumph of divine power over demonic strength.

The Holika Dahan Ceremony held at The City Palace, Udaipur, witnesses a magnificent palace procession, observe royal etiquette and ritual as you look upon the royal parade in their traditional attire-finely liveried palace staff, elegantly bedecked horses and the impeccably turned out band that leads the cavalcade through the Palace from the Royal residence to Manek Chowk. After the religious ceremonies, as twilight descends, You can look forward to the lighting of a traditional sacred fire where an effigy of the fraudulent Holika is burnt.

A Timeless Gratitude to equinity with an object of preserving artistic, religious and historic interest for cultural conservation of heritage.

British Thoroughbreds at Udaipur

Immortalized by bards, ballads and balladeers, Chetak the horse ridden by Rana Pratap in the battle of Haldighati in A.D. 1576 is considered the epitome of the historical connect between Rajputs and their loyal horses. In 1909 the British Monarch King Edward VII with great political and cultural sagacity chose to send two thoroughbred horses to Maharana Fateh Singh as return gifts. This was in recognition of the gift made by Maharana Fateh Singh of select rifles from the Palace Armoury to his son, the Prince of Wales (Later King George V) for the latter’s royal shoot in Nepal. The daily account of the life of the Maharana faithfully records the date of arrival of the state gifts as 1st September 1909. Named ‘Red Lad’ and ‘Expert’, these horses were accommodated at special stables built at the Jaleb Chowk, within The City Palace Complex. The horses are believed to have been personally chosen by the British Sovereign after their Sterling performance in several horse fairs in England and were thus found worthy of being sent as state gifts to a valued and much respected royal friend.

Discover Udaipur, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and revel in the majesty of its iconic 500 year old living-palace – The City Palace, Udaipur. Living Heritage is enshrined and embodied here – in this city and in this palace. Witness vibrant dances, lose yourself in mesmerizing music, and explore the incredible arts and crafts of India – at the 4th World Living Heritage Festival. Anchoring these myriad experiences is the International Conference on Living Heritage, featuring renowned experts from diverse fields.

Under the leadership of the 76th Custodian, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, ‘Focus Areas’ for the Eternal Mewar initiatives have been defined. In consultation with leading global and Indian architects, conservationists, environmentalists, artists and educationists, these ‘Focus Areas’ have become the thrust of the Eternal Mewar initiatives in the twenty-first century.