One of my favourite destinations in Radjestan was the beautiful, peaceful, and exquisite Udaipur. I’ve compiled a two day journal in Udaipur into one blog entry – Enjoy.

Arrived really early that morning from an uncomfortable  and cold train ride from Jaipur. Only thing on my mind after stepping off was only to jump into a hot shower. I remember this part o’so clearly because I remember using up all the hot water at the hotel that morning; boy did it fell good up until the water ran cold. Followed by a free breakfast provided by the lovely hotel stay, I wasted no time and took advantage of the early morning to start the day.

The hotel was smack right in the middle of the city and getting to most of the cities most beloved attractions was all walking distance. Along the way to the City Palace complex, the Udaipur bathing ghat and the popular Jagdish Temple was the first stop. The Jagdish Temple hides inbetween residential housing in the middle of the town, but with it’s interact marble carving exterior it’s not hard to miss. In the center, the shrine of Lord Vishnu circled by four small shrines honored to Lord Ganesh, Shiva, Sun God and Goddess Shakti is was what gives this temple it’s significance. My timing was impeccable as I arrived during a wedding and managed to capture the couple as they were exiting the temple; bride so incredible happy that she’s not even bothered as her husband answers a call.

Udaipur was the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar. The City Palace in Udaipur is a fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architectual built with a semi flamboyant style in mind. Considered to be the largest and most unique structure in Rajasthan. Built on a hill top it gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding, including several historic monuments such as the Lake Palace in Lake Pichola, the Jag Mandir. On the other side of the lake, the Monsoon Palace on top of an overlooking hilltops nearby and the Neemach Mata temple. These structures are all linked together with a strong history from the Mewar era. I didn’t know how big this place really was until I went into the the museum and spent a solid 3 hours inside. The idea of establishing a museum within the palace was a brilliant idea. Walking through the restored corridors and rooms setup to mimic old times let me really engage each area. With such a hands on approach, you learn a great deal of this empire and it’s history.

Legend says:

Historical legend narrated to the selection of the site for the palace is about a hermit meeting Maharana Udai Singh when he was on a hunting trail in the Udaipur hills. The Maharana met the hermit who was meditating on top of a hill above the Pichola Lake and sought the hermit’s blessings. The hermit advised the Maharana to build his palace at that very spot and that is where the palace complex came to be established at Udaipur.

I highly recommend taking the time to go through the museum because there’s lots of phenomenal historical paintings which tell stories and the palace itself which hosts as another piece of history . Make sure to take a photo of the ticket validator at the front door; ask him how long has he been growing out his mustache as well.

From the south entrance of the City Palace is where you can purchase tickets for a boat ride to Jag Mandir, the garden palace; a site you won’t want to miss either.
Throughout the construction of Jag Mandir, it saw it fare share of kings which delayed it’s completion well over a hundred years. When finally finished in 1653, the royal family of the Maharana Jagat Singh used the palace as a summer resort and pleasure palace for holding parties for their guests.

I held off my boarding in the late evening to get the best possible time of day. How about instead of writing about it, I’ll let the photos talk about the boat ride.

Back at the hotel after the boat ride, Mel and myself decided to do a photo shoot, a contribution to my travels thus far. I called it “Love from India“

Day 2 started off with breakfast down the street from the Jagdish Temple. I was told it served good food for a great price. Along the way we both got side tracked; Mel with booking a driver and me purchasing a pair of brown Aladdin pants that went well with my green shirt from Varanasi. Our journey today would continue north, up around Fateh Sagar Lake and the highly anticipated Monsoon Palace for sunset.

All along the bank of the lake we visited places like the Sahelion Ki Bari; a garden, Moti Magri, Pratap memorial with a view of the Observatory and Nehru Island Park on the Fateh Sagar Lake. Our driver also shared details of the lakes drought history, just four years ago a monsoon lasted a whole month which replenished the lake. Since than, it’s been slowly depleting, awaiting for it’s next monsoon attack.

The garden wasn’t anything special but the view of the Observatory and Nehru Island from Pratap memorial was worth the visit (third photo in the series below).
We decided to head towards the monsoon palace a head of schedule because we were making good time here. Along the way I brought the driver to a halt on the side of the road when I saw a great opportunity to photograph Nehru Island from a better vantage point.  Down in and around the dry spots of the lake as I was taking photos, I met a man curious of my presents in the area. We exchanged waves, he pulled out his hand to share his food with me while I “tried” explaining to him where I was from. Like most Indian people would be looking for money, this man never asked for any type of support – even when I offered. As we continued talking, I found his eyes, mouth, and facial features really distinguishing; the most striking, a smile from cheek to cheek that could warm anybody’s mood.

Last stop was along a windy steep hillside road leading to the majestic Monsoon Palace. A palace which most would read about in a fairytale, it offers a panoramic view of the city’s lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. It was built on the tallest hill around to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace – Wiki provides a great read about the importance and history of this structure. Once there, the only thing left was to put away the gear, sit on the side of the palace walls, feet dangling and enjoy the beautiful sunset amongst the surrounding hillsides. No better way to end the day than at the cities highest peak watching as the night falls upon it.