Places to visit in the city
Udaipur
CITY PALACE AND MUSEUM - Udaipur
 Towering over the Pichola Lake
on a hill lies the imposing City
Palace, a majestic marvel of architecture.
It is the largest palace complex
in Rajasthan. Although a conglomeration
of buildings constructed by various
Maharanas over a period of time,
the complex still manages to retain
a uniformity of design. The palace
has many courtyards, pavilions,
terraces, corridors, rooms and
hanging gardens. One can get a
magnificent view of the lake and
the city from the upper terraces
of the palace
The main part of the palace has
now been preserved as a museum.
You get to see the beautiful mosaics
of peacocks at the Mor Chowk,
the glass and mirror work in the
Manak Mahal and Moti Mahal, and
a beautiful collection of miniatures
in Krishna Vilas.
JAGDISH TEMPLE - Udaipur
 Built in 1651 by Maharana Jagat
Singh, the temple is located at
about 150 metres north of the
entrance to the City Palace. The
temple, built in Indo-Aryan style,
is the largest temple of Udaipur.
Here you can have a look at a
black stone image of Lord Vishnu,
who has been enshrined here as
Jagannath, lord of the universe.
A brass image of Garuda lies in
front of the temple.
SAHELIYON-KI-BARI - Udaipur
 To the north
of the city lies Saheliyon-Ki-Bari,
a garden of the maids of honour.
This small ornamental garden has
many fountains, delightful lotus
pools, chiselled kiosks and marble
elephants.
JAG MANDIR - Udaipur
 Commenced by
Maharana Karan Singh, the island
palace takes its name from Maharana
Jagat Singh who had made a number
of additions to it. The island
has an impressive chhatri (cenotaph)
carved from grey blue stone and
is flanked by a row of enormous
stone elephants. It is believed
that Prince Khurram (later Shah
Jahan) was given refuge here when
he was leading a revolt against
his father Jehangir. From the
balconies, you get a superb view
of the lake and the city.
BHARTIYA LOK KALA MANDIR - Udaipur
Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandir, the
Indian folk arts museum, has interesting
exhibits that include folk dresses,
ornaments, puppets, masks, dolls,
folk musical instruments, folk
deities and paintings. You can
also watch puppet shows that are
held here daily.
PICHOLA LAKE - Udaipur  About 4 km in
length and 3 km wide, the picturesque
Pichhola Lake is fringed with
hills, gardens, havelis, ghats
and temples. The lake was enlarged
by Maharana Udai Singh II after
he founded the city. The two islands
on the lake, Jag Mandir and Jag
Niwas, present a magnificent sight.
One of the major attractions here
are the boat rides. The boats
leave regularly from the City
Palace jetty (known as Bansi Ghat)
and take you on a pleasant trip
around the lake including a visit
to Jag Mandir Island and other
ghats around the lake.
PRATAP MEMORIAL - Udaipur
 On the top of
Moti Magri overlooking the Fateh
Sagar Lake is the bronze statue
of Maharana Pratap on his horse
Chetak. Known as Pratap Smarak
(memorial), the statue is kept
in a well laid out garden. Legend
has it that Chetak jumped an abyss
of extraordinary width in the
battle of Haldighati to save his
master’s life.
FATEH SAGAR - Udaipur
 This beautiful lake, constructed
in 1678, lies to the north of
Lake Pichola. The lake, built
by Maharana Fateh Singh, is overlooked
by a number of hills on three
sides and the Pratap Memorial
on the north. The east bank of
the lake has a pleasant drive
along it. In the middle of the
lake is Nehru Park—a lovely garden
island that has a boat-shaped
restaurant in it. The island can
be accessed only by boat.
UDAI SAGAR - Udaipur
The Udai Sagar Lake lies 15 km
east of Udaipur. It was built
Maharana Udai Singh in order to
provide the city with secure water
supply in case of a war besides
agricultural and leisure purposes.
The lake is around 4 km long and
2.5 km wide with a maximum depth
of around 9 metres. Today, the
waters of the lake are used in
the nearby zinc smelter.
AHAR MUSEUM - Udaipur
 About 3 km from Udaipur lies
Ahar, the ancient capital of the
Sisodias. A small government museum
has on display a rare collection
of antiquities including earthen
pots, iron objects and other art
items excavated in the region.
You can also have a look at an
impressive cluster of cenotaphs
of the Maharanas of Mewar that
stand nearby. |
