A Perfect World

One of the things that makes Devi Garh feels so special is the view from its ramparts. In most directions, it's of ancient, walled fields and, beyond them, foothills that roll up and into the stark peaks and ridges of the Aravali mountain range. But in one direction, the view, no less striking, is of Delwara, the ancient town of 15,000 over which the fortress of Devi Garh presides. With its vibrant pink, white and blue homes, its age-old temples and its narrow, practically car-free streets, Delwara anchors Devi Garh in reality, without upsetting the fantasy.

On our first walk into town, our impression was of having entered a place altogether unspoiled by tourism. Now, while I would hardly describe Udaipur as ‘spoiled’, the fact is that a great deal of the city center’s economy is based on selling things to visitors. In Delwara, meanwhile, rural Indians were simply going about their business. Cows had the roads to themselves. And our presence was neither a sales opportunity nor a cause for a concern. We were free to wander the ancient streets, take in the scenes and make sense of Delwara at our own pace. It was bliss.

True, Devi Garh has meant the arrival of visitors to Delwara who never otherwise would have known of it. But the hotel’s presence hasn’t seemed to hurt. On the contrary, from what we’ve heard and read, Devi Garh has initiated a number of public works and conservation projects, supporting NGOs, helping women’s groups, promoting recycling, funding education for girls and much more. Residents of the town have found jobs at the hotel, and the staff, which come from around India, have taken up residence here. At the same time, Delwara gives to Devi Garh a depth and meaning beyond the mere luxury experience. There’s a nice symbiosis here, as far I can tell.

Delwara’s is a multi-caste society — I’ve read that as many as 20 castes cohabit here — and a multi-religious one. Some 30 percent of the population are Hindus, 20 percent Muslims and an amazing 50 percent Jains (I couldn’t find the historical reason for the strong presence here of Jainism, an ancient India religion that prescribes a self-directed, nonviolent path to karma-free enlightenment, but the stunning 14th-Century Jain temple in Delwara is said to be of the finest in India).

I think we are all impressed by the way in which the different religions seems to take each other in stride in Delwara, and nothing seemed to be more emblematic of this than the presence of their various places of worship — a Jain temple, a Hindu temple and a Muslim mosque — all on the same intersection in the heart of town, at the bottom of the road up to Devi Garh. Back in town on our last day in India, shortly before hopping on our chartered bus back to the Udaipur airport, we asked our guide to help us find members of all three religions in order to photograph them — together — in front of each of their houses of worship. In the end, we managed to get Chandu, the Jain priest, his nose and mouth covered in the characteristic white mask to avoid harming any insects; Ramu, a priest of the Hindu temple across the street; and Gani, a Muslim layman. All at ease, all friendly, they happily stood by side at steps of each others house of worship as we snapped photos and wondered how to take a little bit of the spirit of Delwara back home with us.