UDAIPUR Location : 115 km from Chittorgarh Renowned As : Lake City of Rajasthan Must Visit : City Palace, Gangaur Ghat, Eklingji Temple, Vintage Car Museum What To Do : Boat Cruise, Horse riding

City Palace , Udaipur

City Palace - Udaipur Nathdwara

Lake Palace Dungarpur

Eklingji Temple Chittorgarh

Udaipur - Cruise On The Lake, See The Palaces And Enjoy The Romance In The Air

The lake city of Udaipur is a cool oasis in the dry heart of Rajasthan. With the emerald waters of picturesque Lake Pichola brimming the nucleus of this romantic city, augmenting the sort of charm that enhances - and is enhanced by - conviviality. Udaipur, also known as the 'Venice of the East' is a perfect honeymoon destination, full of surprises, known for its fairytale Lake palace that nestle along the banks of the lake Pichola amidst sandy terrain and green forested hills, creating an alluring crossboard of colours. Travel to Udaipur which is also the centre for performing arts, craft and world famed miniature paintings. Visit the famous Shilp Gram festival, a center of attraction during the season. The Lake City is not only a place where you enjoy lazing around or aimless wandering on the streets of the old quarter. All around the old section, there are cramped cobbled streets, lined with shops and craftsmen's hideouts that pamper hours of window-shopping. Take up Udaipur tourism to enjoy this and more!

Date Back To Udaipur

Maharana Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in 1568 after his capital Chittorgarh was besieged by Mughal Emperor Akbar. The historical legends articulate that Udai Singh was guided by a saint meditating on the hill near Pichola Lake to establish his capital on this pleasing location. Moreover, the place was surrounded by Aravali Ranges, forests and lakes and hence was less vulnerable than Chittorgarh. In the famous Udaipur city, this was only the beginning of a long history, the latter chapters being subsequently followed by frequent attacks of invaders. But if feudalism suited Udaipur, one can barely hear a word about it from guides or guidebooks. Instead, the whole atmosphere reverberates with the valour of the fiercely independent spirit of the Sisodia clan. The Maharana of Udaipur, being the head of the 'solar' Rajput dynasty (Suryavansham), is the highest ranking among all the Rajasthani rulers. Udaipur is also known as the City of Sunrise, and the Maharana's royal emblem bears an image of the sun.

Trinkets of The Lake City

Travel to the royal city of Udaipur which is a treasure trove of monuments and museums. Spend a day at the magnificent City Palace, which stretches along the eastern bank of Lake Pichola, displaying some exquisite works of art in marble and granite. Its elegantly designed balconies are the highest resting pads in town, with the shimmering waters of Lake Pichola dribbling below them - it's easy to imagine the royal invitees sitting up here watching the elephants at play in the voluminous courtyard below. Visit the world famous Crystal gallery, located within the Fateh Prakash Palace (now a heritage hotel), which presents an astounding collection of over 600 crystal objects ordered by Maharajah Sajjan Singh in 1877. Reserve a suite in the Jag Nivas island, now converted into Lake Palace Hotel. One of the most picturesque palaces of Rajasthan, the Lake Palace displays an exquisite Mughal architecture, which inspired the creation of Taj Mahal. One can also have a most luxurious vista of Lake Palace in James Bond film 'Octopussy' entire film was shot on the beautiful locations of Udaipur, making Lake Palace as its epi-centre. This 17th century summer palace is a superb blend of modern and traditional, with exceptionally good food and impeccable services provided.

While on Udaipur tours, spare some time to visit the lush greens of Saheliyon - ki - Bari, a garden built in the 18th century for the royal ladies now being converted into a favoured picnic spot. Enjoy the evening folk dance and music performances at the Gangaur Ghat, which is where the famous Gangaur festival culminates. The famous Eklingaji temple is half an hour drive from Udaipur through green meadows and alluring romantic spots. This exquisite temple complex is dotted with 108 shrines, relating to the number of beads in the rudraksh necklace used for meditation in Hinduism.

The Pearls Scattered Around The Blue Oasis

Boat Cruise on Lake Pichola , Udaipur

Travel to Udaipur in India to see the famous attractions. Get on a cab to visit the Vintage and Classic Car Museum, situated at about 2 km from the City Palace complex, and displays a grand array (about 2 dozen) of Maharana's personal collection of exclusive four-wheelers. Look especially for the 1939 Cadillac convertible, which transported Jackie Kennedy during her visit to Udaipur. The entry to this mansion requires an entry fee, which includes a round of beverage. Ask your Udaipur travel guide to make a trip to the Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum, a rather crippled place but with a very good display of costumes, puppetry, paintings and, folk art, music and dance. The museum also encourages puppetry, music or dance performances every evening. One of the most colourful places to wander around is the Shilpagram, a living museum about 3 km west of Fateh sagar Lake; hutments of different tribal groups have been created here and real people dwell in them and sell their wares. Visit Raja Ram Sharma's Studio, near Brahma Pol which presents a attracting array of paintings, made with traditional pigments and figurations. Travel to the royal city on Udaipur in Rajasthan to enjoy a splendid holiday in this heritage city.

The Festive Panorama - Enjoy In Your Own Way

Enjoy a holiday in Udaipur at the advent of Spring, when the Mewar festival is held in March-April during the Gangaur festival in Udaipur and has a unique charm about it. The two-day festival is dolled by a ceremonial procession, which eventually winds its way through Lake Pichola to the Gangaur Ghat. Rajasthani culture is beautifully portrayed through songs, dances and other programmes, and culminates through a 'shobha yatra' wherein caparisoned elephants, camels, horses and folk artists are out on the streets. Plan a holiday tour during the first ten days of December, to be a part of the Shilpgram Uthsav. Organised inside the premises of the Shilpgram, this is purely an art and crafts festival.

Pick Up Counters

While enjoying your Udaipur tourism in Rajasthan, you cannot resist the spree of picking up a handful of memories from the bustling markets that doll the various pockets of this Lake City. The labyrinthine lanes between the City Palace and Jagdish Temple is lined up with shops selling embroidered or block-printed fabrics, jewellery, miniature paintings and exquisitely carved wooden artifacts, forming the major attractions of this royal city. The best place to begin with would be the state-owned Rajasthali, a place where one can find splendid works of art and souvenirs. If you are looking particularly for the famous Rajasthani silver, head for the market near the Clock Tower. Leave your vehicle and walk into the narrow by-lanes, amidst the shops selling bangles, embroidered bedsheets and the famous 'lehriya' saris. Mystique, at 14, Lal Ghat, is a more upmarket shop for textiles and curios, and is a huge gallery of branded showrooms. Drive over to Hathipol. Here one can find beautiful jootis (traditional embroidered leather sandals), wooden souvenirs, camel leather items and sweetmeat shops. Kajri, the government owned emporium is a good place for no-bargain but good quality objects. If someone is looking for regular shopping, head on towards Bapu Bazaar. The clustered shops over there sell everything from readymade textiles, crockery, homeware, food products and the innumerable bric-a-brac that characterise any Indian marketplace.

Dining Delight

Eklingji Temples , Udaipur

While on your Udaipur vacations take a tour of Lake Pichola in Udaipur is embroidered with scores of rooftop restaurants. Some other important attractions of Udaipur in India are these dining destinations that offer a visual treat on any winter afternoon or summer evening, apart from a varied appetite pleasure. On the Hanuman Ghat side, outside Chandpol, there are excellent open-air options on the bank of Lake Pichola. They offer varied Rajasthani specialties, including the corn-flavoured mutton soweta. For vegetarian tourists who want to savour Rajasthani cuisine, the Santosh Daal Baati Bhojanalaya, at Surajpol, is a better option. Here one can have daal-baati-churma for a very reasonable price. The waiter will crumble the baatis for you and pour loads of liquid ghee on them before you taste them. One can also try the Vintage Car Museum restaurant, which provides an ethnic 'thaali', that is altogether reasonable, wholesome and extremely popular among travellers. Gourmets are advised to visit the Savage Gardens, earlier an 'haveli' of the 'Rajpurohit' (royal priest), now done to shades of the bluest blue by an enthusiast German. Feel the exoticness of the ambiance while walking through the intimate lanes, criss-crossed over the gardens. The menu is equally imaginative, largely Indian with a slight tint of Italian cuisine.

News You Can Use

The Pichola Lake is the nucleus around which the whole city of Udaipur revolves. Maharana Pratap Airport is located at around 21 km from the city centre and it takes around 35-45 minutes to reach the same. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways have regular flights from Jodhpur, Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi. All the flights from Delhi operates a break journey at Jaipur, thereby actually delaying the journey by 1 hour. For more information and details, one can visit the Tourist Information Centre (10 am-5 pm daily) at the airport or the Fateh Memorial Building, at Surajpol. Tourists can also reserve their seats in Mewar Express (2963), which departs from Hazrat Nizamuddin station at 7 pm daily and reaches Udaipur Junction at 7 am in the morning. Udaipur is on National Highway no. 8, the major link between Mumbai and Delhi. Travellers can contact their respective travel agents and trace their routes from either Delhi or Mumbai. If you are visiting from Delhi, break your journey at Jaipur, visit the major attractions and then move for Udaipur the next day. It takes about 8 hours to travel to Udaipur from Jaipur, and you can stop for some refreshments at deogarh, which falls roughly midway. The State Transport Bus Stand, is on City Station Road, NH 8, Udaipol, and the reservation counters are open from 7 am till 9 pm daily.

Wander Around Inside The City

Jagdish Mandir, at a stone's throw from the City Palace, is the focal point of the old city and the hub for tourists. Negotiate rates with the taxis driver before getting in. The taxi stand is at the Chetak Circle. One can also hire an auto-rickshaw to roam within the city aor for shorter distances. If you want to explore the nitty-gritties of Udaipur, ride a cycle-rickshaw and move around through the slender lanes of the old city.