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Udaipur
[ Edit ] Overview
Udaipur is a city in the state of Rajasthan built on 3 lakes-Lake Pachola, Fateh Sagar and Umaid Sagar. Founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh it became the capital of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar after the fall of Chittorgarh, the ancient capital of Mewar, in 1567.
Udaipur is a city of palaces, lakes, temples, gardens and havelis. It is also a centre for painting, arts and crafts. In the past the city was aptly called the ‘Venice of the east’ or ‘city of lakes’. Today even though most of the palaces have been converted into luxury hotels or museums the city still holds much of the charm it did several centuries ago.
[ Edit ] History
According to legend, Maharana Udai Singh II found the site of his new capital some years before the the final sacking of Chittorgarh Fort by Emperor Akbar's army. He apparently came across across a holy man meditating on a hill near Lake Pichola who advised him to build his capital at that very spot. Following the loss of Chittor, Maharana Udai Singh began the construction of the city that came to be known as Udaipur. Surrounded by the Aravali mountain range on all sides, and with dense forests and several lakes, Udaipur was certainly more secure than the earlier capital of the Rajputs.
Quick Facts
[ Edit ] State
Rajasthan, India
[ Edit ] Location
Around 660 km southwest of Delhi, around 275 km for Ajmer and close to the border with Gujarat
[ Edit ] Best Time To Visit
Situated in the Thar Desert, Udaipur weather is tolerable even in the summers. While winter is the best season to vist Udaipur (December to February), monsoon and summer (March through June maximumum temperature is in the range of 38°C) seasons are also relatively pleasant time to visit this city.
[ Edit ] Tourist Offices
The Tourist Reception Centre, Fateh Memorial Building, Near Surajpol.
[ Edit ] STD Code
0294
Sightseeing
[ Edit ] Bagore ki Haveli
Built in the 18th Century Bagore ki haveli boasts a total of 100 rooms each beautifully decorated with paintings, frescoes and murals. A particularly striking feature of the décor is the glass and mirror work. Today the haveli has been converted in a museum and displays the traditional arts and crafts of Udaipur. Rajasthani folk music and dance performances are held here every evening.
- Open daily. Entrance fees apply.
[ Edit ] City Palace Udaipur
City Palace Udaipur, situated on the east bank of Lake Pichola, is one of the largest palace complexes in Rajasthan. Maharana Udai Singh started the construction of the palace and later his successors made several additions to the original structure. In total 22 different maharanas contributed their styles and architecture to the palace complex between the 16th and 20th centuries making it a combination of Rajput military architecture with Mughal style decoration. more
[ Edit ] Delwara
Delwara, 24 km from Udaipur, is a quaint village in the Aravalis. Fifty percent of the population in this village comprises of Jains, while Hindus and Muslims make up 30% and 20% respectively. The village is known for its Jain Temple that is said to be the inspiration behind the more famous Dilwara temples in Mount Abu or of the now more famous Ranakpur Jain Temple.
Intricately carved pillars surround the main alter at the temple. This is an active temple and in the mornings you will see many devotees coming in to the temple. In addition to the temple, the village makes for a lovely stroll with narrow roads, colorful walls and courtyards, and a laid back feel. The famous Devi Garh Palace Hotel is located at Delwara. Its strategic location makes it difficult to spot the hotel until you are right in front of it. One has to walk into the surrounding beautiful country side to get a glimpse of the fort palace.
- Photography is not allowed inside the Jain Temple.
[ Edit ] Eklingji
The Eklingji Temple, located in the town of Kailashpuri, dates back to 734 AD. Located 24km from Udaipur this complex consists of 108 temples built of sandstone and marble. Eklingji was the family deity of the Maharana of Mewar and is said to have been founded by the Acharya Visaroopa, a contemporary of Adi Sankaracharya . Eklingji is an active temple and attracts devotees throughout the year.
The existing structures, dating back to the 15th century, was built out of the ruins of a previously destroyed structure. The architecture resembles that of the Jain temples of Gujarat. The Lord Shiva is worshipped here as a four faced black marble image, with the faces representing Surya (facing east), Bhrama (facing west), Maheshwar (facing south) and Vishnu (facing north).
Other deities worshiped in the temple complex include Kartikeya, Ganesh, Ganga, Parvati, Saraswathi, and Yamuna. While, the main temple seems to endured the test of time, many of the other smaller temples, particularly on the perimeter, are visibly "newer". Photography is prohibited within the temple complex.
In addition to Eklingji, the town of Kailashpuri has approximately 70 other temples including the Nagda / Sas-Bahu marble temple, dating back to the 11th century and the Adbhudji Jain temple. more
[ Edit ] Jag Niwas
Built by Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1754, Jag Niwas or Lake Palace was a summer retreat for the royal family. The island on which the palace stands is 1.5 hectares in size and the palace covers the entire island. The palace is now converted into a luxury hotel.
[ Edit ] Jagdish Temple
North of the City Palace’s main entrance is the 17th century Jagdish temple. The temple was built by Maharana Jagat Singh. In the elaborately carved main shrine at the temple is a black stone image of Lord Vishnu as Jagannath(Lord of the Universe). The entrance of the temple is flanked by stone elephants. In front of the temple there is a bronze image of Garuda, the mythical bird.
- Open daily.
[ Edit ] Jagmandir
Situated on an island in Lake Pichola, this palace called Jagmandir. Built in 1620 by Maharan Karan Singh many more additions were made later by Maharana Jagat Singh. The palace has a row of 8 stone sculpted elephants at the entrance looking out at the lake, an imposing chhatri made from grey and blue stone, marble chambers with exquisitely inlaid coloured stones. Between 1623-1624 Jagmandir provided refuge to Shah Jahan while he was revolting against his father. It is believed that some of the ideas for the Taj Mahal came from Jagmandir.
[ Edit ] Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola literally meaning "the lake behind the palace" is an artificial lake built by Maharana Udai Singh. After Maharana Udai Singh founded the city of Udaipur he enlarged the lake and later built a masonry dam called Badi Pol. In the lake there are two islands- Jagmandir and Jag Niwas (Lake Palace island). There are boat rides available at the City Palace jetty for an hour to go around the lake during the day time.
[ Edit ] Ranakpur Jain Temple
The beautiful Ranakpur Jain Temple is believed to have been constructed between the 14th and 15th century. The temple is considered to be an exquisite work or art and architecture and was the realization of the endeavours of 4 great devout seekers : Acharya Somasundarsuriji; Rana Kumbha; Dharanashah, the Minister to Rana Kumbha; and Depa or Depaka, the architect of the temple.
The temple is dedicated to Adinatha. In the main chamber of the temple there are 4 huge white marble images of Bhagvan Adinath. The images measure 72 inches in height and are installed together facing the four different directions, giving the temple the name of Chaturmukh Jain Temple.
The temple has 76 smaller domes, 4 assembly halls called Rangamandapas, 4 principle shrines and a number of subsidiary shrines. The most outstanding feature of the temple is its 1,444 intricately carved pillars with no two pillars looking alike. The assembly hall has two big bells weighing 108 kgs that are rung every morning and evening during the main prayer times. There is a much older Sun temple opposite this temple.
- Open daily.
- There are no entrance fees but there is Rs 50 charge for cameras. Leather products like bags, belts etc are not allowed within the temple. Dress code does not allow visitors to enter the temple wearing shorts. Pants are available for rent at a charge of Rs 15.
[ Edit ] Saas Bahu Temple
The Saas Bahu Temple complex, located in the town of Nagda (2 km from Eklingji), is a cluster of temples dedicated to the Lord Vishnu. While the name would seem to suggest "Mother-in-Law & Daughter-in-Law Temple", it is actually the close proximity of the two main temples to each other that helped this complex develop the name of Saas Bahu. The larger of the two temple, as is to be expected, is referred to as the Saas temple (i.e. Mother-in-law), while the smaller one (with the torana / archway in its front) is the Bahu. These temples were built by King Mahapala (a Kachwah) in the 10th century. The temple has intricate carvings that are still in a well preserved state. Located next to a lily pond, Saas Bahu is only 2 km away from the Eklingji Temple.
[ Edit ] Saheliyon ki Bari
This is small and ornamental garden is located in the north of the city. Saheliyon ki Bari meaning "garden of the maids of honor" has many ornate fountains, lotus pool, a rose garden and a lush lawn. It was built in the 18th century for the queen of Udaipur and her maids. The queens dowry included 48 maids. The garden however is not very well maintained.
- Open daily. Entrance fees: Rs 5.
[ Edit ] Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace)
Built atop the Bansdara Mountain the palace was a monsoon retreat for the Mewar kings.
Planning a Trip
Getting There
[ Edit ] Air
Maharana Pratap Airport situated around 30km from Udaipur is connects to most cities in India.
[ Edit ] Rail
Udaipur is connected by rail to many cities in north India.
[ Edit ] Road
Udaipur is well connected by a network of roads. From Delhi take the NH8 to Udaipur via Jaipur and Ajmer. The journey takes around 13 hours.
Driving distance to Udaipur from:
- Agra: 637 kms
- Ajmer: 275 kms
- Chittorgarh: 114 kms
- Delhi: 660 kms
- Eklingji: 25 kms
- Jaipur: 405 kms
- Jaisalmer: 577 kms
- Jodhpur: ___ kms
- Mount Abu: 190 kms
- Pushkar:___kms
- Ranakpur: 292 kms
[ Edit ] Getting Around
There is a choice of taxi, auto rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Make sure you fix the price before starting the journey.
[ Edit ] Other Information
[ Edit ] Shopping
Miniature art, silver jewellery, local crafts and paintings in the Rajput-Mughal style are some of the popular buys in Udaipur. East of the Jagdish temple is the old walled city with shops selling miniatures and antiques. Bapu and Bara bazaar in narrow lanes sell wooden toys, puppets, jewels and clothes. The narrow street alongside the City Palace has rows of shops selling souvenirs and craft items.
Near Ghanta Ghar there are several little shops selling antique weaponry and other antique artifacts. A short distance from Fateh Sagar lake there is a craft village called Shilpgram selling traditional paintings, clothings, puppets and wooden toys.Other places to shop in Udaipur include Chetak Circle, Hathipol and Clock Tower.
[ Edit ] Food
The traditional food of Rajasthan includes lentils, vegetables and rotis or bread. Dal-Baati-Churma, Gatte-Ki-Sabzi, Kachori, Mirchi Bada etc are some of the dishes.
The city has many restaurants offering good Indian and Western food. Many of the restaurants have roof top restaurants overlooking the lake or the hills. The Rajasthani restaurants generally offer thali meals which are a great value for money while you can taste about 10 or more dishes at the same time.
Savage Garden, a trendy restaurant, is mainly a Western food restaurant with some Indo-Western fusion dishes.
The pool side restaurant at the Shiv Niwas Palace hotel serves excellent Indian food, pricey, but has great food, fantastic ambience and excellent service. Similarly the roof top restaurant at Jagat Niwas Palace hotel is also very good. Both places will require reservations made well in advance.
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The temples of Eklingji and Nagda make for a great evening outing from Udaipur
Eklingji (in the town of Kailashpuri) and Nadga (Saas Bahu Temple) are both only 25 kms from Udaipur on NH-8. The ride from Udaipur is beautiful with mountains, valleys, lakes and streams (depending on season of course). I recommended heading out so that you can see the Eklingji Temple first and then head to Saas Bahu right before sunset. Saas Bahu is a little, and relatively unknown jewel - a 1,100 year old temple that has survived the ravages of time and invading forces. The trip from Udaipur is less than an hour...and you can make it back in time for dinner.
- On: 25 Mar 2009
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