What’s this?

Not being botanically knowledgeable, I could be wrong in thinking that this is a young banana plant. Kela is banana in Hindi.  They make for a beautiful pot plant, I think.  I believe that some of Udaipur’s royal family still live in part of the City Palace complex, where this banana plant is growing, so perhaps in the future, once this plant has grown, a maharani or a maharajah (princess or prince) will wander by after closing hours, and pluck themselves a snack to eat whilst gazing over the gorgeous Lake Pichola. 

Where’s this?

This is in the courtyard of the City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan. The intricate screen behind the plant, carved by hand from stone, only hints at how exceedingly beautiful this palace is. When I went there for the first time I thought to myself “I’ve never used the word exquisite to describe anything before, but it’s the word to use right now!” It really took my breath away, although it wasn’t the first place in India to have done so, and it won’t be the last.