I had decided to pack my bags for the marvellous city of Udaipur and check out the great Rajputana city situated in Rajasthan. The city, hailed as one of the capitols of the region, was a fortress for the great king Maharana Pratap. Many battles were fought for this exquisite city of lakes. This is where the Rajputs fought with the Mughal invaders for supremacy. The Lake View Palace is in the middle of the great Pichola Lake in the midst of the Aravalli Hills. A marble white property run by the Taj group, this is the jewel of Udaipur. A one night stay costs Rs 30,000 per room per night. The hospitality, the décor, the exquisite paintings and the wall carvings that adorn the Lake View Palace bring to us the great heritage of Rajasthan, the land of kings and the maharajas. A flight from Delhi with a hop stop at Jaipur takes one to Udaipur. I suggest choosing Jet Airways or SpiceJet. The ticket cost me Rs 4500 all-inclusive. The flight can be a bit choppy though, but as you land in Udaipur, all your aches and pains will disappear. The city is much cooler than the rest of Rajasthan and very tranquil. Its tranquillity hits you immediately. The Lake Pichola shimmers in the sunlight as I was guided into a motorboat that took me to the white marble wonder situated in the middle of the lake.
The room rent is steep but this palace, now turned into a luxury hotel, is worth the rate it charges. The courtyards, the alleys and the balcony facing the lake add to its mystic flavour. The sunset can especially be very picturesque. I captured it to the fullest. The evenings were spent watching the traditional Ghagra dance performed in the courtyard of the palace hotel. The shimmering lake in front formed a perfect foil for the exquisite orange skyline that shone as the sunset at the Aravalli Hills.
I played chess with a few local friends of mine and also managed to capture a Palestinian beauty through my lens. The mornings were the most beautiful as I woke up to see the vast expanse of the lake. But it was the chirping of the birds at the courtyard that excited me the most as I wandered towards the fountain which threw jets of water into the man-made pond. Yes, this was the very spot where the famous Bond film Octopussy was shot with Kabir Bedi playing a Sardar and Roger Moore as James Bond 007. The movie made Lake Palace famous and it has been a favourite spot for many foreign tourists who thronged to Rajasthan. Some even dress up in the traditional Kurta and headgear to soak in the local flavour.
There is an ample flow of liquor and fine dining all in the trusted Taj style. I enjoyed Laal Maans, the traditional mutton delicacy of Rajasthan with lots of lime juice and lassi. But the lake is what kept me hooked. Evenings were the best when I took a boat ride around the lake and soaked in the fresh and tranquil air of Udaipur.
Lake Palace
Acclaimed as a standout amongst the most royale and sentimental lodgings on the planet, Lake Palace was once in the past known as Jag Niwas and is among the top vacation spots in Udaipur. It is a standout amongst the best places to visit in Udaipur during the evening. The Taj Group assumed control over the castle and has meticulously reestablished and kept up the legacy of this most looked for after retreats. The Lake Palace lives by the celebrated lake Pichola. Worked by Maharaja Jagat Singh II, the royal residence is an excellent of choice design that contains plated moldings, fretwork screens and etched marbles. At Lake Palace, sentiment gets re-imagined!
City Palace
The City Palace, Jaipur was established, by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber, in 1727. Udaipur’s City Palace is an example of the splendour that the rulers of Mewar enjoyed centuries ago, and it still appears to be just as majestic. It is located on the eastern banks of pichola lake. City Palace has several gates that are known as “Pols”. ‘Bara Pol’ (Great Gate) is the main gate to the City Palace complex that will take you to the first courtyard. On passing ‘Bara Pol’, you will come across a triple arched gate, which is known as ‘Tripolia’. Between these two gates, you would see eight marble arches or Toranas, where Kings used to weigh themselves with gold and silver. Besides Tripolia, there is an arena where elephant fights were staged. Across ‘Tripolia’, you would enter the ‘Elephant Gate’ or the ‘Hathi Pol’.
The Monsoon Palace
The fort was built, basically, to watch the monsoon clouds floating by. It guarantees panoramic views of the surrounding country side and sunsets at distance. The original name of the Monsoon Palace is Sajjangarh Palace. It was named after Maharana Sajjan Singh who built it in 1884 on top of a mountain in the Aravalli Hills. It was built as an astronomical center for tracking weather and the monsoon, hence the nickname. It was also intended to be a hunting lodge for the royal family.
Jag Mandir
Jagmandir is a noteworthy arrangement of structures with the focal structure being called Jagmandir, which can be perceived by the marble-made elephants situated outside. It is a three-storied structure and incorporates segments like Gul Mahal, a rich façade, a Garden Courtyard and the Darikhana on its northern side, the Bara Patharon ka Mahal (royal residence of the 12 stones), the Zenana Mahal – a southern expansion to the Gul Mahal and the Kunwar Pada ka Mahal. During the pontoon ride on Lake Pichola, a ton of vacationers ensure that they visit this lovely spot.
Lake Fatehsagar
Fateh Sagar Lake is arranged in the city of Udaipur in the Indian territory of Rajasthan. It is a counterfeit lake named after Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur and Mewar, built north-west of Udaipur, toward the north of Lake Pichola during the 1680s. Visited this lake at sunset and it was quite pleasant with cool breeze flowing through even during summers.
Fatehsagar lake is one of the less touristy lake when contrasted with lake pichola. There is great and plentiful parking spot by lake which is free. Lake has some great minutes to catch at dusk. One can observer a decent measure of exercises around lake for children and senior natives. Such huge numbers of neighborhood individuals want night stroll here. You can see Udaipur Observatory from here and catch grand nightfall.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
The marvelous Kumbhalgarh fortress has its walla spread in excess of 30 kilometers. Situated around 64 km from the city of Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh is a compositional considered in Udaipur, and in actuality among most over the top illustrious living arrangements and posts of Rajasthan. Kumbhalgarh Fort is one more vacation destination in Udaipur that one must not pass up. Alongside the fortress, one can likewise visit the acclaimed Haldi Ghati where the extraordinary fight including Maharana Pratap occurred.
Saheliyon-ki-Bari
Saheliyon-ki-Bari is a noteworthy nursery and a famous visitor space in Udaipur in Indian province of Rajasthan. It lies in northern piece of the city and has wellsprings and stands, a lotus pool and marble elephants. It was worked by Rana Sangram Singh. There is likewise a little historical center here. The garden enclosures have excellent lotus pools, marble structures and elephant – formed wellsprings. The farden was structured by the lord himself as a present to his ruler. The walked around the nursery with her chaperons and spent her relaxation hours there. Saheli implies companions or chaperons in Hindi, so the nursery got its name.
Gulab Bagh and Zoo
Gulab Bagh gets its name from its bounty of rose species. Regularly alluded to as Sajjan Niwas Garden, it was worked by Maharana Sajjan Singh during the 1850s. Spread over a zone of 0.40 sq km, it is the biggest greenhouse in Udaipur. Arranged in the south-east of the City Palace complex, the nursery additionally envelops an exhibition hall, initially known as Victoria Hall Museum. In the gallery are housed collectibles, trinkets, regal family unit things and different relics from an earlier time. Inside the greenhouse, at a short leave through rose plants and open stops, a zoo is arranged.
Shilpgram, Udaipur
Shilpgram Udaipur (The Craft Village), Situated 3 kms west of Udaipur is the Rural Arts and Crafts Complex. The Rural Arts and Crafts Complex is imagined as a living enthnographic historical center to portray the ways of life of the society and ancestral individuals of the West Zone. The lifestyle of the tribal people of Rajasthan can be witnessed at Shilpgram, the rural complex of arts and crafts in Udaipur.
Badi Lake, Udaipur
Badi Lake has dependably been a focal point of fascination among all the Udaipurites and Bahubali Hill basically means the excellence as it gives a spot to every one of the vagabonds to venerate the superbness of the Lake and the Aravali Hills encompassing the spot.
