Udaipur

Udaipur

Udaipur, also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Corporation and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India.

It is located 403 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, 576 km (358 mi) southwest of Alwar, 248 km (154 mi) west of Kota, and 250 km (155 mi) northeast from Ahmedabad. Udaipur is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. The Guhils (Sisodia) clan ruled the Mewar and its capital was shifted from Chittorgarh to Udaipur after founding city of Udaipur by Maharana Uday Singh. The Mewar province became part of Rajasthan after India became independent
Apart from its history, culture, and scenic locations, it is also known for its Rajput-era palaces. The Lake Palace, for instance, covers an entire island in the Pichola Lake. Many of the palaces have been converted into luxury hotels. It is often called the "Venice of the East", and is also nicknamed the "Lake City".Lake Pichola, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar in this city are considered some of the most beautiful lakes in the state.

History

Udaipur was founded in 1553 by Maharana Udai Singh II as the final capital of the erstwhile Mewar kingdom, located in the frtile circular valley-"Girwa" to the southwest of Nagda, on the Banas River, the first capital of the Mewar kingdom. This area already had a thriving trading town of "Ayad" which had served as capital of Mewad for over 200 years and 17 rulers of Mewad had ruled from Ayad town of Girwa Valley (~10-12th centuries, Ruler #18-34), still earlier (4+1) Rawals ruled from Nagda; so the “Girwa” (& adjoining) valley was already well-known to Chittaud rulers who moved to it whenever the vulnerable tableland (Mesa)Chittaudgadh was threatened with enemy attacks.

Maharana Udai Singh II, in the wake of 16th century emergence of artillery warfare decided to move his capital to a more secure location, importance of which he had realized during his exile at Kumbhalgadh. Ayad was flood-prone, hence he chose the ridge east of Pichola Lake to start his new capital city, where he came upon a hermit while hunting in the foothills of the Aravalli Range. The hermit blessed the king and asked him to build a palace on the spot, assuring him it would be well protected. Udai Singh II consequently established a residence on the site. In November 1567, the Mughal emperor Akbar attacked & laid siege of the venerated fort of Chittor, which was reduced to one of the 84 forts of Mewad.
As the Mughal empire weakened, the Sisodia ranas, and later maharanas (also called the Guhilots or Suryavansh), who had always tried to oppose Mughal dominance, reasserted their independence and recaptured most of Mewar except for Chittor. Udaipur remained the capital of the state, which became a princely state of British India in 1818. Being a mountainous region and unsuitable for heavily armoured Mughal horses, Udaipur remained safe from Mughal influence in spite of much pressure. The rajvansh of Udaipur was one of the oldest dynasties of the world. Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar(the Royal Family of Udaipur),is the current symbolic ruler of the city.

Tourism

Standing on the east bank of Lake Pichola is a massive series of palaces built at different times from 1559. The balconies of the palace provide panoramic views of the "Jag Niwas" (the Lake Palace Hotel). They also have views of Jag Mandir on one side and the city of Udaipur on the other.

Its main entrance is through the triple-arched gate - the Tripolia, built in 1725. The way now leads to a series of courtyards, overlapping parations, terraces, corridors and gardens. There is a Suraj Gokhda, where the maharanas of Mewar presented themselves in the times of trouble to the people to restore confidence. The Mor-chowk (Peacock courtyard), gets its name from the mosaics in glass decorating its walls. The chini chitrashala is noteworthy while a series of wall paintings of Krishna are on display in Bhim Vilas. There are numerous other palaces such as Dilkhush mahal, Sheesh mahal, Moti mahal and Krishna vilas - in memory of a princess of striking beauty who poisoned herself to avert a bloody battle for her hand by rival princes. Now the palace contains many antique articles, paintings, decorative furniture and utensils and attracts thousands of visitors every day.
The former guesthouse of the city palace, Shiv Niwas Palace and the Fateh Prakash Palace have been converted into heritage hotels.

Places of Intreset

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Lake Palace

Lake Palace
The Lake Palace was built in 1743-1746. It is made of marble and is situated on Jag Niwas island in Lake Pichola. It was originally built as a royal summer palace, but is now a luxury 5 Star hotel, operating under the "Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces" banner.

Jag Temple
Jag Temple is another island in Lake Pichola which is known for its garden courtyard. Shah Jahan took refuge here while revolting against his father. There is a restaurant run by the HRH group of hotels.

Monsoon Palace

Jag Temple

Monsoon Palace also known as Sajjan Garh Palace The summer resort of the Maharajas is atop the hill overlooking all of the lakes. This palace had a way to collect rain water for consumption all year around.

Jagdish Temple
The Jagdish Temple is a large Hindu temple in the middle of Udaipur. It was built by Maharana Jagat Singh I^st in 1651 A.D. It is an example of Indo - Aryan architecture. This temple is a great example of architecture and art. The area is the main tourist place in the city. You can also find some special kind of things like rajasthani dress, paintings etc.

Sagasji Temple
Near Gulab Bagh, there is a famous temple of Sagasji Bawji. Thousands of people visit this temple and get desired results. Sagsaji Bawji is Lok Devata worship by people with faith (Bhakti).

Fateh Sagar Lake

Sagasji Temple

Fateh Sagar Lake is situated in the north of Lake Picholas. It was originally built by Maharana Jai Singh in the year 1678 AD, but later on reconstructed and extended by Maharana Fateh Singh after much destruction was caused by heavy rains. In 1993-1994, the water vanished from the lake, but in 2005-2006, the lake regained its water.

Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola has two islands, Jag Niwas and the Jag Mandir. This lake is 4 km long and 3 km wide, originally built by Maharana Udai Singh II. There are many ghats, like the bathing and washing ghats, which can be approached through boats from the City Palace of Udaipur (Bansi Ghat).

Pichola Lake

In the heart of the lake the Lake Palace stands, which is now converted into a heritage palace hotel. The lake remains fairly shallow even during heavy rains, and gets dry easily in times of severe drought.

Saheliyon-ki-Bari
Sahelion ki Bari was laid for a group of forty-eight young women attendants who accompanied a princess to Udaipur as part of her dowry. The gardens set below the embankment of the Fatah Sagar Lake have lotus pools, marble pavilions and elephant-shaped fountains. These fountains are fed by the water of the lake gushing through ducts made for the purpose.

Gulab Bagh

Gulab Bagh and Zoo
A rose garden laid out by Maharaja Sajjan Singh is situated near the palace on the east side of Lake Pichhola. A library in the garden has a collection of ancient handwritten manuscripts and books. Some of the part of the Satyarth Prakash have been written in this library. Styarth Prakash stup is situated in Gulab Bagh. Within the garden, there is a zoo with tigers, leopards, Chinkara gazelle, birds, and many wild animals. Children can enjoy mini train, track of which covers the main part of the garden and the zoo.

Doodh Talai
A rock and fountain garden and the sunset point from which one can enjoy the sunset view in Lake Pichhola and a panoramic view of the old city. Also one can enjoy the Aerial tramway (rope way) which connects one of the dudh talai gardens to Karni Mata temple.

Doodh Talai Garden

Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal
A museum of folk arts. It also hosts puppet shows in its auditorium.

Maharana Pratap Memorial or Moti Magri
Atop the Moti Magri or Pearl Hill, overlooking the Fatah Sagar Lake is the memorial of the Rajput hero Maharana Pratap with a bronze statue of the Maharana astride his favourite horse "Chetak".

Bohara Ganesh Ji
This temple is situated near old railway station (Thokar) and M L S University. This is old and famous Ganesh Temple with standing statue of Shree Ganesh Ji considered very fruitful (Chamatkarik).Thousands of Bhaktas(devotees) come here every Wednesday.

Nehru Garden

Jagdish Temple

This is a park situated in the middle of Fatah Sagar Lake. This park covers about 41 acres (170,000 m²), with flower gardens and a lily pond. It was inaugurated on the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The garden overlooks the ancient Moti Mahal of Maharana Pratap and gives a view of the Aravalli hills on three sides.

Bagore-ki-Haveli
This is an old building built right on the waterfront of Lake Pichola at Gangori Ghat. The haveli now stages Rajasthani traditional dance and music.

Ahar Museum
Located about 2 km east of Udaipur is a cluster of cenotaphs of the Maharanas of Mewar. There are about nineteen cenotaphs of Maharanas cremated there.

Ahar Museum

One cenotaph is that Maharana Amar Singh, who reigned from 1597 to 1620. Nearby is also Ahar Museum, where on display is limited but very rare earthen pottery, as well as some sculptures and other archaeological finds. Some pieces date back to 1700 BC, and a tenth-century metal figure of Buddha is a special attraction.

Shilpgram
A crafts village located northwest of Udaipur, Shilpgram hosts an annual crafts fair which is one of the biggest in India; people from different states in the country have stalls showcasing their art and crafts work.

Neemach Mata Temple

Karani Mata Temple

This temple is located on a green hill in the Dewali area of Udaipur. It has both stairs and an uphill slope way to climb, which is around 800 meters. Below this area is located new bohra colony named as Burhani Nagar,and a new Masjid is named as Burhani Masjid.This area is very peaceful,very near to Saheleion ki badi and Fateh Sagar.

Udaipur Solar Observatory
Asia's only solar observatory, the Udaipur Solar Observatory, is situated on an island in the middle of the Lake Fatah Sagar.

Sukhadia Circle
Sukhadia Circle (Square) is a large roundabout in the city's northern suburb of Panchwati, on the road to Ranakpur and Mt. Abu. The Circle is a popular recreational centre and meeting place.

ZRTI - Zonal Railway Training Institute

Sukhadia Circle in night

The Zonal Railway Training Institute, a premier training centre of Indian Railway and the biggest of its kind in Asia, situated amidst lush greenery in a vast area with its simple, but impressive arc shaped building and pleasant campus lay-out is in tune with the aesthetics of the City of Lakes.

Rajiv Gandhi Park
Rajiv Gandhi Park is located on Rani Road that links to Shilpgram and Fateh Sagar. The park has different sections that portrays variety of garden along with animal statues and fountain.