Secret of the Clapping Fountain, Saheliyon Ki Bari at Udaipur in India

Sahelion Ki Bari is one of the tourist spots in Udaipur.– this splendid garden was laid out by Maharaja Sangram Singh II between 1710-1734 AD for the entertainment of the royal ladies and their maids of honour.    The lush green lawns and flower beds, the lotus, the pool and the fountains catch the eye immediately.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SAHELION KI BARI

Sahelion ki Bari Udaipur is one of the best places that I visited during my Udaipur trip, during December 2023,  The name ‘Sahelion ki Bari’ means ‘ Garden of the Maidens’. It is a garden constructed by Rana Sangram Singh, one of the kings of Udaipur, for his daughter – the princess. The princess loved rain and water a lot. But it doesn’t rain here all the time. And the king had to fulfil his dear daughter’s wishes of seeing the rain and playing with water every single day. So, he ingeniously got this garden crafted to fulfill her desire.

BITTER EXPERIENCE OF TOUR GUIDE

Unfortunately or fortunately, when we entered the garden, we did not engage the Tour Guide as we had a bitter experience while visiting the palace in the morning, when the Tour Guide left in between perhaps on getting a better group.

Tour guides often have rewarding and fun careers, as they are in a position to educate and entertain the tour’s participants. Whether you are leading a group to a travel destination or on a college campus, tour guides answer questions and provide guidance. They make the tour more interesting with their presentation style.

OLD EXPERIENCE WITH TOUR GUIDE

I recollect the incident when I visited Agra in 1972 – the tour guide presented the beauty of the Queen saying whenever she consumed the ‘Pan’, the redness of the saliva in the mouth could be seen dropping from the throat.  But with a pause, the Tour Guide said, it is not possible; it is my way of presenting the beauty of the Queen.

VISIT TO UDAIPUR

Now, almost after 51 years, when I visited Udaypur’s Sahelion Ki Bari – one of the tourist places, the moment we entered the garden, one of the Tour guides was asking the group members to clap.  The moment they clapped, the fountains stopped.  The tour guide again asked to start clapping, and the fountains started.

CURIOSITY TO KNOW SECRET

It created a curiosity among all of us and cursed for not having engaged the Tour Guide to know such secrets behind the old traditions.  I could not resist myself asking the Tour Guide to show me your hands having magic as our clapping did not work.

SECRET BEHIND THE CLAPPING FOUNTAINS

The tour guide was generous enough and asked me about my identity as a tourist. On my disclosing the Punjab state, he showered graceful words for Punjabis.  He invited all of us to join him to learn the secret behind the magic fountains.  He asked to repeat the clapping and it worked.  But later on, disclosed about the old man putting off and on the lever of fountains.  He, however, linked it with the story of entertaining the Royal family members. We honoured the old man behind the show with a small amount of cash.

FRANKLY SPEAKING

Frankly speaking, it was a mystery for all of us and I wanted to share it with my readers.