Ahar Cenotaphs And Archaeological Museum
The Ahar Cenotaphs lie in a quiet suburb a short distance from central Udaipur. At first glance, the site looks like a…
City
Udaipur
Udaipur, in southern Rajasthan, is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar. It was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput clan, who shifted his capital from the exposed hill-fort of Chittorgarh to the safer, lake-filled Girwa Valley after repeated Mughal attacks.
Legend says a hermit meditating above Lake Pichola blessed Udai Singh and advised him to build a new city on its banks. The Maharana created Udaipur around this lake, later adding works like the City Palace and Udai Sagar dam, while older trade town Ayad nearby continued as a commercial centre.
Udaipur remained the capital of independent Mewar through centuries of conflict and diplomacy with the Mughals and Marathas, formally becoming a princely state under British India in 1818. After Independence, Mewar acceded to India and merged into the new state of Rajasthan.
Today Udaipur is celebrated as “City of Lakes” for Pichola, Fateh Sagar and others, and for its palaces, havelis and temples that preserve the royal heritage of Mewar.
Places in Udaipur
Bagore ki Haveli (Gangaur Ghat)
Bagore ki Haveli is a riverside-style mansion right on Gangaur Ghat at Lake Pichola. From the outside it presents a cluster of…
City Palace, Udaipur
City Palace rises like a white-and-gold fortress above Lake Pichola, forming a long cliff of palaces, courtyards and balconies. Inside, it feels…
Fateh Sagar Lake
Fateh Sagar Lake is another large blue lake embraced by low hills, giving Udaipur part of its “second Kashmir” nickname. A road…
Jag Mandir (Lake Garden Palace)
Jag Mandir stands on another island of Lake Pichola and feels like a garden-palace floating on the water. Its entrance is guarded…
Jagdish Temple
Jagdish Temple is Udaipur’s main Hindu temple, rising above the busy lanes just outside City Palace. A steep flight of steps leads…
Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola is the classic view people imagine when they think of Udaipur – calm blue water surrounded by ghats, palaces, temples…
Monsoon Palace (Sajjangarh Palace)
The Monsoon Palace, or Sajjangarh, crowns a high Aravalli peak west of Udaipur, visible from almost anywhere in the city. The white…
Saheliyon ki Bari (Garden of the Maidens)
Saheliyon ki Bari is a cool, green garden on the northern side of Udaipur, away from the dense maze of the old…
Taj Lake Palace (Lake Palace)
The Taj Lake Palace looks like a white marble ship floating in the middle of Lake Pichola. From the city, you see…