Udaipur City – An Oasis of Calm Grandeur

Udaipur City – An Oasis of Calm Grandeur

From Jaisalmer Fort in the Thar desert, let us go to the greener side of Aravalis in Rajasthan – Udaipur. It gets normal rainfall like most of North India. Rainwater lends the place charm and adorns it with some of the most scenic lakes in the country. Like Fateh Sagar, Pichola, Udai Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, etc., giving it the name – Lake City.

Origin of Udaipur

Remember Panna Dhai – the legendary nanny of Mewar royals? She had sacrificed her child when Banbir, an illegitimate son of Prithviraj, came calling to kill the royal child? But for her, Udaipur would have not existed today. The royal child she saved was Udai Singh, 4th son of Rana Sanga. And he founded Udaipur in 1559.

After his defeat by Akbar’s army in Chittor, Udai Singh had moved here. Later, his son, Maharana Pratap, defeated Akbar’s army in Haldighati. Most of the exotic palaces in Udaipur came about during the peacetime that followed this battle, including the Jag Mahal (Now, the Taj-managed Lake Palace Hotel) and Jag Mandir.

City Attractions

The city is one of the cleanest in India. Reason? A population of only half a million. Though the city looks quaint, its cleanliness gladdens the heart. A speedboat ride in Lake Pichola lets you take in the sights like the City Palace, Jag Mandir, Lake Palace, Aravalis, and myriad other spectacular structures around the lake. 

Udaipur offers many attractions for a traveller. Like the City Palace, Sajjangarh Fort, and Vintage Cars Museum. As shown on this sightseeing map of Rajasthan, nearby places of interest like Kumbhalgarh Fort (around 90kms from Udaipur), Ranakpur Jain Temple (about 110kms from Udaipur), Haldighati (a short detour when you head out to Kumbhalgarh Fort), Chittorgarh (approx. 110kms from Udaipur), and Eklingji (just 22kms from Udaipur, this complex of 108 temples in sandstone and marble is a remarkable place to visit), are definite deal-sweeteners.

I had timed my visit to Sajjangarh Fort (also known as the Monsoon Palace) around sunset. The setting sun over Aravalis was a sight to behold. They shot Octopussy (a Bond film) here, making it famous. This fort/palace is on a hilltop. Protected as a wildlife sanctuary, you could spot leopards, hyenas, nilgais, and wild boar on this hill.

Day Trip from Udaipur

I hung out for a full day visiting Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain Temple. I knew Kumbhalgarh Fort for its strategic location since the enemy could not spot it until they were within half a kilometer of the fort. Its wall (total length – 36kms) is the second-longest wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China.

Ranakpur is a tiny village in district Pali, the temple there is an Adinath temple. There are 1444 marble pillars here, each one with a different carved design. The domes also have different carvings. Temple construction started in 1437 and ended in 1458. It is well-preserved and doesn’t seem old.

The roads to Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur are in decent condition. You can do a comfortable day trip to these 2 places.

Royal Heritage

I spent an hour admiring the beauties in the Vintage Cars Museum. These belong to the royal family and they maintain them. Besides the cars, there are some horse-coaches from olden times. On these shiny, lacquered carriages, you can see the painted, elaborate royal seals.

For shopaholics, Udaipur offers Bandhni dupattas, Rajasthani jootis, Rajasthani quilts, and Rajasthani jewellery. Like elsewhere in India, you must negotiate well here. 

A visit here would be in order. Just to see a well-maintained city of a heritage-rich Rajasthan.

Next week, I will take you to the ship-shaped Fort and Palace in this Venice of the East.

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