On the morning of 25th of October, 2010, every soul in Udai Bilas Palace, Dungarpur eagerly waited for the Rolls Royce Phantom and Silver Ghost Royal Tour of Rajasthan, 2010 rally. The preparations for the same had been on since a fortnight. All the nine cars participating in the rally were flagged off from Udaipur in the morning and reached Dungarpur at around 12 noon.
Following the Phantom of Shriji Arvind Singhji Mewar, the Maharana of Udaipur, the magnificent vehicles approached Udai Bilas along the narrow driveway along Gaibsagar lake. Onlookers by the road stood bewitched by the shimmering beauties – it was a rare sight to behold so many vintage cars with illustrious pedigrees. Inside the palace complex, anticipation was followed by awe when the machines slowly entered the gate demanding increasing attention with every advancing second.
All nine of them were parked in style on the lawn overlooking the lake. Their drivers (in most cases their proud owners) were welcomed byMaharaj Kumar Harshavardhan Singh and Yuvrani Priyadarshini Kumari, the hosts for the grand gathering.
Shortly after, the guests assembled for refreshments and luncheon. In the evening, the opening ceremony of the recently refurbished Dunagarpur Garage with its own collection of magnificent cars culminated with a party at the Garage Bar. The guests spent the night in the palace and refueled themselves for the next destination and its hospitality, Bambora.
Kaustuv Saikia
Moumita Halder