On October 6, 2019, at 9:30 in the morning, our bus stopped at the bus stand in front of Versailles Palace. It was raining outside. I was a little worried that the water would affect Versailles' rotation. We took out our umbrellas and went down.
Buses were already crowded at the stand in the morning. Outside the gate, people were sitting under umbrellas selling umbrellas and souvenirs from the Eiffel Tower. Friends who did not have umbrellas bought umbrellas and blocked the water.
As soon as we entered through the gate, we entered the huge courtyard of Versailles. Hundreds of people lined up before us. Looking at the pressure of the people, it was seen that it would take two or three hours to buy the ticket. Still, the hunger to watch Versailles won.
In the large stone-enclosed courtyard, under the same umbrella, Mrs. Anjuli had many conversations about Versailles. When I told her the history of Versailles, she was amazed.
Nepali friends seemed sad that they could not take photos because of the water. Some of us were squeezing a couple of snaps even though we were floating in the water. I was also a little worried as the weather didn't seem to be clear all day.
Indra will hear our pain as if saying 'Sojha's friend is Daiv'. Before entering the palace, the sky opened and became sunny, so our mind also opened like the sky. The process of taking photos started coming from the courtyard to the palace.
I encouraged everyone to take as many photos as possible, remembering the saying that if you want to be young always, take as many photos as possible. Not being old is in the photo. In the photo, there is always the same youth.
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| Versailles |
Looking at the huge Versailles palace from the courtyard, I remembered Louis XIV to Napoleon Bonaparte. I remember the Versailles Treaty of 1919, which crippled Germany after World War I. Standing in front of a physical witness of the history of Europe, my mind flew to the corners of history.
In fact, it was in this palace that World War I was celebrated. It was at this court that the victorious nations including Britain, America, France and Russia defeated Germany. It was this palace treaty that took over its territory with Germany. All in all, there was a one-sided fine for breaking Germany's back, and the size of the German army was reduced. The German army was crippled so that it could not attack anywhere. It was this insult to Germany by the Axis powers that led to the rise of a dictator like Hitler. Who, in retaliation for the same Versailles insult, ignited World War II and burned millions. The memory of these events stirred my heart.
I got the ticket after a long line journey. We entered through the main gate of the palace. Inside, I was shocked to see the huge and huge form of Versailles. Versailles was not a place to look around in one day. We hurried inside the palace to see as many places as we could.
The courtyard, the square, the room, the ladder were full of people everywhere. Crowds of European students were seen coming on educational tours. From the main door, the walls, the ceiling, the ladder, the room, everything I saw was artistic. Just to describe what, to mention what, just to take a photo. What you see is what you see, what you see is what you see. From the outside, the artistry of the palace looked incomparable.
The grandeur inside and out was a testament to the luxury of the then French kings. No matter how authoritarian they were in the matter of governance, the liberal nature of those kings could not be saluted in preserving art and culture. Who built such unique palaces and handed them over to the new generation. Crowds of people from all over the world flock to see it.
Every year, 8 million people visit the Versailles Palace. It is a shocking truth to hear that this number was a surprise for the Nepali mentality which thinks that it is very much when one million tourists visit the country every year.
While walking around the palace, when I entered the Hall of Mirrors, my eyes glazed over. The thud stopped for a moment. The decoration of this magnificent room, more than two hundred feet long, looked amazing. Huge chandeliers of precious crystals hung on the ceiling. The beauty of the hall was incomparable with the decoration of artistic mirrors and statues on the walls.
On the ceiling could be seen a unique specimen of the paintings of the then France. It was in this Hall of Mirror that French kings welcomed their royal guests. We stood in the Hall of Mirrors, a living proof of the prosperity and luxury of the then French kings. Its historicity was reminiscent of King Louis XIV.
The longest reign of King Louis XIV, who ruled for 72 years, is the longest in European history. He shocked the world by saying 'I am the state'. Despite his autocratic rule, he established France as one of Europe's greatest powers during his reign.
There is ample evidence in the history of France that this powerful king, who considered his own interests to be the interests of the nation, made an unprecedented contribution not only politically but also to the preservation of art, literature and culture. A vivid example of this was the Palace of Versailles.
It was the product of his thinking - the court of Versailles. Their concept is 'Hall of Mirrors'. He moved the royal family from Paris to Versailles in 1623, where his father, Louis XIII, began building a two-story hunting lodge.
The construction of Versailles alone did not satisfy him. In a bid to make Versailles the most beautiful and wonderful in the world, he commissioned the great French artist Charles to paint on the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors. He portrayed the successes of France during his twenty years of rule. While Versailles was wandering, Louis XIV, no matter how tyrannical and cruel, could not help but admire his love of literature, art and culture.
Not to mention the vastness and beauty of the Garden of Versailles, built by Louis XIV on 800 hectares of land to the west of the palace. By envisioning such a garden, Louis became immortal for the fourteenth century.
It is not possible to describe the Garden of Versailles in detail in this article. Where to start What only to mention? Fifteen hundred meters long in the middle of the garden is the Grand Canal. It had been 40 years since the garden was built. The garden contains sculptures by more than 400 famous sculptors.
A variety of plants and fruit plants from different parts of France have been planted in different places. The garden is adorned with breathtaking waterfalls, circular fountains, and wonderful sculptures in the middle of the fountain.
There are many such things that make the Garden of Versailles miraculous. Anyone who feels lucky to be here. Experience a piece of heaven on earth. The virtues of Louis XIV to introduce France's art, culture and history to the world by building the Palace of Versailles and the Garden of Versailles will probably be remembered by the French people forever.
Looking at the garden on one side was not something to be afraid of, time was short. Look here and there, escape here and there. Walking around the Versailles Palace in one day is like a daydream.
With more than 2,300 stunning rooms, more than 6,000 paintings, more than 300 sculptures, an extraordinary museum of paintings and sculptures, the Versailles Palace is difficult to visit even in a week or ten days. We had to see everything in five or six hours. So we were jumping around like we were grazing goats. We saw the idol, we saw the image, we saw the picture.
I stood for a while in front of the statues of Napoleon and Louis XIV. Because I wanted to sit in front of these two and take a photo and click one or two. In others, Dhit was killed just by looking at the field from the hill.
While looking, I could not stop in some other places. When War entered the room, it was as if he had reached another world. The huge wall was adorned with large, attractive paintings on the left and right sides of the room. Named The Gallery of the Great Battles, it is the largest room in the Palace of Versailles. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, ceilings and everywhere. Each painting told a history of French heroism, as well as a pictorial record of the wars France won.
The War Room, built by King Philippe over a period of four years from 1833 to 1837, was a unique example of French painting. I had never seen such a huge painting in my life. So I immersed myself in that ocean of painting for a while and felt the history of France up close.
As we toured the Palace of Versailles, we became acquainted with its history. Carrying a history of great struggles and ups and downs, this palace also has a history like the shadow of the sun. Sometimes the hobby and cleanliness of the palace, sometimes the destiny of deserted ruins. This palace, which remained the glory of the royal palace until the reign of Louis XIV, remained closed for a few years after the fall of the monarchy. Political pundits predicted that the monarchy would never return to Versailles. Versailles' political splendor seemed to be over.
In 1793, Versailles was closed to tourists as a small art school and museum of French painting. But with the rise of Napoleon in French politics, he began to use Versailles as a summer resident. With the arrival of Napoleon, flowers began to bloom again in the courtyard of Versailles. Throughout his time, Napoleon made Versailles his home.
Thus, when King Louis Philippe came to power, the court of Versailles was transformed into a center of honor rather than a center of power forever. He transformed Versailles into a museum of French history and art, never a royal palace. A national museum commemorating all the great personalities who contributed to France was created. Thanks to his contributions, Versailles survives today as an important historical heritage of France.
Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the palace has become a world choice destination. Where we, the citizens of the weakest countries in Asia, have come to test its beauty and historicity.
Many questions arose in my mind as I walked around the Versailles palace. Information was also obtained by reading some of the walls and asking some questions. The decoration of the rooms of the palace was displaying the French art of the time and singing the luxury songs of the French monarchy. No matter how much you look at it, the fun of wandering around is disappearing. Towards the end of the tour, I would like to express my gratitude to all the French people for giving us the opportunity to see such an old painting and sculpture.
I greeted and thanked an old man I met near the main door. He looked happy from my thanks and came closer and opened the secret of Versailles - 'You know, sir! There have been many great revolutions in our country. The king was thrown away, and the king came again. But this Versailles palace was not looted in any movement or crisis. The pictures here are not torn. The idols here are not broken. All our French ancestors loved Versailles. Saved the history of the country. So today you and I are all in Versailles. ”
I was shocked by the old man's words. After declaring the nation-builder Prithvi Narayan Shah as a feudal lord and breaking his idols, I left the country of the great heroes of the revolution. Hatred arose in my mind over the audacity of erasing the history of the so-called revolutionaries of my country. The French are trying to save the history of the country, to erase us.
It was not appropriate to make oneself sad by remembering the country during the journey. Forgetting the situation in the country, I looked at Versailles for the last time and got on the bus. Even though the bus left Versailles, the old man's voice kept ringing in my ears.