Udaipur guide book

Udaipur, popularly called as the 'City of Lakes' is situated amidst the Aravali hills and shimmering blue water lakes. One of the popular tourist destinations of Rajasthan, Udaipur is also considered as one of most romantic places in India. The city founded by Maharana Udai Singh in 1567, was last of the several Mewar capitals. Udaipur is the birthplace of the legendary Maharana Pratap. The magnificent forts, palaces, lakes and gardens carry the flavour of heroic past of the city. The 'City of Lakes' is known for its scenic lakes such as the Pichola Lake, Udai Sagar and Fateh Sagar. Besides the lakes, Udaipur houses many palace of Rajputs, the most famous is the Lake Palace. Once there were eleven gateways to enter the city, but today only five survive. The Sun Gate or the Suraj Pol located to the eastern side is the main entrance to the city.

Climate

As the city is surrounded by several lakes, so the climate is pleasant here. The climate of the city is not extreme, the summers are hot and winters are cold. Summer temp : Max 38.3°C - Min 28.8°C, Winter temp : Max 28.3°C - Min 8°C. The ideal time to visit Udaipur is September and March.

Major Attractions

» City Palace - The City Palace is majestic white royal building, standing along the shores of Pichola Lake and is situated on the top of hill. Built is granite and marble, the massive is surrounded by crenelated walls. The construction of the palace was originally started by Maharaja Udai Singh, the later additions were made by the subsequent Maharajas.

The City Palace one of the largest complex in Rajasthan, houses the beautiful Jagdish Temple. The palace has spacious courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. The 'Tripolia' or the Triple Gate is the main entrance to the palace. A museum also lies inside the fort complex, which has the collection of the armour of the Maharana Pratap and the drums & bugles of Rana Sanga.

» Maharana Pratap Memorial - Situated atop the Moti Magri (Pearl hill) this is the memorial of the valiant hero Maharana Pratap. Overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake, the memorial has equestrian bronze statue of Maharana Pratap. Apart from this memorial Sajjan Garh, Gulab Bagh, Dudh Talai Park, the Sunset point are other attractions here.

» Lake Palace - Lake Palace originally known as Jag Niwas, was built in 1754 by Maharana Jagat Singh II. Built on an island in the middle of Pichola Lake, Lake Palace was the summer residence of rulers of Mewar. Now this summer palace is converted into a luxury hotel.

» Ahar - Situated at a distance of 3 Kms from Udaipur, Ahar was once the capital of Sisodias. Ahar is famous for profusion of cenotaphs of Mewar rulers. Other attraction is the small government museum which has a rare collection of antiquities, earthen pots, iron objects and numerous art items.

» Jagdish Temple - The Indo-Aruan style temple was Built in 1651 by Maharana Jagat Singh. The temple is one of the largest and the most beautiful temple of Udaipur.

» Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandir - Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandir is a museum of folk arts. The museum has the interesting collection of folk dresses, ornaments, puppets, masks, dolls, folk musical instruments, folk deities and paintings. The puppet shows are arranged in its auditorium on request.

» Fateh Sagar Lake - The lake is situated north of Pichola lake. It was built by Maharana Jai Singh, but it was named after Fateh Singh who rebuilt it.

» Pichhola Lake - The beautiful lake is surrounded by hills, palaces,temples, bathing ghats and embankments. The major attractions of the lake is island palaces Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas(Lake Palace).