Udaipur The City of Lakes
Udaipur The City of Lakes : The beautiful city of lakes with its regal beauty oozing from every corner- Udaipur, one of the pride of Rajasthan, houses the second largest and biggest palaces of India called the City Palace. This palace was originally the residence of the Royal Family of Udaipur- The Mewars. The Palace, built over a period of 400 years, started by Maharana Udai Singh II, in all its grandeur is the reason the city of Udaipur is also known as the white city, given that more than half the city is built with marble.
The City Palace is the perfect day outing if you are in Udaipur as a tourist. Travel by auto takes about 15 to 20 minutes from any point in the city. As soon as you reach the entrance, you will find tour guides right outside the gate who will offer you a really good tour of the palace without missing out on anything. The palace boasts of royal architecture and is built in a rectangular compound. The first section that you are taken to see is the King’s palace where the courtroom, meeting room, Raja’s clothes and paintings, dining area and other such retained historical rooms and artifacts are seen. There is also a statue of the horse Chetak which was the beloved horse of Maharana Pratap who fought the battle of Haldighati in the year 1576.
The next section that you are shown is the Palace of the Queen. This section shows the way queens loved, got dressed, and communicated with the kings, their clothes, and their lifestyle. This section also has some breathtaking viewpoints where you can witness a sea of white marble as you look out the window. On one, side is the sea of marble and on the other side, the view opens up to Lake Pichola.
One of the most fascinating pieces of this palace is the entire Silver “Mandap” that was used by the royal families for weddings and is still used by the current royal family of Udaipur. The room of mirrors, the courtyard, and the miniature paintings are a few of the many, many picturesque sights this palace has to offer. The weaponry and the suit of armor made of silver have been perfectly preserved. Towards the end of the tour, there is a statue of the Sun God that was worshipped by the royal family of Udaipur.
As you finish the tour of the palace, you are brought down to the City Palace market, where you get to shop around for the beautiful artifacts that you witnessed inside. You can also find a store for miniature paintings where the painter sits right there working whose ancestors were the ones who painted the paintings of Udaipur. A few stores ahead, you can see an exquisite variety of pashminas, scarves, shawls, and ethnic jackets all made from the fleece of the mountain goat. The palace also hosts stores of intricately crafted swords and daggers made of both bronze and silver.
Once your tour of the entire city palace is done, you can walk around the current royal family’s house of residence to enjoy a beautiful boat ride on Lake Pichola to go to Jag Mandir which is located in the middle of the lake. This experience should not be missed if you truly want to experience the complete magnificence and splendor of this beautiful city- Udaipur.
