Saturday 12 October 2013

Floating Lake Palace of Udaipur India

Like a sparkling mirage in the middle of Lake Pichola, the Palace is easily one of India’s most prominent hotels. It is located in the middle of Lake Pichola in Udaipur city, an architectural wonder constructed in white marble and mosaic, resembling with Taj Mahal.
Set against the backdrop of the magnificent Aravalli Mountains on one side of the lake and palaces on the other, the hotel is spread across a four acre island.
The majestic Udaipur City Palace is one of the architectural marvels of Rajasthan and the most visited tourist attraction of Udaipur and often distinguished as the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. City Palace boasts of the magnificent blend of Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture.
The fabulous Palace has different towers, domes and arches, which add to the flavor of heritage site. Towering on the banks of Pichola Lake, City Palace is truly a feast to the eyes, and marvelous assortment of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. Encircled by fortifications, this imposing Palace is wholly built in granite and marble.
 At first, Maharana Udai Singh built this terrific wonder, and present Palace form is the result of subsequent additions by his successors. The Palace was built in between 1743 and 1746. When the water level is high, it hides all traces of the island and the palace appears to be almost floating in the water.
After serving as a summer resort to by the descendants of Jagat Singh for several generations, it was well converted into a luxury hotel in the 1960s. However, In 1971 Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces took over management of the hotel and extended it with another 75 rooms
City Palace has a number of gates that are known as "Bara Pols" (Great Gate) is the main gate to the City Palace complex. City Palace comprises 11 magnificent palaces, which were superbly built by different rulers still they be similar to each other. Therefore; with the sheer glimpse of unique paintings, antique furniture and beautiful glass mirror & ornamental tiles work of these palaces, you will definitely amazed.
Manak Mahal has figures of crystal and porcelain. However, Bhim Vilas flaunts a fabulous collection of miniature paintings depicting the real life stories of Radha-Krishna.
In 1974, a part of the City Palace and the 'Zenana Mahal' (Called Ladies Chamber) have been transformed into a lovely museum. Futhermore; “Amar Vilas” is the highest point of Palace and has astonishing hanging gardens with fountains, towers and terraces.
City Palace is structured in a way that it offers a fabulous view of the lake from all its Balconies, cupolas and towers. Contrasting the craggy exterior, City Palace has remarkable interiors with delicate mirror-work, marble work, murals, wall paintings, silver work, inlay work and surplus of colored glass.
The delicate work of City Palace cannot be bounded in words, so one must visit this palace to capture the real picture of it.

Brief Highlights
Location: On the banks of Lake Pichola
Built by: Started by Maharana Udai Singh, completed by his successors
Built in: Started in 1559 - till 18th century
Highlights: Largest palace complex in Rajasthan
How to reach: One can easily reach Udaipur City Palace either by taking local buses, tongas, auto-rickshaws and taxis from the city 
 
 
 

 


 
 

Thursday 10 October 2013

Amazing Shadow of Mount Rainier

All objects & things, even big or small, cast shadows like Mount Rainier. Although, one particular peak displays an unusual behavior and it cast shadows not on the ground, but amazingly up in the clouds. How does that happen? Mount Rainier is a massive volcanic peak located 87 kilometer southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States, that climbs to a height of 4,392 meters. Mount Rainier is a most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, because of its large amount of glacial ice, Mt. Rainier could potentially produce massive lahars that would threaten the whole Puyallup River valley.

Noteworthy there are no other mountains near that height in the surroundings, so it is topographically the most prominent mountain in the entire USA.  In a clear day the peak dominates the southeastern horizon and can be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon and Victoria, British Columbia. Therefore; on a cloudy morning, when the cloud heights are just right, the rising sun can catch the peak from below and cast a long shadow on the underside of the cloud. This is only happens during the fall and winter when the sun rises farther to the south, and is in the exact position where Mount Rainier blocks the first rays of morning light. The rising Sun catches the peak, and the shadow is cast on the underside of the cloud layer. The dramatic sunrise colors really make this an incredibly beautiful shot.