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Places to see in Samode: Samode Palace
The Samode Palace, now a heritage hotel, is built in the characteristic pattern of an open courtyard with rooms leading off the arched corridor that runs along all the four sides of the building. The Sultan Mahal is on the first floor-an exquisite room with a marble pillared verandah. It has the famous Jaipur blue tile decorations. Every inch of the ceiling and the walls are covered with floral, paisley and geometric motifs painted in vegetable colors. It is called Sultan Mahal after the craftsman, who painstakingly created it. Old and heavy carved silver furniture brought from Nepal by the grandmother of the present Rawal gleam dully in sunlight even today. To the left of the main haveli is the Durbar Hall, which was built about a hundred years ago. Again it is painted with ornate floral motifs and colored delicately with vegetable pigments, which still have a special glow of their own.
Places to see in Samode: Hall of mirrors
A hall of mirrors, which is a must for any palace of consequence, is also to be found in Samode. Large and tiny fragments of polished mirror are set into the plasterwork and reflect a thousand images of the person entering the room. At night a single candle flame can create the effect of a thousand stars. The people of the desert love mirrors because the cool polished surface reminds them of water. Paintings reminiscent of the miniature style depict warriors, scenes of shikar (hunting), birds and beasts and fish-eyed maidens frolicking with Lord Krishna.
Places to see in Samode: Samode Fort
On a hill immediately above the palace is the Samode Fort, the family's former residence accessible in times of trouble by an underground passageway. The original stone zigzag path has been replaced by 300 steps, which have to be climbed to reach the fort. Though the fort itself is dilapidated, the view from its ramparts is excellent. The main fort gate is the starting point of some enticing walks into the Aravali mountain range. Around three km from Samode, en-route to the main Jaipur-Agra road is Samode Bagh, a large formal garden that is being restored and is often used by film crews for shooting.
Ajmer | Alwar | Bharatpur | Bikaner | Bundi | Chittorgarh | Jaipur | Jaisalmer | Jodhpur | Khimsar | Kota | Mandawa | Mount Abu | Pushkar | Samode | Sariska | Sawai Madhopur | Udaipur
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