Places to See in Udaipur
City Palace
City Palace towers over the Pichola Lake. Maharana Uday Singh initiated
in the construction of the palace but succeeding Maharanas added several
palaces and structures to the complex retained a surprising uniformity to
the design. The entry to the Palace is from the Hati Pol, the Elephant gate.
The Bari Pol or the Big gate brings you to the Tripolia, the Triple gate.
It was once a custom that the Maharana would weigh under this gate in gold
and silver, which was distributed to the populace. It is also now the main
ticket office. Balconies, cupolas and towers surmount the palace to give
a wonderful view of the lake. Suraj Gokhada or the balcony of the sun is
where the Maharana would grant public audiences mainly to boost the morale
of the people in difficult times. The Mor Chawk is the peacock square and
gains its name from the vivid blue mosaic in glass of a peacock that decorates
its walls.
Fateh Prakash Palace
It's like being cocooned in authentic royal luxury at the Fateh Prakash
Palace, the grand heritage palace of the HRH group. The warmth of royal
hospitality greets you as you walk along the corridors lined with large
paintings of the Mewar school that flourished in the seventeenth through
nineteenth century. The lake facing suites in the turrets are suitably appointed
with four poster beds and period furniture, festooned with maroon velvet
curtains and delicate silk tassels. It's a legacy kept alive since the early
decades of the twentieth century when Maharana Fateh Singh (period of reign
: 1884 - 1935) used to be the royal occupant of this palace. Till date the
formality of royal occasions are maintained.
Jag Mandir
This is the other island palace in Lake Pichola, which was constructed by
Maharana Karan Singh as a hideout for Prince Khurram the estranged son of
Emperor Jehangir the implacable foe of the Maharana. The reason for the
aid was that the prince was the son of a Rajput mother. It is also said
that Shah Jahan [prince Khurram] derived some of these ideas for the Taj
Mahal from this palace when he stayed there in 1623-24. The island has some
striking carving including a row of elephants that looks as though they
are guarding the island. The exquisitely carved chhatri in grey and blue
stone is another example.
The Lake Palace
The Lake Palace is located on the Jag Niwas Island and covers the whole
of 1.5 hectare of the island in the middle of the Pichola Lake. Built by
Maharana Jagat Singh in 1743 it was meant as a royal summer palace and now
converted in to a five star palace hotel. It is a magical palace and its
image in the middle of the lake is like a leaf straight out of a fairy tale
book with an excellent taste of intricate craftsmanship and the ethnic themes
using the textiles and handicrafts all over highlight the beauty that is
simply beyond compare the lake around makes a pleasant murmur with its rippling
waves and lapping that adds to the mesmerising moments.
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