Udaipur was once the capital of Mewar Rajputana kingdom in southern Rajasthan. King Udai Singh II of Sisodia clan constructed this city in 1559 and shifted his capital from Chittorgarh to Udaipur as he felt the former was vulnerable to enemy attack. He needed a more secure location which he found near Girwa Valley, along the Aravalli Hills. This new capital city of Mewar was named after him. With the beautiful Lake Pichola on the backdrop Udaipur is now a romantic destination dotted with exquisite medieval Rajput architecture. The city is built around huge lakes, namely – Fateh Sagar (‘sagar’ meaning lake in vernacular), Swaroop Sagar, Udai Sagar and Pichola to lend its popular names such as the “City of Lakes” or “Venice of the East”.
Where to Stay
As I have already mentioned in my previous post that we were destined to Udaipur from Pushkar via Chittorgarh. It was a long, tiring drive under the scorching sun of Rajasthan, even in late November. After a few hours of Rambling in Ruins of Chittorgarh we were headed towards Udaipur. It was almost 9 pm when we reached Hotel Dimple International. From my experience I would suggest everyone to avoid this hotel. The door locks were defective. Inside the room the bed linens and bathroom were dirty. We asked the staffs to change the linens and what we got in exchange were similar dirty stuffs. This was the only hotel where I had such bad experience in my entire Rajasthan tour. Our tour was operated by a travel agency. Should I booked hotels myself I would never choose this hotel based on only two reviews on TripAdvisor. However, there are a number of budget hotels in Udaipur that offer satisfactory service. You’ll get a decent accommodation within Rs 2000.
Things to Do and See in Udaipur
Udaipur is a historical place full of royal palaces and architecture to explore and admire. The lakes and gardens add to its historical charm while offering additional options for tourists to spend quality time there. Sahelin-Ki-Bari (Garden of Maidens), Chetak Smarak (Memorial of Chetak, the famous horse of Rana Pratap, the King of Chittor), Sukhadia Circle and Nehru Island Park are such places in Udaipur.
Chetak Smarak
Chetak Smarak is a landscaped garden with a magnificent life-size bronze statue of Rana Pratap astride his horse, Chetak. You must be wondering why they built a memorial for a horse. Well, Chetak was not an ordinary horse. He was a very big, powerful horse. He saved Rana Pratap’s life in the battle of Haldighati. When Mughal army, under the command of Marwar king Man Singh, outnumbered Rana Pratap’s army and Rana Pratap had to retreat a severely wounded Chetak (with one leg chopped off) carried Pratap away to a secure place and breathed his last. Since then he has become a legend. By the way, entry fee to the garden complex was Rs 45.
Boating in the Lakes
This was my second best experience in Udaipur. First is obviously visiting Udaipur City Palace. 🙂 Boats here are large motorboats where the boatman took a group of 15-20 people at a time. Twenty minutes boat ride in Lake Fateh Sagar cost Rs 100 per person. You can also enjoy a royal boat cruise to Udaipur Lake Palace in Lake Pichola.
Nehru Island Park
Nehru Island Park is an artificial island garden situated amidst Fateh Sagar. Our boat went close to the garden. Close enough to take pictures but not enough to disembark. So, I only have this for your eyes. 🙂
Sahelin-ki-Bari
Sahelin-ki-Bari or the Garden of Maidens is a beautifully decked garden with lush plantation, lotus pools, fountains and canopy of trees. The guide told us that the garden was created for the princess (the daughter of Maharana Sangram Singh) as she wanted a cool place to spend summer with her maiden attendants (‘saheli’ in local language), hence the name Sahelin-ki-Bari (‘bari’ refers to ‘place’). The garden complex also houses a museum.
The specialty of the fountains in this garden is that they are continuously flowing without the use of any pump or machine. The fountains are fed by the water of Lake Fateh Sagar which is situated on a higher plane than the garden. Due to the difference in surface level the waters naturally cause pressure when directed through channels down to the garden. Amazing…isn’t it! 🙂
Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal
Rajasthan and puppetry are inseparable. Stringed puppet dance is an integral part of Rajasthan’s culture since ages. It was one of the popular modes of entertainment in olden days. The traditiona is still alive in rural Rajasthan. In Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, a governmental institution of art and culture, you can watch puppet shows and get an idea of Rajasthan’s rich tribal art and crafts. We enjoyed a short 15-20-minute puppet show which was really very amusing.
City Palace
For me this was the most coveted part of our Udaipur sightseeing tour. The 400-year-old iconic City Palace was built by King Udai Singh II as his royal residence and administrative office. Later his ancestors made addition and extension of the main palace building to give it the present look and volume.
The palace architecture is a combination of Rajput and Mughal styles. The City Palace offers a spectacular panorama of the entire Udaipur city from its porches. As you step inside, you find a series of glamorous mahals (palatial residences) that are maintained as they were in time of Rajput monarchy. For your information, entry charges to City Palace was Rs 115 per person and Rs 225 for camera (optional). Remember that you need a guide to explore the palace. Guide’s charges for a group of 21-30 people was Rs 350/- in total.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
Built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century Kumbhalgarh Fort is one of the six famous ‘Hill Forts of Rajasthan’ and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This spectacular fort is located 82 km northwest from Udaipur. The entire fort perimeter is surrounded by a thick, strong brick wall stretching 36 kilometers along the hills. This is said to be the world’s second longest wall after the Great Wall of China.
Sajjan Garh Palace
Sajjan Garh Palace, also called ‘Monsoon Palace’, is a royal residence nestled on top of Aravalli Hills overlooking the Lake Fateh Sagar. Named after its creator Maharana Sajjan Singh this palace was built in 1884 to watch the arrival of monsoon clouds in the region. The place offers breathtaking panoramas of Udaipur’s lakes and neighboring countryside.
Well, that’s not all. There are much more to see and experience in a versatile, culturally rich place like Udaipur. On our way back from the City Palace we visited Jagdish Temple, which is located in the vicinity of the palace.
Shopping in Udaipur
I saw several textile and art and crafts shops lined up the streets leading to the City Palace. But if you want to but authentic Rajasthani artifacts, especially exclusive jewellery and decorative items made of oxidized metals Rajasthali is the place to go. This is the only handicrafts emporium in Udaipur owned by the Rajasthan Government. After a long, tiring day of sightseeing in Udaipur we came back to hotel. That night I couldn’t sleep well because the next day was meant for a journey to famous Mount Abu via the historic battlefield of Haldighati.
Haldighati
Haldighati, only 40 Km from Udaipur, houses a museum where you’ll see large statues of Rana Pratap and Raja Man Singh, right in front of the museum building. Inside, an array of life-size clay models depict the various incidents of the historic battle and chivalry of Rana Pratap, the eldest son of Rana Udai Singh II. The museum also exhibits Rajasthan’s rural life using clay models.
So, that’s all about Udaipur from me. While I had seen some of its main attractions many were left behind as we didn’t have enough time. But Rajasthan is a place where I would love to come back again and again and it will never cease to amaze me.
Lovely views. Udaipur is beautiful and this post makes me even more excited about my upcoming trip there 🙂
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Thank you for the visit and comment. Wish you a very happy trip 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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What a beautiful description of Udaipur. I’ve seen many people fall in love with Udaipur but this blog describes the land like no other!
The lakes, gardens and historical structures will surely inspire and wow each passer-by. Every person would want to stay a day or two longer for sure!
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Thank you Asmita for such wonderful words of encouragement. I am glad you enjoyed. 🙂
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You have nicely captured the beauty of the city in your pictures. Such a lovely place it is , rekindled the memories of my trip to Udaipur. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your thoughts Somali. Glad you liked the pics 🙂
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So many memories started playing hide n seek in my mind as I went through your post. I relieved those moments. Thanks for a wonderful eee experience. Pics are amazing as ever.
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Yes, it was an amazing experience… in fact the entire Rajasthan tour was amazing! But Udaipur and Jaisalmer were special to me 🙂 Thank you for nice comments, Deblina.
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What stunning captures of the city!
You have painted an amazing picture of Udaipur with your clicks and words. Indeed Venice of East!
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Thank you Saru for such nice words…means a lot to me
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Its a pity I have seen Venice and not Udaipur….loved the information and super liked the pictures 🙂
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Hahahaa… thanks
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Great tour here. Beautiful photos of this special place.
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I am glad you took the tour and liked it Amy 😀
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Great clicks Moon 🙂 ..somehow they remind me of the film “Suddh Desi Romance”…..:-)
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A ha..I forgot about this movie .. Now feel the urge of watching it 🙂 Both Sushant and Parineeti are my favorites. Thanks 😉
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Parineeti is so sweet and I just love Sushant! 😀 Kintu ta bole Byomkesh! 😦 aabar nachchhe… 😥
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hahahaa…. amar ekhono dekhar… ki bolbo… “durbhagyo”/”soubhagyo” hoini …tobe review porechi Bengali paper e…odike IMDB te to high rating 😀
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Your posts made me feel what good travelogues are made of …
Loved each and every picture and each and every word of it .
A personal tidbit is – My mother use to sing ‘Chetak’ by Shyam Narayan Pandey as a lullaby to me ..so its nostalgia too 🙂
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Wow…that’s a nice thing you mentioned…Chetak story in lullaby! Must be wonderful. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. What you’ve said is a big encouragement for me, Kokila.
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Amazing description and images. Thanks
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Thank you for visiting
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Thanks for bringing back memories! Udaipur is a lovely city 🙂 I love it for its lakes. Esp Pichola and the visit to fatehprakash palace and jag mahal 🙂 paras mahal is a good budget hotel and near the city as well!
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My city beautiful!
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Wow… glad to know you are from Udaipur. Next time I visit Udaipur/ Rajasthan I will ask for some tips on sightseeing 🙂
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Sure!
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I have seen so little in and around Udaipur! Beautiful pictures.
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Thank you Mridula. Udaipur has so much to offer, I think have missed many more than what I saw/experienced.
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Beautiful – and that horse story is so good 🙂 Hope you get to see another Venice of the East 😀 http://www.incredibleindia.org/en/travel/destination/alappuzha/alappuzha-introduction
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Oh yes… Alleppey is definitely on my travel bucket list 🙂 In fact, the entire God’s Own Country …check this out https://footlooseforever.com/2014/09/02/alleppey-grows-more-beautiful-when-it-rains/
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Thats nice, and it is raining here now 🙂
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Already raining! We are enjoying the weather of late spring in Kolkata 😉 🙂
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so beautiful.. especially the lake side… its a pity I yet have to visit Udaipur despite seeing most of Rajasthan! Thanks for sharing Moon, lovely shots as usual. 🙂
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It happens Archana, Sometimes nearest to the church is farthest from god 😉 :)Jokes apart, you are lucky to see most of Rajasthan. Its a huge state so full of diversity. Thank you so much for comments.
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We visited Udaipur last October, could relive all the moments while going through your beautiful pictures…. 🙂
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Glad you liked them 🙂
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Amazing! You brought back so many memories. 🙂
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Glad to know that, Renuka. Happy you stopped by 🙂
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