Mandvi Palace and Beach

LOkesh took us to an interesting palace close to Mandvi, known as the Vijay Vilas Summer Palace. 
Built in the 1920's it was the summer palace of His Highness Maharao Vijay Singhji, who ruled over Kutch in the 1940s.  

The building is of carved sandstone and is a mix of architectural styles including stunning Bengal domes, Mughal styled cupolas, Rajasthan inspired jarokhas and cusp-arches along with gothic and classical columns.

Towards the top of the building there were beautiful open terraces framed by perforated screens providing privacy yet allowing views across the lush and green estate in which the palace is set. The greenery was a refreshing contrast to the dust of the Kutch desert.
The screens, providing some shade, set shadows across the floor.

Screens and stained glass panels continued the play with light through the interior of the building. 

My favourite part was at the very top of the building. A large domed terrace with beautiful columns, reminiscent of the intricate Jain carving on the temples and mosques in Ahmedabad, provided both shade, a cooling sea breeze and an open space to take in the extensive views of the estate and the Arabian Sea. 

Photo: Elenashirinphotography

The Royal Family now live at the house permanently and you are able to see parts of the interior, the house contains, photographs and artefacts belonging to the family. 

The building is set in beautiful and tranquil grounds with water channels and marble fountains which would instantly put you at ease.  

I hope the Gheko behaves itself.

The Palace has its own private beach, a secluded and stunning spot, perfect for doing nothing. 

Further along the coast camels take families on the Indian equivalent of a donkey ride at Blackpool beach.

The camels, like the ones we had seen on our trip to Patan have decorative markings, to beautify and help the owners identify their animal.

Exploring North of Ahmedabad

Elena, Carlotta and I hired a car and driver and took a day to explore some of the Temples and Step Wells to the north of Ahmedabad. The plan was to visit The Sun Temple at Modhera and
Rani Ki Vav -  the Queens Step Well - near the town of Patan, known for its double Ikat weaving technique called Patola. We would return to Ahmendabad stopping off to see the Adalaj Step Well.

It was a colourful day full of decorated surfaces, from the trucks which thundered along the roads to the trees that lined them, from the intricately carved details of the architecture to the markings on the camels.
Like in Bangladesh the trucks were intricately painted with colourful designs and instructions.

The trees which lined the roads were painted too - I suspect the white band to help drivers navigate the routes at night.

 Its interesting the way the eye connects the bands on the tree to create a line of white dashes.

Like the trucks other modes of transport were decorated with patterns- in this case to identify the owner.

As in Bangladesh it was good to take some time away from the city and gain an insight into life in the surrounding landscape. All around there was evidence of the meeting point or transition between traditional nomadic lifestyles and more modern developments.

These were Rabari men hearding their goats.

 The traditional dress of the Rabari men is that of a white cotton smock with high pockets and pleats at the back, their shirts are sometimes double breasted and a dhoti. the white may seem impractical in the dust but serves to reflect the heat. The turban ( Paghadi ) serves as towel, sunhat and pillow.

 This man was very tall!