Udaipur is situated in the southern part of Rajasthan. This city has everything that a day-tripper would opt for ? This alluring city is a well-known tourist spot for its hushed lakes, picturesque gardens, gently sloping hills, striking chronological monuments and marvellous fortresses. Udaipur is considered as a ‘dream in white’ for its immaculate palaces and other buildings built in attractive white marbles. The lakes in Udaipur are really beautiful and they are invigorating alternatives for the scorched deserts of the other areas of Rajasthan. Commonly known as the “Lake city of India”, a lot of people prefer to describe Udaipur city as a romantic city as well. The lake city of Udaipur is also called as the “Venice of the East”. In essence, Udaipur is enclosed by the ‘Aravalli hills’. Situated at the heart of a dry and parched desert area, Udaipur is also known as an ‘optical illusion’ whose boiling climatic conditions has never been able to deter the guts of the voyagers. On the whole, Udaipur is beautiful, noteworthy and appealing.
History of Udaipur
Udaipur was established by Maharana Udai Singh in the year 1568. Maharana Udai Singh built this dazzling city on account of an astrologer’s suggestion to relocate his capital city to the banks ‘Pichola Lake’ – the main lake of Udaipur city. Consequently, Udaipur city has been named after Maharana Udai Singh.
Famous places of interest in Udaipur
The Lake Palace : The panorama of the Lake Palace is spellbinding when you observe it from a long distance. The structural design of this palace is planned in such a way that it offers the appearance of a palace suspending on the Pichola Lake. The lake palace is constructed using high quality marble. At the moment, this palace is transformed into a luxury Inn. You can reach this glorious palace only by taking a boat ride.
The City Palace : The City Palace is a gemstone in Udaipur’s tiara. An excellent blend of granite and marble is used in the edifice of this celebrated City Palace. The meticulous construction makes this Palace as one of the most eye-catching palaces of the Rajasthan state. The city palace is also considered as the biggest palace of Rajasthan. The city palace overlooks the Pichola lake and is eminent for its outstanding interior decorations. This gargantuan castle dwells three colossal Mahals, the Dilkush, Moti and Baari. Other than the giant Mahal’s, you will also find a temple of ‘Dhuni Mata’ and a museum that exhibits the rare compilations of Rajput victor Rana Pratap. The city palace’s mosaic flooring offers the images of a peacock and are outstanding.
Maharana Pratap Smarak : The Maharana Pratap Smarak has been constructed as a mark of respect to the great ‘Rajput idol – Maharana Pratap’ who battled several renowned combats with the Mughal emperors. You can spot a bronze statuette of ‘Maharana Pratap’ riding his much loved pony ‘Chetak’ on a tall stage. In Smarak, there are so many fine-looking gardens in addition a ‘Japanese rock garden’ that is maintained carefully.
Jagdeesh Temple : The famous Jagdeesh temple that was built in 1651 by Maharana Jagat Singh is located on the brink of the City Palace. Jagdeesh temple has a number of extraordinary and wonderfully carved images in addition to the festooned decors. This temple is the largest temple in Udaipur which has a black stone of God Vishnu.
The ‘Garden of Maidens’ or ‘Sahelion-ki-Bari’ : ‘The Garden of the maids of Honor’ is located in close proximity to the Jagdeesh temple and is named after the royal women who came here to take a leisurely walk in olden times. This garden has 4 pools and scrupulously shaped marble cabins. Even though the garden is of decent size, it has 5 fountains, 4 water pools, metaphorical elephants and carved spectator areas. This is a quiet place to roam around and to take some pictures of the lotus ponds.
Ranakpur : Ranakpur is about 90 kilometers away from the Udaipur town. This place is considered to be one of the five sacred places of Jainism. The Jain temples that are situated in Ranakpur are well-known for their obscure marble architectures. The most important place of worship is known as the ‘Chaumukha temple’( the 4 faced temple) which is dedicated to ‘Adinath’- the first and foremost Jain ‘Tirthankar’.
Nathdwara : This place is situated 48 kms away from the Udaipur town. In essence, Nathdwara means “Doorway to God”. Nathdwara is a significant temple of Hindus. Nathdwara is the residence to one of the most honoured seventeenth century temples devoted to Lord Krishna. It is believed that the Nathdwara is the 2nd wealthiest temple of India where Tirupati rank in the first position. The famous Hindu festivals such as Janmashtami, Diwali and Holi and are celebrated in a ostentatious way in Nathdwara. This place is also renowned for the glowing “Pichwal” work of arts of Rajasthan state.
Travel guidelines
- Best time to visit Udaipur: The best times of the year to visit Udaipur would be the months of October to March. March is when the weather conditions in Udaipur are favorable for visiting the primary attractions.
- How to reach Udaipur?
If you wish to travel by air, you can find regular flights available to Udaipur from Jaipur, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Mumbai and Aurangabad. The ‘Dabok Airport’ is situated at a distance of twenty four kilometres away from the Udaipur city center.
If you prefer to travel by train, there are so many express train facilities available from several places in India counting Delhi. In addition, India’s sumptuous trains, the “Royal Orient Express & the Palace on Wheels” covers Udaipur city as well.
If your choice of travel is by bus, you can also find regular bus services to Udaipur from different places of north India together with Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Jaipur , Delhi, Indore, Kota and Chittaurgarh.
- Must-eats in Udaipur : Gatte ki Sabzi, Lal Maas and Dal Batti Choorma are some of the famous dishes that you should never miss.
- The Best items to shop In Udaipur : Silver jewelry, embellished hand bags, block printed fabrics, traditional handicraft items, folk toys, multi-colored tie-dye outfits, wall hangings and miniature work of arts are some of the popular items to buy in Udaipur.
- Best places to stay In Udaipur : Udaipur has an extensive range of lodging facilities that may work well with the requirements of all classes of people. Most excellent hotels in sumptuous category include Vishnu Priya & Lake Palace whereas some of the high-quality budget hotels are Ashish Palace, Damanis and Anand Bhawan.
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Udaipur – “The City of Dawn” !!