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History
“In all Hindoostan there is no more picturesque a city than which Udai Singh, when driven from Chittorgarh, founded amongst the mountains.”- King George V, visiting Udaipur in 1905.
Udaipur, the city of the Suryavanshi Rajputs, hidden amongst the hills that encompass the great Pichola Lake has been called the 'Venice of the East'. Indeed, with it's enchanting palaces surrounded by mirror-like lakes, undulating hills and colourful bazaars, Udaipur looks as though it has been lifted straight from the pages of Arabian Nights. The hills, the lakes and the altitude give Udaipur an extremely agreeable climate. Probably no other city in Rajasthan is quite as romantic as Udaipur. A visit to Udaipur is a must for travellers who want to experience the unique and vibrant history of Rajasthan.
The founding father of the Mewar Dynasty, Bapa Rawal came from Vallabhipur, now in Gujarat. The rulers of Mewar, the Sisodia kings, did little to assimilate themselves into Mughal India. Unlike other Rajput princes to the north, the Kings of Mewar never willingly submitted to Mughal authority, even though they had been vanquished by Akbar and forced to move from Chittor to Udaipur. TOP^
Udaipur, the capital of Mewar, was founded by Maharana Udai Singh after the fall and final sacking of Chittorgarh by the Mughal forces of Emperor Akbar in 1568. Legend has it that Udai Singh found the site of his new city some years before the final assault on Chittor and had formed an artificial lake named Udai Sagar in honour of himself. He came upon a pond said to have been constructed by a banjara (gypsy) who raised a dyke across a mountain stream, damming up its waters. Udai Singh extended this pond and raised the height of the dam, creating the most beautiful of man-made lakes, named Pichola after the neighbouring village of Picholi. With the blessings of a holy sage of the region, he built his palace upon an overlooking ridge, on the banks of this lake. To this day, in a shrine in the heart of the City Palace, a flame burns in gratitude to the ascetic.
Generations of Maharanas who succeeded Udai Singh, embellished the city with more palaces and temples. Today Udaipur is a city of palaces encircling three lakes - Lake Pichola, Fateh Sagar and Swaroop Sagar.
In & Around Udaipur
 City Palace Complex and Museums: The gigantic City Palace towering over the Pichola Lake, is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. It extends to a considerable distance along the east bank of the lake. South of the palace, a pleasant garden runs down to the shore. The original structure was built in the 16th century. Thereafter, each successive generation of rulers in Udaipur made its architectural mark on the City Palace complex. TOP^
By the end of the 19th century, the Maharana's Palace was a city in itself, with storehouses, stables, wells and farms within its walls. Inspite of being a conglomeration of buildings added by various rulers, the palace complex manages to retain a surprising integrity of design. The palace has numerous balconies, towers and cupolas and there are stunning views over the lake and the city from the upper terraces.
The main part of the palace has now been preserved as a museum. It has a large and varied collection of artefacts. The museum includes the Bari Mahal, which has a lovely central garden. The Mor Chowk with it's beautiful mosaics of peacocks; the Manak Mahal with it's collection of glass and porcelain figures and the Krishna Vilas with it's fine collection of miniatures are a treat not to be missed. The Zenana Mahal (the women's private living quarters in a palace) also has a collection of paintings. If one wants to see examples of beautiful mirror-work then a visit to the Moti Mahal is a must. The Chini Mahal is covered in beautiful oriental tiles.
Entry to the City Palace Museum is through the Ganesh Deori, which leads to the Rai Angan, or Royal courtyard. There's a Rajasthani art School in the museum complex where you can see live demonstrations of miniature paintings. There's also a government museum within the palace complex, which exhibits a collection of sculptures and paintings.
The other part of the palace is up against the lakeshore and has been converted into two luxury hotels known as the Shiv Niwas Palace and the Fateh Prakash Palace hotels.
The Durbar Hall at the City Palace Complex is undoubtedly one of India's most impressive, with a sumptuous interior boasting some of the largest chandeliers in the country. In 1909 Maharana Fateh Singh invited Lord Minto, the then viceroy of India, to lay the foundation stone of the Durbar Hall. Also called Minto Hall in his honour, the majestic hall once hosted formal court gatherings, state banquets and royal weddings. Numerous old paintings, weapons and grand portraits of former maharanas of Mewar adorn the walls of this hall. The top floor of this high ceiling hall, where the crystal collection is now housed, was the viewing gallery, from where the ladies of the palace used to watch in veiled seclusion, the special functions transpiring in the Durbar Hall below. Today painstakingly restored, the size, splendour and capacity of this hall makes it an ideal venue for hosting special functions such as conferences or social gatherings.
Crystal Gallery The staggering collection of crystal, which is housed in what was earlier the ladies viewing gallery, was ordered by Maharana Sajjan Singh in 1877. At that time the Birmingham based company F & C Osler had a showroom in Calcutta and it was from here that Maharana Sajjan Singh got his inspiration. He died before the shipment could arrive from England. Much of the crystal remained packed in cases and it was only in 1994 that it was arranged and opened for public display in its entirety. The variety of crystal object d'art includes fountains, vases, crockery and furniture. What is amazing about this collection is the ethnicity of the designs. There are objects in crystal that are distinctly Indian in conception like the lotas or drinking water vessels and chuskies or small decanters. Alongside this fascinating range of crystal are exhibited silver beds, chairs and brocade and velvet seating.
Jagmandir Palace: An island palace, its construction was begun by Maharana Karan Singh, but it takes it's name from Maharana Jagat Singh (1628-1652) who added to it a zenana and named the island Jag Mandir in honour of himself. It is said that Prince Khurram, who later went on to become the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan stayed here in 1623-24. He is supposed to have derived some of his ideas and inspiration for the Taj Mahal from this palace. Made of the finest yellow sandstone inlaid with marble, it has been dedicated to Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe. TOP^
In the middle of it's courtyard, is a most exquisitely carved chhatri of special grey-green granite called 'Pareva', imported especially for this purpose. The island has some beautiful stone carvings, including a row of huge elephants. A special landing on the west face was made to feed the crocodiles that live in the lake. There are trees, flowers and courtyards on this island palace. The view across the lake from the southern end, with the city and it's great palace rising up behind the island palaces is a scene of sublime beauty. The palace is available for holding various social functions such as parties and receptions and even marriages! In fact a lot of western tourists come here to get married.
 Lake Pichola: This lake is the centrepiece around which Udaipur revolves. It started off as a small pond built by a banjara, who dammed up the waters of a mountain stream by building a dyke. Maharana Udai Singh extended this pond, creating the exquisite Lake Pichola. The lake lies to the immediate west of the ridge on which the City Palace of Udaipur stands. Maharana Udai Singh built a masonry dam known as Badi Pol. The the lake is now 4 km long and 3 km wide. The lake is fairly shallow and dries up in severe droughts. One day of heavy rainfall is sufficient to fill the lake for a year. Amusingly, the water of the lake belongs to the Government of India whilst the land under water belongs to the royal family. A few crocodiles are believed to live in the more remote parts of the lake near uninhabited sections of the shore.
Late in the 18th century, the traveller Louis Rousselet wrote this about the crocodiles after a sojourn in a punt on the lake - “The crocodile found here as in other inland lakes of India, is a formidable animal. It attains a great size and the people who inhabit the shores of the lake occasionally fall victim to its savage attacks...Since the English Residency has been established at Oudeypoor, and the Rana, overcoming the ridiculous religious prejudices which protect these reptiles, has allowed Europeans to hunt them down, these formidable animals have abandoned the neighbourhood of the town, and have taken refuge on the opposite banks. Pitilessly pursued into their retreats, they have become very wary. As soon as a boat appears upon the lake, they dive to the bottom, and, on rising again, only show the tips of their muzzles above the surface.” TOP^
Fateh Sagar: North of Pichola Lake, this water body is overlooked by a number of hills and parks. It was originally built in 1678 by Maharana Jai Singh, but reconstructed by Maharana Fateh Singh after heavy rains destroyed the dam. A pleasant drive winds along the east bank and in the middle is Nehru Park, a popular garden island with a cafe shaped like a boat. You can get there by boat from near the bottom of Moti Magri. Paddleboats are available.
Jagdish Temple: This exquisite Indo-Aryan temple is located north of the entrance to the City Palace. Maharani Jag Singh built it in 1651. A black stone image of Vishnu as Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, is installed there. A shrine in the front of the temple has a brass image of the Garuda, a mythological bird. The steps up to the temple are flanked by elephants.
Pratap Smarak: A statue of the legendary Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap, who frequently defied the Mughals, is situated atop Moti Magri overlooking Fateh Sagar. The way to the top passes through elegant gardens, including a rock garden in the distinctive Japanese style. The park is open to the public from 9 am to 6 pm.
Shilpgram: 3 km west of Fateh Sagar is an interesting place called Shilpgram, a crafts village with traditional houses from four states - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra. Daily demonstrations by musicians, dancers and artisans from various states are held here. Camel and horse rides are available here. It's open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
The open air Shilpi restaurant next to the site serves snacks and good Indian and Chinese food. It also has a swimming pool, open from 11 am to 4 pm. There's no public transport to Shilpgram, so you'll have to take an auto-rickshaw or taxi, or rent a bicycle.
Ahar Museum: 3 km east of Udaipur are the remains of an ancient city. Here, you'll find a small museum housing old earthen pottery, sculptures and other archaeological finds. Nearby are clusters of Cenotaphs of the maharanas of Mewar.
Arsi Vilas: Arsi Vilas is an exclusive island located just behind Jag Niwas. It was built by Maharana Arsi Singh so he could watch the sunset from the middle of the lake. It has a lower platform at the back, which serves the purpose of a helipad when required.
Kumbhalgarh Fort: This is the most important fort in the Mewar region after Chittorgarh. It's an isolated and fascinating place 84 km from Udaipur, built by Maharana Kumbha in the 15th century. It's worth taking a leisurely walk in the large compound, which has some interesting ruins and is very peaceful. TOP^
Shopping:
The main shopping areas in Udaipur are Hathipol, Chetak Circle, Clock Tower, Palace Road, Bapu Bazaar and City Market. The Rajasthan Government Handicraft Emporium is a shoppers delight. The culture and tradition of the place has given rise to many objects of beauty - folk toys, brightly coloured garments, tie-and-dye saris and turbans, hand painted textiles. Cane furniture as well as local, carved furniture shows a high degree of craftsmanship. Chunky silver jewellery is reasonably priced. Wall hangings and paintings on cloth from the area are popular all over the world. Wooden toys are also available.
Cultural Calendar
Mewar Festival (Mar-Apr)
General Information
- Best time September - March
- Area 37 sq. km.
- Altitude 577 metres
- Climate Summer-38.3 degree C (Max.) 28.8degree C (Min)
Winter-28.3 degree C (Max.) 11.6 degree C (Min)
- Rainfall 61 cms
- Clothing Summer light tropical
Winter light woollen
- Languages English, Hindi, Mewari
Getting There
By Air: Udaipur is well connected by air to Jodhpur, Jaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The Airport is 21 km from the city centre. Taxis are freely available to and from the airport.
By Rail: Udaipur is on the Western Railway metre gauge network. It is directly connected by rail with Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad.
The railway station is about 4 km from the city centre.
By Road: Udaipur is on National Highway No 8, the main link between Delhi and Mumbai. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Road Transport Corporation buses operate from Udaipur to various places. Some private operators also ply between the main cities. Luxury coaches run at night.
Some important road distances from Udaipur are:
- Ahmedabad 262 km via Ratnapur and Himmatnagar
- Agra 630 km via Ajmer and Jaipur
- Ajmer 264 km via Nathdwara and Beawar
- Chittorgarh 112 km via Manglawad
- Jaipur 406 km via Ajmer
- Jodhpur 275 km via Ranakpur and Pali
- Ranakpur 90 km via Savra
- Mount Abu 187 km via Pindwara. TOP^
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