| Amongst
the numerous tourist attractions of
Udaipur, the more prominent ones are:
Lake
Palace
Built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1743,
Lake Palace is situated on the Jag
Niwas Island in the middle of Lake
Pichola. It was constructed to serve
as a summer palace for the royalty
and covers an area of 1.5 hectare.
Textiles and handicrafts used in ethnic
themes all over the palace make it
a mesmerizing sight. Presently, the
palace has been converted into a five
star hotel.
City
Palace
A fusion of Medieval European and
Chinese architecture, the City Palace
was built by Maharaja Udai Singh.
This marble monument is situated on
the eastern banks of Lake Pichola.
Numerous balconies, towers and cupolas
of the palace provide a marvelous
view of the lake and the city below.
A triple arched gate called Tripolia,
built in 1725, provides the entry
to the palace.
Lake
Pichola
Udaipur, Rajasthan sightseeing tour
is incomplete without a visit to this
lake. An artificial lake, Lake Pichola
was constructed by Maharana Udai Singh
II after he founded the city of Udaipur.
The lake is 4 km long and 3 km wide
and encloses the Jag Niwas Island
and the Jag Mandir. One of the most
scenic spots of Udaipur, Lake Pichola
also houses the City Palace on its
eastern banks.
Jag
Mandir
Built by Maharana Karan Singh, Jag
Mandir was meant to serve as
a hideout for Prince Khurram, the
estranged son of Emperor Jehangir.
Located on the other island palace
in Lake Pichola, the palace has some
exquisite carvings. The examples of
carvings include a row of carved elephants
guarding the island, grey and blue
stone carved chhatri, etc.
Fateh
Sagar Lake
Built by Maharana jai Singh in 1678,
Fateh Sagar Lake lies to the north
of Lake Pichola. Maharana Fateh Singh
reconstructed it later. The attractions
of the lake include the beautiful
Nehru Island as well as an islet housing
a solar observatory.
Sahelion
Ki Bari
Sahelion ki Bari, the garden of maidens,
was built by Maharana Sangram Singh
in the mid 18th century. Pools with
elegant kiosks, flowerbeds, lawns,
pools, fountains, along with an array
of trees make this garden eye-catching.
There is also a sitting room decorated
with paintings and glass mosaics in
the garden.
Jagdish
Mandir
Maharana Jagat Singh I built the Jagdish
temple,
dedicated to Lord Vishnu, in 1651.
It houses an image of Lord Vishnu
in black stone, along with a brass
image of Garuda, his carrier. Covering
the exterior and the plinth are base
relief of alligators, elephants, horsemen
and celestial musicians, rising in
rows. It is the largest temple in
Udaipur.
Bagore
ki Haveli
One of the places to see in Udaipur
is the Bagore ki Haveli. Amir Chand
Badwa, the Prime Minister of Mewar
built this palace on the waterfront
of Lake Pichola at Gangori Ghat. An
eighteenth century monument, it has
on display an array of costumes and
modern art. Delicate and exquisite
glass and mirror work adorn the interiors
of the Haveli. After the death of
Badwa, Maharana Shakti Singh of Bagore
occupied the building. It was then
that the palace acquired the name
of Bagore-ki-haveli (the house of
Bagore).
Bharatiya
Lok Kala Mandir
Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandir is a museum
exhibiting a collection of folk arts,
consisting of folk outfits, curios,
puppets, masks, dolls, folk musical
instruments and beautiful paintings,
etc.
Devigarh
Fort Palace
Devigarh Fort Palace of Rajasthan
is situated at a distance of approximately
28 km from Udaipur. It serves as one
of the three corridors that lead to
the city of lakes, Udaipur. Dating
back to the 18th century, this fort
palace stands enveloped by the massive
Aravalli range of Rajasthan. This
important principality was bestowed
to Sajja Singh of Gujarat in recognition
for his valiance and loyalty. He stood
by Maharana Pratap Singh against the
Mughal emperor Akbar, at the battle
of Haldighati (1576) and was honored
by the award of Devigarh. However,
the construction work on the fort
palace got underway only in the 1760s,
under Raghudev Singh II.
After the initial construction, successive
rulers made many additions to the
Devi Garh Fort Palace. After merging
into the state of Rajasthan in the
1960s, the palace was later abandoned.
However, after years of restoration
and reconstruction, it has now been
converted into the Devi Garh Palace
Heritage Hotel, near Udaipur. The
mingling of the modern design with
the age-old heritage, gives a special
touch to the palace hotel. Devigarh
Palace Hotel of Rajasthan is a unique
all-suite boutique hotel. A stay in
this heritage hotel will bring you
all the comforts of a hotel, while,
at the same time, giving a taste of
the rich royal legacy of the state.
Eklingji
Temple
Approximately 22 km from  Udaipur
is the Eklingji temple complex. Built
in 734 AD, this complex encompasses
108 temples carved out of sandstone
and marble. It is dedicated to Eklingji
(a form of Lord Shiva), the guardian
deity of Mewar. There is a four-faced
black marble idol of Shiva in the
main temple. The one facing west represents
Brahma, north facing is Vishnu, south
facing is Maheshwar and east facing
is Surya (Sun).
Shrinathji
Temple Nathdwara
Nathdwara (gateway to the Lord) is
approximately 48 km from Udaipur.
Built in 17th century, it is devoted
to Lord Krishna. It is believed that
the Lord, himself, defined this spot.
Lord Krishna’s image was being
relocated from Vrindaban to protect
it from Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
On reaching this spot, the vehicle’s
wheel got stuck in mud and refused
to move further. The escorting priest
comprehended that the Lord had chosen
this spot and a temple was built here.
Kumbhalgarh
Fort
Situated 84 km from Udaipur is the
Kumbhalgarh Fort. Maharana Kumbha
got this fort constructed in the 15th
century. The fort towers over the
Aravalli Hills and has number of temples
in it. There are also seven great
gates guarding the fort’s entrance.
Nearby the fort lies the Kumbalgarh
Sanctuary and the Badal Mahal (Cloud
Palace).
 Haldighati
Haldighati is situated 40 km from
Udaipur. Haldighati is famous for
a fierce battle between Maharana Pratap
and Mughal Emperor Akbar that took
place here in 1576. There is a white
marble Chhatri dedicated to the determined
hero and his devoted horse.
Shilpgram
Excursions around Udaipur, Rajasthan
include Shilpgram (Craftsmen's Village).
It is famous for its exquisite crafts,
arts and culture. The specialty of
the village is the terracotta work
done in dark red and dark brown sand
materials and the wooden carvings.
Karni
Fort
Karni Fort is situated in Bambora
village, approximately 50 km from
Udaipur. The fort has strong links
with Rajput history and now stands
turned into a heritage hotel. Providing
a plethora of facilities, the fort
hotel serves as the perfect place
for relaxation. |
Udai Singh of Mewar, a medieval kingdom
in Rajasthan. The Sisodias were hostile
towards the newly arrived Mughuls whom
they saw as invaders to be thrown out
of India. They refused to be subjugated
to Mughul might, and did not enter into
matrimonial or other alliances like
many other Rajput rulers during the
reign of Akbar. The clash between the
Sisodias and the Mughuls started with
Babur who had to defeat Rana Sanga of
Mewar to consolidate his position in
India. The story took a tragic turn
when Akbar defeated the Sisodias and
Chittorgarh was sacked. The Sisodias
were forced to shift their capital to
Udaipur, and remained the headquarters
of Mewar till Indian independence.