In Rajasthan, men and women traditionally wore necklaces, armlets, anklets, earings and rings. With the advent of the Mughal Empire, Rajasthan became a major centre for production of the finest kind of jewellery. It was a true blend of the Mughal with the Rajasthani craftsmanship.

The Mughals brought sophisticated design and technical know-how of the Persian with them. The common link was the inherently decorative nature of the Muslim and Hindu art. The synthesis of the two cultures resulted in a period of grandeur and brilliance that dazzled the eyes of foreigners and has passed into legend. The jewellers of Rajasthan specilised in the setting of precious stones into gold and the enameling of gold. Jaipur and to some extent Alwar emerged as the enameling centers par excellence in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Enameling was introduced by Maharaja Man Singh who had cordial relations with Akbar.

The enameled gold staff of the Maharaja is unsurpassed even today for its brilliant colours. For enameling the piece to be worked on is fixed on a stick of lac and delicate designs if flowers, birds and fishes are etched on it. A wall is made to hold the colours while engravings are made in the grooves to heighten the interplay of the transparent shades, thus enhancing the beauty of the jewel. The surface is fully burnished by agate; then the enamel colours are filled in painstakingly as in a miniature painting.

The article is then left in the oven on a mica plate to keep it off the fire. Colours are applied in order of their hardness those requiring more later when set it is rubbed gently with the file and cleaned with lemon or tamarind. The craftsmen in Jaipur are believed to have originally come from Lahore. In Jaipur the traditional Mughal colours of red, green and white are most commonly used in enameling.

A quintessentially Indian technique and a speciality of Rajasthan is the setting of stones by means of Kundan the jewellery in which stones are set is rarely solid gold, it has a core of lac, a natural resin. The pieces which make up the finished object are first shaped by specialised craftsmen (and soldered together if the shape is complicated) and left in separate hollow halves. Holes are cut for the stones, any engraving or chasing is carried out and the pieces are enameled.

When the stones are to be set lac is inserted in the back and is then holes. Highly refined gold, the Kundan, is then used to cover the lac and the stone is pushed into the Kundan. More Kundan is applied around the edges to strengthen the setting and give it a neat appearance. This was the only form of setting for stones in gold until claw settings were introduced under the influence under the influence of western jewellery in the nineteenth century.

More than one craftsman was often in the making of a single piece of jewellery. The chiterias made the design, the ghaarias the engraving the meenakar and the sunar was the goldsmith. These craftsmen received patronage from the nobles and the kings and therefore they did not have to compromise their art for the sake of popular taste.

They could take as long as they liked over a piece of jewellery. Many of the old styles remain unchanged to this day. In Pratapgarh a special type of quasi-enameling is done in which extremely fine work on gold is daintily carried out on green enamel, which forms the base. In Nathdwara a good deal of enamel work on silver and other metals is done nowadays as a furtherance to this famous age old craft.

Location and Transport of Mewar Festival of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Mewar Festival of Udaipur is one festival of Rajasthan, which is not to be missed. A tour to Mewar festival of Rajasthan is also known for its characteristic verve and infectious enthusiasm. If you have really planned to be a part of this festival of Rajasthan then, the most important thing is to know the exact time of the festival. The Festival of Rajasthan coincides with the Gangaur festival of Udaipur, Rajasthan. This will allow you to celebrate both the festival and the place Udaipur of Rajasthan at the same time. This time of the year in Rajasthan, India is neither so hot nor is so cold. This event will acquaint you with the true culture of Rajasthan, India. The airport of Dabok, near Udaipur of Rajasthan connects all the major cities of Rajasthan and India with Udaipur of Rajasthan. The rail line of Udaipur of Rajasthan also connects Udaipur of Rajasthan directly with all the major cities of India.

The easiest route to Udaipur of Rajasthan, the venue of the festival is from Delhi, the capital city of India. You can either go straight to Udaipur of Rajasthan from Delhi or you can also take a longer route, if you are interested in visiting some other parts of Rajasthan, India. Starting from Delhi, you can pick the Delhi - Udaipur route or Delhi-Jaipur-Udaipur route of Rajasthan. If you want to travel cheaper you can board a train or bus. Udaipur of Rajasthan is connected to Delhi by all the means of transport. Just, try to leave for Udaipur of Rajasthan well in time, so that you don't even miss a single bit of it. Dress Rajasthani, eat & drink Rajasthani and enjoy the festival with much fun & frolic.

Road: Udaipur of Rajasthan falls on the Golden Quadrilateral, lying midway between Delhi and Mumbai on National Highway (NH) 8 and is around 650 km from either metro. The roads in this part of the country are really nice, paved in the middle, and fit for self-driving. One can either drive from Jaipur of Rajasthan (around 7 hours) or Ahmedabad (4-5 hours), or take a Rajasthan Tourism bus from India Gate in Delhi.

Air: Dabok airport of Rajasthan is 24 km from the city centre. Daily flights connect Udaipur of Rajasthan with Jodhpur of Rajasthan, Jaipur of Rajasthan, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The Airport is going through modernization project and soon going to have a new terminal building with additional 4 stands.

Train: Train connectivity is established between Delhi, Jaipur of Rajasthan and Ahmedabad through trains run by Indian Railway. Recently Udaipur of Rajasthan got connected with Delhi Kota and Mathura with superfast Mewar express on broad gauge line. Udaipur of Rajasthan is now also connected with the Kolkata, by the train "Ananya Express".

Local Transport: Unmetered taxis, auto rickshaws, tongas, city bus, regular city bus service is available for Udaipur City of Rajasthan. Main roads to dabok airport, badi Lake, Bedala.