Udaipur

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: 27.72176
• Longitude: 75.469101

On Travellerspoint

• 3 Udaipur Guesthouses
• 2 Udaipur Hostels
• 9 Udaipur Hotels

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Introduction

City Palace - Udaipur

© All Rights Reserved rsnamli

The city of Dawn, or the city of Lakes, Udaipur in Rajasthan is the jewel of Mewar, a kingdom ruled by the Sisodia dynasty for 1200 Years. It is a lovely city around the azure lake, hemmed in by the lush hills of the Aravallis, a vision in white drenched in romance and beauty. Drive around the fascinating monuments that adorn the stunning landscape in this most romantic city of India, appreciating its palaces, which are straight out of a fairy-tale book, no wonder it has always been a lovely place for Film Shoots, Royal Events and even Corporate Parties. Come to Udaipur and you'll fall in love with it!

Interestingly Mewar continuously defied foreign invaders and has a history of bloody battles until the British intervention in the nineteenth when a treaty was signed to protect Udaipur.

It was this time when Silver Coins of the Mewar State were Used as currency mentioning the alliance with British as Dosti-London and famous as Chitrakut Udaipur Coins.

Suburbs

Sights

Pratap Memorial

On a hill top (known as Moti Margi or Pearl Hill), overlooking the Fateh Sagar lake is the memorial of the Rajput warrior and local hero Maharana Pratap. It is a life-sized bronze statue of Maharana Pratap balanced on his loyal and best horse, Chetak. It is believed that Chetak was a faithful horse and was extremely protective towards Maharana Pratap and stood by his master till he took his final breath. Chetak was killed in the battle of Haldighati. People visit this memorial to pay homage to the Rajput hero and to his loyal horse 'Chetak'.

The statue apparently has been featured in a Bollywood movie or two. Also, from the hill you can get some great views of Udaipur and whilst you are in the vicinity you can visit the pleasant Japanese Rock Garden and the remains of one of the forts of Udaipur, which are both located nearby.

City Palace

The City Palace is an imposing and romantic structure that towers over the lake, on a hill top, and is surrounded by crenallated walls. It's courtyards, pavilions, terraces, rooms and gardens cover a large area - it is really a series of palaces built by the Maharana Udai Singh. The main entrance is through a triple arched gate or 'tripolia' built in 1725 with eight marble porticos. In days gone by the Maharanas were weighed under the gate in gold, they were literally worth their weight in gold to their people! From the large balconies you can get a great view of the 'floating palace' or Lake Palace, the Jag Niwas on romantic Lake Pichola. The Mor-chowk (or Peacock courtyard), takes its name from the beautiful peacock glass mosaics that decorate the walls. The palace is full of antiques and paintings and decorative artifacts and furnishings and naturally receives many visitors every year.

Lake Pichola

This picturesque lake is surrounded by hills, palaces, temples, havelis and the bathing ghats and embankments. There are two island, or floating palaces, Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas (Lake Palace) that you can reach by boat. The lake is rumoured to have been here since the 14th century but has since been enlarged by Rana Udai Singh and is now more than 2 miles long and more than 1 mile wide. The reflections in the lake on a clear day and the surrounding buildings create a very magical atmosphere and there is a stillness to Udaipur when you reach the waters edge which is sometimes hard to find in India!

Other Sights and Activities

Activities

Events and Festivals

• Mewar festival – is usually observed during March/April to herald the arrival of spring season with all pomp and gaiety. Local markets and shops are decorated and illuminated and women are brightly dressed and participate in the dance and other cultural events held during the period.
• Shilpgram fair – is usually held on the outskirts of Udaipur during November/December. This fair is organized to promote the arts and crafts of Rajasthan. Hand woven clothes, camel leather items, mirror works and handicrafts grab the attention of most of the visitors. It is a great opportunity for the local artists to showcase their talent and creative products in front of the audience which also includes international tourists. Apart from the shops, various musicians, traditional dances and snake charmers entertain the tourists.

Weather

The presence of numerous lakes in Udaipur moderates the climatic conditions which would otherwise be experienced in a semi-arid zone. However summers (March-June) can be quite hot with temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius on most of the occassions. Udaipur receives most of its annual rainfall in the moonsoon months of July to October. There are frequent thunderstorms but flooding is not common in these areas. Wintermonths of November to February have mild temperature in the range of 16-20 degrees Celsius. The most convenient time to visit Udaipur is the period from November to February when temperatures are mild and there is hardly any rain.

Getting There

By Plane

Udaipur Airport, known as Dabok airport is located around 23 kilometres from the city centre and has a number of flights linking Udaipur to Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Jodhpur. Recently the airport has been upgraded to an international airport but is yet to begin international flights. Unfortunately there is no public transport from the airport to the city centre and taxis cost around 200-300 Indian rupees.

By Train

Rail link between Udaipur and rest of the country has considerably improved after the conversion of metre gauge lines to broad gauge ones. Udaipur now has direct trains to all the major cities of India. Train timings, fares and availability of seats/berths can be checked at Indian Railways, which operates the rail network in India.

By Car

By Bus

Udaipur is well connected to most of the towns of Rajasthan and some of the cities of neighbouring states like Mount Abu and Ahmedabad by Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation buses, which are efficient, safe, comfortable and affordable. Some sleeper bus services are even available to Mumbai but the journey can be long and tiresome.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

• Hotel Rajdharshan is a nice hotel with a bazaar at its entrance. It has quite nice rooms though they look a bit weathered by use.

Upscale

• The Taj Lake Palace has a lovely location on Lake Pichola.
• Udai Vilas is part of the Oberoi chain of hotels and is also on the banks of Lake Pichola.

Work

Learn

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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