Udaipur pronunciation
(help·info) (Rajasthani: उदैपर) (उदयपुर), also known as
the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council 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, 248
kilometres (154 mi) west of Kota ,
and 250 kilometres (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".[2][3] Lake
Pichola, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar in this city are
considered some of the most beautiful lakes in the state.
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
the oldest dynasty of the world. Even the Nepal
kingdom and Jammu
kingdom are believed to have been originated from Mewar.
Tourism
City palace complex
The Udaipur Palace Complex at night
Jag Mandir
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.
Main article: 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 Mandir
Main article: Jag
Mandir
Jag Mandir 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.
Main article: Monsoon
Palace
The Jagdish Temple is a large Hindu temple in the middle of Udaipur . It was built by
Maharana Jagat Singh Ist 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.
Main article: Fateh
Sagar Lake
Main article: Lake
Pichola
Saheliyon-ki-Bari
Main article: 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 and Zoo
Main article: 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.
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".[8]
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.
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.
Main article: Ahar Cenotaphs
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. 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.[9]
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.Bellow
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.
Main article: Udaipur
Solar Observatory
ZRTI - Zonal Railway
Training Institute
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 .
Status of Shiva (45, eastern).
The beautiful and BHAHIM village "Menar" between Udaipur and Chittor. This
Status is on bank of Bhram Sagar and giving bless to all villager