Udaipur Travel Guide

Udaipur is the jewel of Mewar, a Kingdom  ruled  by the Sisodia  dynasty for 1200  years. Udaipur is an enchanting city dominated by its lakes, its marble palaces and beautiful gardens. The founder Maharana Udai Singh was overcome by the misfortunes  that his old capital  Chittaurgarh  had to face. Weary of the repeated attacks, Udai Singh sought the help of a holy man and thus Udaipur was founded and grew around the lake pichola.

Set in the Girwa valley amidst the Aravalli hills of south Rajasthan, Udaipur is a beautiful city, regarded by many  Indians and foreign  visitors  as one of the most romantic  in India. In contrast  to some of its desert  neighbours it presents  an enchanting  image of white marble palaces , placid  blue  lakes  and green  hills that keep the wilderness  at bay. It is an oasis of colour in a stark and arid region. The Lake Palace is certainly  the best late example of this unique  cultural  explosion , but Udaipur  is full  of palaces, temples  and havelis  (ornate residencies) ranging  from the modest to the extravagant. It’s also proud of its heritage as a centre for the performing arts, painting and crafts. This is a traditionally  planned  walled  city, its bastioned  rampart  walls pierced  by five  massive gates, each studded  with iron  spikes  as protection  against  enemy  war elephants.

In  common  with most Indian cities, Udaipur’s urban  and industrial sprawl  goes beyond   the city’s original  boundaries, and pollution  of various  kinds  can be discouraging.

Places to visit

City Palace : A majestic architectural  marvel  towering  over the lake on a hill surrounded  by crenellated  walls, the palace is a conglomeration  of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging  gardens. The main entrance  is through  the triple arched  gate, the ‘Tripola’ with eight  marble porticos. The Maharanas were weighed under the gate in gold, the equivalent  amount  of which  was distributed  among the populace.

The Suraj  Gokhada, the balcony  of the sun, is where the Suryavanshi  Maharanas  of  Mewar  presented  themselves  to the people  in time of trouble  to restore  their  confidence.

The  main part of the palace  is now preserved  as a museum. The ‘Mor Chowk’ known  for  its exquisite  peacock  mosaics in glass  and the ‘Chini Chitrashala’ noted  for its blue  and white  ceramics are other attractions  in the Palace.

Jagdish   Temple : 150 mts. north of the palace(1651), was  built  by Maharana  Jagat  Singh  in 1651 A.D. This Indo-Aryan temple is the largest and the most beautiful temple of Udaipur with noteworthy sculpted images. The temple is the fine example of the Nagari style and a little run down though  renovations  are  under  way.  A Shrine  with a brass  Garuda  stands  outside  and stone  elephants  flank the entrance  steps; within  is a back  stone  image  of Vishnu  as Jagannath, the Lord  of the Universe.

Bharatiya  Lok  Kala  Museum: The interesting  collection  exhibited  by this  Indian  folk  arts museum  includes  folk dresses, ornaments , masks , folks  deities  and paintings and the high  point of  exhibits-puppets.

Saheliyon  ki  Bari: This small ornamental  garden  was a popular  relaxing  spot  where   royal  ladies  came for a stroll  and hence the name. The garden has many fountains in its four delightful pools, chiselled kiosks and marble elephants.

Pratap  Memorial  : Atop  the Moti Magri  or pearl hill, overlooking  the Fateh  Sagar  Lake  is the memorial  of the Rajput  hero  Maharana  Pratap  with a bronze  statue  of the Maharana. 

Fateh Sagar: Maharana  Fateh  Singh  built  this beautiful  lake. It is overlooked by a number of hills on the three sides and the Pratap Memorial on the north. In  the middle  of the lake is Nehru  Park, a lovely  garden  island  with a boat  shaped  café  accessible  by an enjoyable boat ride.

Pichola Lake : This was the picturesque lake that so entranced Maharana Udai Singh  that the decided  to create  a city  here. The founder later enlarged it. Hills, Palaces, temples, bathing ghats and embankments, surround the lake. He built a masonry dam, known as the Badipol, and the lake is now 4kms. long and 3kms. wide. Two island palaces, Jag Mandir  and Jag Niwas  on the lake are of breathtaking magnificence. The  lake is the scenic  focus  of Udaipur.

Fateh Sagar:  North  of lake Pichola, this  lake is overlooked  by a number of hills. In 1678, Maharaja Jai Singh built it originally, but after heavy rains destroyed the dam, it  was reconstructed  by Maharaja  Fateh  Singh. In the middle of the lake is Nehru Park, a popular garden island with a boat-shaped café.

Jag Niwas Island : Jag  Niwas, the Lake Palace Hotel  Island  was built  by Maharaja  Jagat  Singh  II in  1 754   and covers  the whole  island. Formerly   the royal summer  palace, today  it is the ultimate in luxury  hotels, with shady  courtyards, lotus  ponds and  even  a small swimming  pool shaded  by a Mango  tree. Behind  Jag  Niwas  is a much  smaller  island  called  Arsi  Vilas, which has been used  in recent  times  as a helipad.

Jag Mandir Island: The  other island palace, Jag Mandir in the south  is notable  for the Gul  Mahal, a domed  pavilion  started  by Karan  Singh (1620-1628) and completed  by Jagat  Singh ( 1628-52) . It is built of yellow sandstone inlaid with marble around an attractive courtyard. Flanked by a row of enormous stone elephants, the island has an impressive chhatri carved from grey-blue stone. The view across the lake to the city and its glorious golden palace, is a scene of rare beauty.

Ahar: The ancient capital of Sisodias, 3 kms. from Udaipur, Ahar boasts  of a profusion  of royal  cenotaphs  of the rulers  of Mewar. A rare  collection  of antiquities  including  earthen  pots, iron  objects  and other  art items  excavated  in the  region  are displayed  in a small Govt. museum.

Gulab Bagh: A spectacular rose Garden laid out by Maharana Sajjan Singh.  A library  in the garden  has a rare collection  of ancient  handwritten  manuscripts  and books. This garden also contains a zoo (unremarkable) and toy train.

Sajjangarh Palace : Also known as the Monsoon Palace. It is constructed by Maharana  Sajjan  Singh  on the top of a hill overlooking  the city in the late 19th century. The  Sajjangarh Palace  is visible  from a distance. The view from the palace, temples and palaces is miles away. There is a wildlife sanctuary in Sajjan Garh.

Bagore-ki-Haveli: This gracious old haveli, on the water’s edge in the Gangaur Ghat  area, was built by a former prime minister in the late 18th century  and has recently  been opened  to the public. There are more than 100 rooms as well as courtyards, terraces and the elegant balconies. The mirror and glasswork is quite lovely, as are the frescoes in the chambers of the Royal Ladies.

Shopping

One of the principal shopping zones outside Jaipur, there are myriad shops with paintings of the miniature and pichwai variety, as well as terracotta tables and plaques. There are locally  dyed  fabrics and textiles, embroideries, wooden  toys, white metal objects d’art, silver enamel  artifacts  and  images  of Krishna  in the Nathdwara style.

There is a good cluster  of shops  selling  the local crafts, particularly  miniature  paintings  in the Rajput-Mughal style, on lake palace  Road, next to the Rang Niwas  Palace Hotels  and others  around  the Jagdish  temple. It’s also a good place to buy leather-bound books  and handmade  paper.

Local Festival: March/April: Mewar Festival, is a great to be in town, with the women of Udaipur dressing up in their finest.

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