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Udaipur
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A wondrous city full of eye-pleasing architectural marvels, Udaipur is by far the most glamorous city of Rajasthan. Owing to its seductive charm and the picturesque settings of the grand palaces standing ashore beautiful lakes, Udaipur is often called as the Venice of East. Udaipur has been shot in several major international films, including the Bond film, Octopussy and the winner of 8 Oscar Awards, Gandhi. Udaipur scored the highest position in the ranking of Travel + Leisure in 2009 ahead of some of the major cities such as New York, Rome and Sydney.

 

The capital of Mewar region, previously a state, Udaipur was inhabited in later half of the 16th century. Rana Udai Singh had a previously built residence in Udaipur, where he decided to move in after his existing capital Chittor was taken by Emperor Akbar in 1568. Maharana Pratap, son of Udai Singh and a national figure, later brought glory to Mewar through his heroic lifetime of an epic struggle against the Mughals. Udaipur, due to its hard to reach location in Arawali Mountains always remained away from the clutches of the Mughals.

 

Udaipur offers various attractions for the tourists. The tour normally begins in the morning with the City Palace. This grand complex of palaces, started by Rana Udai Singh and later added to by his descendants, is the largest palatial construction in the state, and not to mention one of the most beautiful. The City Palace welcomes you with a grand façade and an attractive garden before it. From inside, this complex of palaces is so large that it can easily take a couple of hours simply to visit all the places. On your tour of City Palace, you come to pass from the balconies which offer glorious views of the town and the beautiful Lake Pichola. The City Palace also hosts a Museum comprising of several beautiful halls and chambers which displays important artifacts. Mor Chowk, Krishna Vilas, Moti Mahal, Chini Mahal, Manak Mahal and Zenana Mahal are the highlights of the City Palace Museum. Another museum, run by the government also displays interesting artifacts such as portraits of the maharajas and sculptures.

 

Lake Pichola is by far the most distinctive of the other four lakes in the city. In the near barren land of Rajasthan, where the rainfall is very low every year, it is a wonder to see a large and beautiful lake such as Pichola. Rarely brimful, yet always reflecting glamour, this lake casts a special magnificence on Udaipur when the rains have been good. Since 2006, Lake Pichola has been in a good state due to good rains. A boat-ride in Lake Pichola provides majestic views of the palatial Udaipur standing on its edge. The islands Jagmandir and Jagniwas in Lake Pichola attract a lot of attention. Jagniwas Island is where stands the Lake Palace, which has now been turned into one of the finest heritage hotels in Udaipur and India. There is another palace on the nearby Jagmandir Island, where it is believed that Shah Jahan, the Mughal Emperor, sought refuge during his revolt against his father. Historians deduce that he may have been inspired by the Jagmandir to such an extent that it reflected in his later construction of the Taj Mahal. After dark, when the lights come on, both these structures glow appealingly, casting a bright reflection in Lake Pichola and giving Udaipur a shade of glamour.

 

One of the highly visited spots in Udaipur is the Jagdish Temple. This temple of Lord Vishnu lies in the proximity of the City Palace. Built in the Indo-Aryan style of architecture, Jagdish Temple was constructed in 1651 by Maharana Jagat Singh. Jagdish Temple hosts a sculpture of Vishnu in the form of Jagannath, in front of which stands an attractive brass figure of Garuda.

 

Amongst other attractions of Udaipur is Fateh Sagar Lake. It was built originally in late 17th century by Maharana Jai Singh and later reconstructed by Maharana Fateh Singh after it was destroyed by rains. There are three islands in the lake, one of which hosts the important Udaipur Solar Observatory. One of the other islands is Nehru Park, which is more a local spot of Udaipur.

 

Situated in the south of Rajasthan, Udaipur is certainly one of the most important settlements of the state. There are several other attractions around Udaipur, such as Mount Abu and Chittorgarh, which makes it a good destination. You can make Udaipur your base for four to five days and peacefully visit all the interesting places in Mewar. Well connected by railway and also by air, Udaipur can be reached from Jodhpur or Jaipur within five to six hours.

 

 

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Quick Reference

Udaipur is a princely city of Rajasthan famous for its lakes and palaces. The major tourist attraction of Udaipur is City Palace, which is a grand complex of palaces and hosts a museum too. Lake Pichola is the distinctive and captivating lake hosting the Islands that have the structures of Jagmandir and Jagniwas. One more spot that is worth watching is the temple of Lord Vishnu, Jagdish Temple. Other attraction of Udaipur is Fateh Sagar Lake, which has three islands and with the important Udaipur Solar Observatory.

 

Destination Grade: A (What is this?)
Rating: 8/10
Population: 559317
5 Star Hotels: Inder Recidency, Lake Palace
Luxury Hotels: Ashish Palace,Baba Palace
Airport: Udaipur Airport (22 km) and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport,Ahmedabad (198 km)
Railway Station: Udaipur
Nearest Major City(s): Bhilwara (129 km), Pali (137 km), Gandhinagar (182 km).
Major Tourist Attraction: Lake Palace, City Palace, Jag Mandir, Saheliyon-ki-bari, Jagdish Temple, Fateh sagar.
Speciality(Famous for): City of Lake
Food speciality: Dil Jani
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Rating:
62.0
13 votes
1 2 3 4 5
Total Reviews : 9
 
 
Reviews by users : (9)
Udaipur trip - by Neha Soman  Dated : 2011-03-08
I am a Delhiite and I always wanted to go by car, for a cross-country drive. I drove from Delhi to Gurgaon and then to Neemrana. Then I went through Jaipuir bypass to Kishangarh and then to Chittorgarh. From Chittorgarh, I finally reached Udaipur and I covered a distance of 640 kilometers, all the way from Delhi to Udaipur.

The road from Delhi to Udaipur was excellent and was four-laned. I would suggest that if you go to Udaipur by car, then you should not stay in any of the hotels near lake Pichola, because the whole area is very congested and the lanes are very narrow. As you’ll have a car with you, you can afford to check into the hotels farther away from the lake because otherwise, there may be a transportation problem.

I have always been interested in history and historical monuments. That’s the reason why I visited Udaipur. Thus, one of the first things I wanted to visit in Udaipur was the ancient places. I saw a majestic collection of cars from maharaja of Udaipur.
Udaipur, being the ‘city of lakes’, one can have plenty of boat rides. Some of the other attractions of Udaipur are palaces, museums and the Sajjangarh fort. This fort is situated atop a hill and thus provides a gorgeous view of Udaipur.

The speciality of Udaipur is its miniature paintings. These paintings are a must buy.
Udaipur city can be easily accessed from Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
Udaipur, a Romantic City - by Riya Bhandari  Dated : 2011-03-08
Before reaching Udaipur, I had heard that one of the major tourist attractions in Udaipur are the boat rides.

I had been to Udaipur with my family. One of the things we did on our first day in Udaipur is that we went to lake Pichola for a boat ride. We bought tickets from the City palace counter and our boat left the deck of hotel Fateh Prakash.

I had done a lot of research about Udaipur, before planning my itinerary. Thus I knew that taking one of the local boats was a bad idea because the local boat ride was filthy. The boats from the City palace were well maintained and gave us a pleasant round in the boat.

One can do without visiting the Nehru park and the Monsoon palace, as there isn’t much to see there. I also think that, although Udaipur is a lovely place, one should not visit it during summers, as the mercury rises to a very high point and the whole holiday gets spoilt because of this.
All said and done, the lakes in Udaipur look beautiful, with the backdrop of the mountains. These mountains are the Aravalli range and Udaipur, with its many lakes is called the ‘city of lakes’. There are also camel ride and cabel cars in Udaipur.

Udaipur is connected by road, rail and air to many cities in India and its 400 kilometers from Jaipur.
Udaipur- an Amazing City - by Yash Dalvi Dated : 2011-03-08
I am a foodie and one of the main reasons I visited Udaipur was to taste the wonderful Rajasthani cuisine it has to offer. Dal bhati is one such rajasthani delicacy, which should not be missed and is also one of the most popular Rajasthani dishes.

Udaipur sea beach is also a very enjoyable experience. There is nothing like sitting on the beach and allowing the water to go under you feet as a wave comes in. My being a foodie again came into picture now, as we get fresh fish and crabs on the Udaipur sea beach. We can ride bikes on the beach and the good thing about it is that it is cheap.

The best way to explore the old city of Udaipur is by taking a walk around Lake Pichola. There are narrow lanes in the Lal ghat and Hanuman ghat areas of Udaipur.

The restaurants around Udaipur offer tasty food and good service. There is a lot of scope for shopping in Udaipur and we shopped at the Bapu bazaar, which has fixed prices.

Some of the activities which can be done in Udaipur are visiting Chittorgarh fort, Kulbhalgarh fort and Ranakpur. These places are 112 kms, 84 kms and 55 kms from Udaipur, respectively. It is advisable to take a taxi while going to these places. The cab charges are from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1200. The toll and parking charges are to be borne by the tourists.
Udaipur, a Historic City - by Vishal Kapoor  Dated : 2011-03-07
My trip to Udaipur was an unforgettable experience, as God has decided to endow the city with a lot of beauty.

One of the most attractive monuments in Udaipur is the City palace. As this palace is big, we require about 1.5 hours while touring the whole place. I would suggest that you take a registered guide when you visit the City palace. The Monsoon palace is a beautiful palace, as it provides a great view of the sunset, as it is situated 3000 sq. feet above sea level. Another place which is a must-visit destination is the Fateh sagar lake. The lake is blue in colour and has green patches in between and all this can be viewed from the Nehru park. We can hire a boat for 9 people for Rs.300 or hire a seat in a boat for Rs.80 per seat, for a boat ride in the Fateh sagar lake. The major advantage of this boat ride is that, it waits for us as we visit the Nehru park, which lies in the middle of the lake. The Nehru park is a delightful garden. Other than waiting outside the Nehru Park, the boat takes us around the lake for 45 minutes.

Udaipur is a unique city, in its own right. The monuments, people and the culture are from a different world. The rajasthani food that we get here is delicious. The food made from the rajasthani spices, gives us a once in a lifetime, lovely food experience.
Udaipur- a Cool City - by Swanand Deshpande  Dated : 2011-03-07
As I am a resident of Jaipur, reaching Uadipur was not very difficult for me. I took a train from Jaipur to Udaipur. Being from a tourist place, I was pretty sure that the people will try and make more money out of me, so I had consulted a lot of friends, who had already been to Udaipur, so that I don’t get fooled when I reach there. One thing I realized about the city of Udaipur, when I visited it, was that the weather is much more pleasant than it is in the rest of Rajasthan, although I would advise everyone to stay indoors from 11am to 5pm. Considering this, you will get an idea how the weather is, in the rest of Rajasthan. All the lakes lend pleasantness to the weather of Udaipur.

Except for sightseeing, there is not much to do in Udaipur, but I guess, that is all one wants to do in a tourist place. When I visited Udaipur, I realized that there is a lot of climbing of steps we have to do in Udaipur. Moreover, the old part of the city is built on a slope, so even the simplest of walks is an uphill climb. I would thus suggest everyone to wear a good pair of walking shoes, while in Udaipur. I was quite impressed by the kind of research the foreigners do before visiting any place, as all the foreign tourists I saw in Udaipur, were wearing comfortable walking shoes.
Udaipur, an Unforgettable Experience - by Hiral Naik  Dated : 2011-03-07
Udaipur is a place where one can shop, till he drops. There is a tourist market in the old city and Gandhi market in the main city. The rates in the Gandhi market are reasonable. The local handicrafts made out of wood are a good buy.

One of the many gardens in Udaipur is the Saheliyon ki badi. I didn’t really enjoy my visit to Saheliyon ki badi. We visited this garden in the afternoon and we didn’t enjoy our visit probably because we had visited it during mid-day and it’s an open air garden, so we were feeling very hot. A boat ride in lake Pichola is a must, but I would like to tell everyone, that it is expensive. The boat ride in lake Pichola costs Rs. 325 per person and the boat also takes us around to the Jag mandir, which is actually not a mandir.

Udaipur has quite a few musical parks and we can also go camel riding in the city. Camel riding is a common feature in most of the cities in Rajasthan.
The city of Udaipur is beautiful as we can go boating in the lakes and sight-seeing, but the traffic is unruly. I also found the food average, as even the restaurants suggested by friends were not good. I had visited Udaipur with my parents and 2 cousins and as I am from Indore, we drove all the way from Indore to Udaipur. The road is excellent.
My trip to Udaipur - by Raina Dated : 2011-03-07
I had seen a few pictures of Udaipur, which I had come across in a magazine, through my reading. Those pictures were enough to intrigue me about the beautiful city of Udaipur. It was when I saw these pictures, that I decided I wanted to visit Udaipur. In fact, the picture I saw of the Lake palace hotel was the most tempting of all the pictures. This picture had a full view of the Lake palace hotel.

I had read about Udaipur in a tourist guide before booking my flight to the city. The tourist guide said that the best time to visit Udaipur is the month of December and so I decided to go there in December. I took a flight from Mumbai to Udaipur and one of the first things I realized after reaching the city is that the evenings are pleasant and the afternoons are hot. Udaipur is called the city of lakes. When I went out shopping in Udaipur, I realized that its one of the best places in India to shop for traditional Rajasthani clothes.

The name of Udaipur is derived from the former ruler of Udaipur Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar. In order to adjust itself to modern times, the city of Udaipur has converted many of its havelis into moderately charged hotels. The cost of the rooms in these hotels, which have been converted from havelis into hotels, is reasonable. These costs are very less, especially when compared to a 5 star hotel.
Udaipur - by Mohan Joshi Dated : 2011-02-09
Last year I went to Udaipur for a business meeting. In my free time I roamed about the city and I really loved it. The city has a really distinct charm and i was impressed by the variety it offers in every aspect, be it food, shopping or the worth visiting places. I took a boat ride on Lake Pichola and was amazed by the four islands it has. The Jagniwas island where the Lake Palace stands is eye catching. I also visited the famous Jagdish temple, it has a sere aura. Now I plan to go on a tour to Rajasthan in leisure when it has a visiting season.
Udaipur - by Avantika Dated : 2011-02-09
The city of Udaipur has many worth visiting places. The City Palace is a beautiful palatial building in Udaipur. The garden in front of this building is really eye catching. The view of Lake Pichola from the Palace is serene. There is also a museum in the Palace.
The Lake Pichola is like retreat from the dry looking area around. The Jagmandir and Jagniwas islands of the Pichola Lake are spectacular. The other nice spot is the Jagdish Temple in Udaipur.The Fateh Sagar Lake and the Udaipur Solar Observatory are great. I enjoyed being to Rajasthan and particular to Udaipur.