Off the tourist track

Trip Start Sep 28, 2005
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36
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Trip End Jun 24, 2006


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Flag of India  ,
Sunday, December 18, 2005

Karauli, 12/18

Miles travelled: 24860

We're way off the tourist track here in small-town Karauli. We are staying in the former estate of the maharaja (king) of the region. His descendants still own the property and run a hotel in it. The palace dates from the 14th century and is one of the most spectacularly decorated buildings we've seen so far in India. Inside are a convoluted series of rooms connected by archways and steep staircases, all done in brightly colored paintings and mosaics. Next to the palace is a Hindu temple, and we observed as worshippers prayed and received blessings in front of a 5-foot statue of the god Krishna, to the accompaniment of loud gongs and bells.

We also took a camel-cart ride -- we were definitely the center of attention as we rolled by, with everyone saying "Hello" and a horde of little kids running after us. Being so far off the tourist path, this area seems much more "authentic" as a snapshot of rural India, where shopkeepers are eager for us to take their photo and don't demand money for it.
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