Samode Palace

     I have some glorious things to catch up on!  Though I’ve been neglectful the past two weeks, I am now happy to fill in those gaps with some truly spectacular experiences…

     The week before last, John’s company, DevInfo, had their annual, week-long, conference/retreat.  Participants from all over the world attended, including DevInfo employees and UN partners.  The conference was held at the Samode Palace- a majestic and fantastical place!  (Yes- those adjectives are not only both necessary but entirely appropriate.)  The palace is 475 years old, but the most amazing additions were made in the early 19^th century, and it is now the epitome of grandeur and a perfect combination of colonial Raj and ancient Mughal architecture.  It's a palace!  The palace is located in the tiny village of Samode, outside of Jaipur in Rajasthan.  It sits just below the ancient fortress walls and is surrounded by lush hills filled with goats belonging to the local village herdsmen, monkeys, and not a few peacocks.  

     Initially, I was wildly jealous and very sad that John was getting to go to this amazing and beautiful place for a week without me.  However- due to a small, mid-week shuffle of attendants, I was invited to take a van the 5 hours Wednesday morning to spend the latter part of the week at the palace!  The group was all heading back to Delhi Friday afternoon, so I had 2 full days of bliss.  

     The grounds abound with gardens, terraces, balconies, exquisitely ornate sitting rooms, and 2 pools, one of which, I will add, is an infinity pool complete with a hot tub in a gazebo.  Amazing.  Everything was taken care of, and while John and the others were in conferences all day, I had nothing to do but enjoy my spectacular surroundings.  I would have felt ridiculously spoiled, staying in a giant suite with a private terrace in a palace, if I wasn't quite so aware of how lucky I was to be there.  

     I did not spend all of my time lazing about the pool.  One morning I ventured into the village of Samode and met some very interesting people.  The first thing I came across outside of the palace grounds, was the oldest temple in Samode, dedicated to lord Krishna.  A very small, middle-aged gentleman named Makhan offered to show me the temple and explain the old and decrepit shrine and offerings.  As we left the temple, he escorted me into the town, pointing out different buildings and aspects of his village while giving me a brief history.  I certainly did not mind having this impromptu guide- I fully expected that he would ask for payment or that I buy something at the end of his walk, which I was happy to do, as he seemed a kind and knowledgable man.  To have someone show me around and introduce me to local villagers was well a few rupee.  He did not ask for anything, however, only to be able to show me his paintings (without pressure to buy)- he practiced the Rajasthani artisan craft of miniature painting. 

     Before this, though, he introduced me to a lacquer bangle artisan.  The artisan invited me to have chai and watch a demonstration of how the lacquer bangles are made.  It's a fascinating process, which I never would have guessed, whereby the man melted one end of a giant stick of the lac, or gum, while coating it with wax color.  He pulled the now-colored gum like taffy before breaking it off and pounding it out in a mold.  The result was a shiny, beautiful red bangle perfectly fitted on a rod to the size of my wrist, given to me as a gift.  

     After this we walked through the entire village before arriving at Makhan's home, where I met his entire family, including father, brother, and nieces.  It also happened to be his son's fourth birthday!  I was courteously invited to attend the birthday party later that evening, but could not because plans had already been made back at the palace.  Makhan showed me his huge portfolio of wonderfully detailed gouache paintings depicting ancient Mughal life and fantastical stories and myths.  Of course I wanted to support this traditional artisan craft that had been passed down through generations, so I did buy from Makhan.  In fact, John liked my paintings so much, that we both went back to Makhan's house the next day so that he could purchase some too!

     Our last night at the palace, an incredible evening was planned for us.  It began with all of us having our heads wrapped with giant, red turbans.  Then, the entire group was led down a trail around to the front of the palace where guards and camels stood all ornately dressed and decorated in traditional garb, and then the fireworks started.  At the end of the fireworks the entire front of the palace suddenly lit up with tiny lights.  We were escorted to a huge rooftop terrace where drinks and dinner were waiting.  That wasn't all that was waiting though- we were met with a succession of unbelievable traditional performances, including music and various kinds of dancing- several women danced with lit oil lamps on there heads, while another danced with a stack of 8 ceramic bowls upon her head.  There was a man blowing fire and a whirlwind of dancing with bells and large wooden sticks.  Everything was absolutely stunning, and eventually we all joined in with the dancing as well.  

     After a long and glorious night, we tearfully said goodbye to Samode Palace.  I cannot believe I was able to experience such a place and will definitely remember it always!  Hopefully I will be able to share some pictures soon- at the moment I am unable to upload any of the pics I took onto my computer, but as soon as I sort this out, I will post them.  Thank you DevInfo and the wonderful people of Samode!