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Udaipur is known as the
Venice of the east. It is also called the city of lakes. The Lake Palace
on Jag Niwas Island in the middle of Pichola Lakes is the finest example
of its architectural and cultural explosion. The grand City Palace on
the banks of the lake compliments the palace along with the Monsoon
Palace (Sajjan Garh) on the hill above. Udaipur is also the centre for
performing arts, craft and its famed miniature paintings.The Shilp Gram
festival is a center of attraction during the season.
Maharana Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in 1568 after his citadel
Chittorgarh was sacked by Mughal Emperor Akbar. The legends says that
Udai Singh was guided by a holy man meditating on the hill near Pichola
Lake to establish his capital on this very spot. Surrounded by Aravali
Ranges, forests and lakes this place was less vulnerable than
Chittorgarh. Maharana Udai Singh died in 1572 and was succeeded by
Maharana
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Pratap who valiantly
defended Udaipur from subsequent Mughal attacks. Maharana Pratap is the
most revered Rajput icon and gallantly fought the Mughal at the
Haldighati in 1576. Mewar continuously defied foreign invaders and has a
history of bloody battles until the British intervention in the
nineteenth when a treaty was signed to protect Udaipur. Upon
independence Udaipur merged in the union of India. |
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City Palace
City Palace towers over the Pichola Lake. Maharana Uday
Singh initiated in the construction of the palace but
succeeding Maharanas added several palaces and structures to
the complex retained a surprising uniformity to the design.
The entry to the Palace is from the Hati Pol, the Elephant
gate. The Bari Pol or the Big gate brings you to the
Tripolia, the Triple gate. It was once a custom that the
Maharana would weigh under this gate in gold and silver,
which was distributed to the populace. It is also now the
main ticket office. Balconies, cupolas and towers surmount
the palace to give a wonderful view of the lake. Suraj
Gokhada or the balcony of the sun is where the Maharana
would grant public audiences mainly to boost the morale of
the people in difficult times. The Mor Chawk is the peacock |
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square and gains its name from the vivid blue mosaic in
glass of a peacock that decorates its walls.
The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum
displaying a large and diverse array of artefacts. Down
steps from the entrance is the armoury museum exhibiting a
huge collection of protective gear, weapons including the
lethal two-pronged sword. The City Palace museum is then
entered through the Ganesh Deori meaning the door of Lord
Ganesh. This leads to the Rajya Angan, the royal courtyard
that is the very spot where Maharana Udai Singh met the sage
who told him to find a city here. The rooms of the palace
are superbly decorated with mirror tiles and paintings.
Manak Mahal or the Ruby Palace has a lovely collection of
glass and mirror work while Krishna Vilas display a rich
collection of miniature paintings. Moti Mahal or the pearl
palace has beautiful mirror work and the Chini Mahal has
ornamental tiles all over. The Surya Chopar or the sun
square depicts a huge ornamental sun symbolising the sun
dynasty to which the Mewar dynasty belongs. The Bari Mahal
is a central garden with view of the city. Some more
beautiful paintings can be seen in the Zenana Mahal or the
ladies chamber, which leads to Lakshmi Chowk a beautiful
white pavilion.. |
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Fateh
Prakash Palace
It's like being cocooned in authentic royal luxury at
the Fateh Prakash Palace, the grand heritage palace of the
HRH group. The warmth of royal hospitality greets you as you
walk along the corridors lined with large paintings of the
Mewar school that flourished in the seventeenth through
nineteenth century.
The lake facing suites in the turrets are suitably appointed
with four poster beds and period furniture, festooned with
maroon velvet curtains and delicate silk tassels. It's a
legacy kept alive since the early decades of the twentieth
century when Maharana Fateh Singh (period of reign : 1884 -
1935) used to be the royal occupant of this palace. Till
date the formality of royal occasions are maintained. |
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The Lake
Palace
The Lake Palace is located on the Jag Niwas Island and
covers the whole of 1.5 hectare of the island in the middle
of the Pichola Lake. Built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1743
it was meant as a royal summer palace and now converted in
to a five star palace hotel. It is a magical palace and its
image in the middle of the lake is like a leaf straight out
of a fairy tale book with an excellent taste of intricate
craftsmanship and the ethnic themes using the textiles and
handicrafts all over highlight the beauty that is simply
beyond compare the lake around makes a pleasant murmur with
its rippling waves and lapping that adds to the mesmerizing
moments. |
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Bagore-Ki Haveli
This is a very congenial old building built right on the
waterfront of Lake Pichola at Gangori Ghat. Amir Chand Badwa,
the Prime Minister of Mewar built it in the eighteenth
century. The palace has over hundred rooms and some very
interesting display of costumes and modern art. The glass
and mirror in the interiors of the Haveli delicate work and
well preserved too. It also preserves a fine example of
Mewar Painting on the walls of Queen's Chamber. The two
peacocks made from small pieces of colored glasses are fine
examples of glasswork. After the death Badwa the building
became the property of Mewar State. It came to be occupied
by Maharana Shakti Singh of Bagore who built the palace of
the three arches also in 1878 and it acquired its name of
Bagore-ki-haveli, the house of Bagore. After |
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independence the structure lay in neglect until 1986 when it
housed the West Zone Cultural centre.
The haveli now stages delightful evening's entertainment;
the pleasurable performance of Rajasthani traditional dance
and music in the moody surroundings of the haveli. It is an
ideal place for an evening entertainment while enjoying the
view of Lake Pichola. |
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Eklingji
It houses 108 temples chiselled out of sandstone and
marble, this temple of Eklingji was built in 734 AD.
Enclosed by high walls, it is devoted to Eklingji (A form of
Shiv Deity adored under the epithet of EKLINGA).
One of the prominent deity of the Maharanas of Mewar,
worshiped as Mahadeva Chaumukhi,the quadriform divinity,
represented by a bust with four faces., it has an ornate Man
dap [ A pillared hall ] and the huge pyramidal roof composed
of hundreds of knots very vividly carved and finely
decorated with the coloured stones. Before the entrance in
the main temple there is a beautifully sculpted huge Nandi
the sacred brazen bull who is the loyal steed of Lord Shiva
and has his altar attached to all his shrines. |
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The temple of EKLINGJI was constructed roughly in between
the Uda- Nath route, with the hills towering around it and
abundant small springs of water where more or less every
tourist takes a break. And locals pay homage through out the
whole year.The Belief is such. |
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