Sights
Jagmandir
Island
City palace & Museums
Jagdish Temple
Fateh Sagar
Moti Magri
Bhartiya Lok Kala Museum
Saheliyon ki bari
Shilpgram
Ahar
Museum
Monsoon
palace
Jagmandir Island
The
other island palace, Jagmandir, was commenced
by Maharana Karan Singh, but takes its name
from Maharana Jagat singh (1628-52) who
made a number of additions to it. It is
said that th Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan
derived some of his inspiration for the
taj Mahal from this palace after staying
here in 1623-24 while leading a revolt against
his father, Jehangir. Flanked by a row of
enormous stone elephants, the island has
an impressive chhatri carved from grey-blue
stone. The view across the lake, to the
lake, to the city and its glorious golden
palace, is a scene of rare beuty.
City
palace &
Museums
The
imposing City Palace, towering over the
lake, is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan.
Actually a conglomeration of buildings adored
by various maharanas, it still manages to
retain a surprising uniformity of design.
Building was started by Maharana udai singh
II, the city’s founder. The palace is surmounted
by balconies, towers and cupolas and there
are fine views over the lake and the city
from the upper terraces.
The
palace is entered from the northern and
through the Baripol (built1600) and the
Tripolia Gate (1725), with its eight carved
marble arches. It was once a custom for
maharanas to be weighted under the gate
and their weight in gold or silver distributed
to the populace.
The
main part of the palace is now preserved
as a museum. It includes the Morchowk with
its beautiful mosaics of peacocks, the favourite
Rajasthani bird. The Manak (Or Ruby) Mahal
has glass and mirrorwork, while Krishna
Vilas has a remarkable collection of miniatures
(no photography allowed). In the Bari Mahal,
there is a pleasant central garden. The
Moti Mahal has beautiful mirrorwork and
the Chini Mahal is covered in ornamental
tiles. There’s an armoury section downstairs.
More paintings can be seen in the Zenana
Mahal. There's large tiger-catching cage
near the Zenana Mahal entrance and a tiny
W W F shop nearby.
The
museum is open daily. If you enter from
the lake Palace side. A guide is worthwhile;
the knowledgeable Kishan das speaks French,
English and Hindi, and is currently learning
Spanish.
There’s
also a government Museum within the palace
comolex. Exhibits includes a stuffed Kangaroo,
a freaky monkey holding a small lamp and
Siamese twin deer. There’s also more serious
stuffed like sculptures and paintings. In
the large courtyard outside of the city
palace Museum are a number of priecey handicraft
shops, a money-exchange facility, a Kiosk
and places to buy film.
The
other part of the palace is against the
lake shore and has been partly converted
into two luxury hotels: Shiv Niwas Palace
and the Fateh Prakash Palace - see Places
to Stay.
There's
a stunning Crystal Gallery at the Fateh
Prakash-Palace, Hotel in the City Palace
complex. This rare collection of Oster's
crystal was ordered from England by
Maharana Sallan Singh in 1877. Items include
crystal, Chairs, tables and even beds! It's
open daily 10 am to I pm and 3 to 8 pm;
includes a soft drink, coffee or
tea. No.phot6graphy is allowed.
The
Crystal Gallery overlooks the grandiose
Durbar Hall with its massive chandeliers
and striking portraits of former maharanas-
of. Mewar. Many palaces in India have a
durbar hall, or hall of audience. Historically,
the durbar hall was used by India's rulers.,
for official occasions such as state banquets.
It also used to hold formal, or informal
meetings. However this is undoubtedly one
of India's most impressive, with a lavish
interior boasting some of the largest chandeliers,
in the country. The wall display royal weapons
and striking portraits of Maharanas of Mewar
(a most distinguished loocking lot). The
illustrious Mewar rulers come from what
is believed to oldest ruling dynasty in
the world, spanning 76 generations.
The
foundation stone of the durbar hall was
laid in 1909 by. Lord Minto, the viceroy
of lndia during the reign of Maharana Fateh
Singh. As a mark of, honour to Lord Minto,
it was originally named the Minto Hall.
The top, floor of this high-ceilinged hall
is surrounded by viewing galleries, where
ladies of the place could watch, in veiled
seclusion what was happening below.
Today,
the durbar hall in Udaipur is open to visitors.
It still has the capacity to hold hundreds
of people and can even be hired for special
functions, such as conferences or social
gatherings - contact the Fateh Prakash Palace
Hotel. Entry to the durbar hall (free ofor
residents) of the Fateh Prakash Palace and
Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel.
Jagdish
Temple
Only
150m north of the entrance to the city Palace,
this fine Indo-Aryan temple was built by
Maharana Jagat,,Singh in 1651 and enshrines
a black stone image of Vishnu as Jagannath,
lord of the universe. A brass image of the
Garuda is in a shrine in front of the temple.
The temple is open daily 5am to 2 pm and
4 to 10 pm.
Fateh
Sagar
North
of Lake Pichola, this lake is overlooked
by a number of hills and is a hangout for
young lovers. It was originally in1678 by
Maharana Jai. Singh but, after heavy rains
destroyed the dam, it was reconstructed
by Maharana Fateh Singh.In the middle of
the lake is Nehru Park, a popular garden
island with a boat-shaped café.You
can get there by boat from near the bottom
of Moti Magri are also available. An auto-rickshaw
from the old city.
Moti
Magri
Atop
the Moti Magri, or Pearl Hill, overlooking
Fateh Sagar, is a statue of the Rajput hero
Maharana Pratap, who, frequently defied
the Mughals. The path to the top traverses
elegant gardens, including a Japanese rock
garden. The park is open daily 7.30 am to
7 pm..
Bhartiya
Lok Kala Museum
Exhibits
at this small museum, which also a foundation
for the preservation and promotion of local
folk arts, include dolls, masks, musical
instruments, paintings and-the high point
of the exhibits – puppets. It is open daily.
Longer puppets and cultural shows are held
daily.
Saheliyon
ki bari
The
Saheliyon Ki Bari, or garden of the maids
of Honour, is in the north of the city.
This small ornamental gardens, with its
fountains, kiosks, marble elephants and
delightful lotus pool.
Shilpgram
Shilpgram,
a crafts village 3km west of Fatah Sagar,
has displays of traditional houses from
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra.
There are also demonstrations by musicians,
dancers, or artisans from these states.
Although it’s much more animated during
festival times (usually in early December
but check with the Tourist Reception centre
), there’s usually something happening.
Next
to the site, the Shilpi restaurant serves
up good Indian, continental and Chinese
food. It also has a swimming pool open daily
11am to 4pm. Not far away is the rather
less impressive Woodland Restaurant.
A
return auto-rickshaw trip (including a 30
minute stop) between the old city and Shilpgram.
Ahar
Museum
About
2km east of udaipur are the remains of an
ancient city. The small collection at the
museum here includes some very old earthen
pottery. Its open daily except Friday 10am
to 4.30 pm; No photography is allowed.
Nearby
is an impressive cluster of cenotaphs of
the maharanas of Mewar, which have been
recently restored.
Monsoon
palace
On
a distant mountain range, this neglected
palace was constructed by Maharana Sajjan
Singh in the late 19th century.
It is now owned by the government, and is
closed to the public (although a little
baksheesh to the caretaker may open doors).
The main reason to come here is to take
in the absolutely breathtaking views. The
palace is illuminated at night and from
a distance looks like something out of a
fairy tale. The round trip takes about one
hour by car. The return trip by auto-rickshaw
(including 30 minutes at the site).
