City of Lakes, Udaipur - One of the most popular tourist destinations in Rajasthan and top places to explore in the city

I visited Udaipur with family a few years back and again a few months ago. First time it was part of a larger itinerary that started with Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, Chittorgarh, and Udaipur. This time, we went to Kumbhalgarh first and then Rajsamand before reaching Udaipur. Udaipur was the last stop and a perfect culmination to our trip.  I had booked two lake-view rooms in the Hanuman Ghat Area, which had a very Paharganj-like feel to it. I remember one funny incident. My family is used to having rusks with the morning tea, so I along with my cousins, went out to buy them. I kept asking the shopkeeper for rusks, and he kept showing me various types of juices. Then I spotted a packet of rusks and pointed at it. At this he laughed and said "oh toasts?" So now I know if I need rusks in Rajasthan, what I should ask for. 

Anyway, coming back to Udaipur, it is a multilayered experience. Pretty, crowded, historical, modern, culturally-rich, actually it is a perfect slice of Rajasthan and in particular Mewar. Add to it some spices of its own that make it unique, and you have Udaipur, one of the most interesting cities in India. 

Best time to Visit Udaipur : 

Because the rest of the year can be so hot here in Rajasthan, Winter is the best time to visit most parts of the state. This is also the time when most of the festivals are held and when the streets are most lively with tourists. This is also the time when the stay options are likely to be most expensive, so book in advance. And don't forget to carry woollens as the nights can be chilly. 

How to reach Udaipur: Let's first talk about how to get here. We took a hired a Toyota Qualis from Pushkar to Udaipur, via Chittorgarh, Eklingji, Nathdwara, and Haldighati. Seeing Haldighati had been a long-time dream of my father. It was so gratifying to see him relishing the drive through the yellow hills so much. He had also always wanted to see Chittorgarh, and was simply delighted to be there. I will talk about Chittorgarh in another post in details. 

By Road - You could either do what we did, as detailed above. Or you could plan a drive from Delhi or Mumbai, stopping en route for one night, if only one of you is driving. Or simply book yourself a comfortable night bus. 

By Train - If you are travelling in from Delhi and looking for luxury and hospitality on train, you can book your place on the Palace on Wheels. That can be an experience in itself. Or you can book a train from any major city in India. Udaipur is well connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. 

By Air - The closest airport to Udaipur is the Maharana Pratap Airport, which is about 22 kilometers from the city. One can board flights from all major cities in India. Once you land, a taxi should be easy to book. 

Where to Stay in Udaipur, Rajasthan : There are several 5-star hotels where you can stay if you are willing to spend a fortune - The Oberai Udai Vilas, the Taj Palace, and the Leela Palace are just some of them. However, you can also opt for other good hotels that offer decent lake-facing rooms and are pocket-friendly too. We opted for such an option, and were pretty satisfied too. 

Good accommodation is available starting from a few 100 Rs to whatever you want to spend on your stay. The best location is around Lake Pichola and you can find backpacker friendly accommodations such as dormitories too. Or if you are looking at a more culturally rich experience, you could opt for one of the Havelis converted to a hotel. 

We highly recommend : Raj Niwas - Book the whole hotel around Lake Pichola of Udaipur, if you are looking for an accommodation for 3 families with a private party space with stunning panoramic views in City of Lakes

 

What to Eat when in Udaipur, Rajasthan: Typical Rajasthani food can be spicy, so be watchful of your tolerance and experiment accordingly. If you are in Udaipur, definitely try the traditional Rajasthani Thali. If you are non-vegetarian, you must taste Laal Maas as well. Gatta Curry and Daal Baati Choorma are Rajasthani specialties that one must try. Daal Baati Choorma can be heavy, so plan accordingly. Pyaaz Kachori, Samosas, and Jalebis are popular street foods in Udaipur. If we can suggest a place to have Rajasthani Thali in Udaipur, that will be - "Not to miss Rajasthani Thali at Garden Hotel near popular Vintage Car Museum of Udaipur, Rajasthan - Delicious food, good service and decent ambience"

During our stay in Udaipur, we decided to visit Garden Hotel restaurant for lunch, as this place serves delicious Rajasthani thali. And thali means, unlimited food at fixed price :) . Nandan had visited this place a few years back and he recommended the place. and certainly it's a place we would love to share with Travellingcamera family. This blogpost shares about Garden Hotel, it's location, why it's popular in Udaipur, kind of food to expect and what else can you do around this place after lunch. 

Above photograph shows main counter inside the restaurant where Rajasthani Thali is served. On the right of the photograph you can see a family enjoying Rajasthani Thali. You can buy ticket for the thali at entry gate or get a token inside the restaurant as well. If you are at the ticket counter, you also have an option to get combined ticket for thali and visit to Vintage Car Museum which is located next to the restaurant. We only opted for thali and it costed us 300 rs per person. 

Food at Garden Hotel restaurant is served in thalis you see in very firt photograph of this blogpost. Good number of vegetables are served with rice, tawa roti along with daal, baati, choorma, rajasthani kadhi, gatte ki sabzi, khichdi, papad, gulabjamun and raita. Almost everyone they served was tasty but my favourite was raita and we got it few times :). During this trip, we had best baati at Dera Kumbalgarh but Baati at Garden Restaurant was also quite good. Seems like menu also keeps changing at Garden restaurant but key Rajasthani dishes are always served. 

Garden Hotel is part of HRH Hotels and hence quite popular in Udaipur. This is located across the Gulab Bagh. The canteen is located inside the hotel and is in circular shape. Above photograph shows the view of rooms from Canteen where Rajasthani Thali is served. This is open for anyone visiting Udaipur and not limited to guests staying at Garden Hotel. 

As you come out of the Garden Restaurant after enjoying Rajasthani Thali, you see the popular Vintage Car museum which is also known as 'The Palace Udaipur - Vintage and Classic car collection'. You need to have a ticket for seeing car collection inside it. There are a handful cars parked on outer side of the museum which can be seen from common area. We found the ticket of this museum expensive and there was no one in our group who was interested. 

Above photograph shows the restaurant inside the Garden Hotel where Rajasthani thali is served. Service is decent inside the restaurant. We had few instances when staff was bringing other stuff instead of what we were asking for. Not sure if that was intentional or it was age of the staff that they were forgetting our requests. Generally the space is pretty full so it must be hard for the staff to remember all orders. May be our expectations are set very high by staff of Andhra Bhawan in Delhi which is cheaper but still service is super fast without a miss. 

Udaipur is also a popular destination for trying street food. Somehow I was excited about that part before reaching the city, but since it was COVID time and overall state of the city was not very encouraging to try street food. We were there in dec 2020, when lot of construction work was going on for smart city efforts. Garden Restaurant is a good place to have a meal from cleanness and hygiene standpoint. 

We certainly recommend this place for enjoying Rajasthani food. Unlimited thali is worth 300 rs per person. Just remember that it will be vegetarian and chose a day, when you want to eat a lot :). 

Main places to visit and see in Udaipur : The city of Udaipur is also known as the "City of Lakes" because of several large lakes inside and around the city. It also has several historical buildings, palaces and temples that you can visit. Here are some of the most popular places that you can plan during your trip:

The City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan : The City Palace at Udaipur was built by Maharana Udai Mirza Singh in the 16th Century. It is perhaps the largest such palace in the whole of Rajasthan. Maharana Udai Mirza Singh is said to have got this built because he was instructed by a sage to do so at this very location. The palace is located on the banks of lake Pichola very near the Jagdish palace and can also be seen from the Monsoon Palace on the hill top. The Palace represents a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal style of construction and has been used as a location for various films. For example, the song "Ghunghat ki aad se..." from "Hum hain rahi pyaar ke" was shot in one of the courtyards of this palace. The lawns of the palace are now leased out for parties.

If you are in Udaipur and have to chose only one place to visit & explore, City Palace has to be that place. Certainly there can be personal choices as for someone visiting a particular restaurant for a meal or take a walk around ghat of Lake Pichola is more important than the City Palace. In this blogpost we will share about why City Palace was a special place for us and what all you see inside this beautiful palace.  First photograph of this post is clicked by our guide who helped us explore Udaipur City Palace. 

Above photograph shows entry gate of City Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan. This is how it looks in the evening. We went there for evening Light & Sound show as well. That's when this photograph is clicked. We will separately share about Light & Sounds show at City Palace of Udaipur. 

The City Palace of Udaipur is located in older part of the city and on the bank of Lake Pichola. The location of the city palace is so special that you not only explore City Palace but a lot from Udaipur - be it handicraft market, beautiful ghats around Lake Pichola, some of the most stunning hotels around Udaipur etc. To reach the entry gate of City Palace, you have walk through the hustle bustle of market and during tour of the City Palace, you see Lake Pichola on the other side and Taj Palace hotel in middle of lake is clearly visible from City Palace. 

Above photograph shows front part of the City Palace in Udaipur during evening light & sound show. Just after the the light & sound show, the palace is lit for sometime and that's when this photograph is clicked. All photographs in the blogpost are clicked with phone camera. 

Let's talk about timings of City Palace in Udaipur and ticket price for entry. 

Entry Ticket Fees at City Palace, Udaipur :

Entry ticket price for Indian adults : 300 Rs

Entry ticket price for kids above 5years (till 18 year) : 100 Rs

No charges for kids below 5 years. 

Charges for Tour Guide : 300 Rs

Just to note that you have to pay for guide at counter and then take any of the guides around ticket counter. You can certainly tip the guide at the end if you felt that the guide added lot more value than you expected. 

There are no extra charge for cameras, unless you want to go inside for commercial videography. 

Timings of City Palace in Udaipur : 9:30am till 5:30pm 

Each gate inside the city palace is grand, so take time to spot, admire and move on. Bara Pol of city palace welcomes everyone in a grand way. Tripolia is another one which is significant inside City Palace of Udaipur. Most of the gates inside City Palace and other parts of Udaipur have these huge wooden doors with iron nails jutting out of them. Similar doors can be seen in other palaces & forts like Kumbhalgarh of Rajasthan.

All photographs above except the first one are clicked during Light & Sound Show of City Palace in Udaipur. Light & Sound show is a good way to hear history of Mewar kingdom. Whole narration is done with some interesting light effects along with interesting music in the background. In comparison to other light & sound shows in India, this is certainly not very special. So you won't miss much if you don't plan for evening Light & sound show and rather opt for a guide during daytime tour to the City Palace. 

As you enter into the City Palace campus, you see these chains around these concrete anchors. These were used in the past to tie elephants and in the background you see an enclosure which was used for tiger/leopards brought from the hunt. This is also the part of the Udaipur City Palace where elephant fight used to happen on king's birthday. King used to sit on the top of this place and witness action in this open ground. There are some paintings in the City Palace to depict elephant fight. 

Construction of this palace began in 1559 and then city palace was continuously rebuilt over the next four centuries. If you closely look at the architecture it reflects Mughal, Rajasthani and even European styles in various parts of this huge City Palace of Udaipur. Sisodia dynasty ruled the former kingdom of Mewar and is India’s oldest dynasty. Udaipur became the capital of Mewar in the 16th century.

Above photograph shows different kinds of royal karts, which are used by royal family of Mewar in horse-karts. It's great to see this collection preserved well in City Palace of Udaipur. Many such royal collections at City Palace of Udaipur make you think about lot of aspects associated. Some of these royal families were smart to convert these heritage places as tourist places on time and Udaipur City Palace seem to be doing much better on this front. 

With every passing year, City Palace is adding new collections in museums. There is also a section dedicated to old photographs of the City Palace and same photographs are also painted by artists from Rajasthan. There is also a section which showcases musical instruments used inside the Palace, either my members of royal family or artists in darbar. 

Above photograph shows the section with palanquins used by royal family of Mewar. Apart from these complete palanquins, there is another collection of cloths used in these palanquins. Take a moment to browse the exhibits in the palace museum including priceless artwork and displays of swords/armor.  

City Palace of Udaipur is maintained and run by royal family of Udaipur. Not very sure if Udaipur City Palace is part of HRH group or it's a separate entity. Irrespective of that, it's pretty clear that City Palace of Udaipur is maintained pretty well and with time, it's upgrade pretty well with relevant stuff. Some specific ceremonies also take place in City Palace on certain days, when public also get to meet Arvind Singh ji and his family. Holi of City Palace is quite popular when royal family is also present. Entry tickets are little expensive for those specific events/days. 

There is a lot to explore inside City Palace of Udaipur. Above photograph shows the section where lot of stone carved idols are placed and most of them belong to Ekling ji temples. It seems lot of temples are destroyed there and what you see today is smaller part of original temples of Eklingji in Rajasthan. Each of these sculptures have details written along with them. 

Above photograph shows some of the utensils used in this City Palace of Udaipur in old times. It's good to see these preserved so well. They are spread in whole City Palace of Udaipur. You find utensils in pathways, corners and also around the museum part of Udaipur City Palace of Rajasthan. Many of them are made up of brass, silver & copper.  

City Palace is huge and divided into multiple sections. Salmon coloured Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) to see a collection of porcelain figures. Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) has some of the most stunning interiors I have seen. 

Above photograph shows king's bedroom which has so many mirrors all across. The door of this room is made up of elephant teeth. This room was constructed in inspiration from the sheesh mahal in Amer.  

Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) is another section of Udaipur City Palace with stunning interiors & reflective surfaces all around. There is a beautiful peacock mosaics in Rang Bhawan of Udaipur City Palace. That's probably one of the most popular things at City Palace of Udaipur.  

A guide typically takes you through various parts of the City Palace in approximately 3 hours and that too when you do it fast. Udaipur City palace is a place where you can spend whole day or at least half a day. There is so much to see, read about and experience the vibe of the place. 

Above photograph shows a section of City Palace which is on 4th floor. I was little surprised by seeing trees here. This part of the Udaipur City Palace looks beautiful and surrounded from all 4 sides. There is one section here, where pigeon cages are preserved. Pigeons used to be the messengers in old times. They would carry letters from one place to another. There are also few benches installed around these trees, so you can sit here for some time to take a break.

This is also that part of Udaipur Palace where kind used to play holi with queen and other guests. There is an enclosure which was mainly for king & queen to celebrate holi, while the open area you see above was to celebrate holi with guests. 

Above photograph shows main entry gate for Udaipur City Palace and there are these canons installed at the entry gate. May times, people are in rush to see the City Palace but forget to pause here and appreciate these old canons of Mewar. 

One of the kings of Mewar was handicapped, so in one section of the Udaipur City Palace you can see a special wheel-chair, a lift and  special toilet seat which was imported from London (Oh! the days of luxury). The seat did cost an enormous sum at that point of time. Now, it is one of the proud displays at the city palace Udaipur. To me, it looked more like a luxurious sofa than a toilet seat. However, now I pass the ball to you. You can judge and let me know what you think of it.

It is a luxurious leather chair with a detachable stool below. The stool is also made of leather. The king was short in height. So, the stool was custom made and attached into the original design of the chair to help him step up and sit on the chair comfortably. There is a pull out tray on the side where a water pot can be kept. Quiet stylish..huh!!

City Palace in Udaipur is built over a period of nearly 400 years, with contributions from several rulers of the Mewar dynasty. Construction of Udaipur City Palace began in 1553 which was initiated by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput family as he shifted his capital from Chittor to the new found city of Udaipur. Udaipur City palace is located on the east bank of Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex.

Above photograph shows relatively new art around the main door of the section where multiple musical instruments are placed inside Udaipur City Palace. The art shows Ma Saraswati in the middle and a man/woman praying in front of her. There is also a lamp in front of Ma Saraswati painting. 

Above photograph shows the part of Udaipur City Palace where royal family lives. Arvind Singh Mewar along with his family live in the palace you see above. This photograph is clicked through one of the windows where musical instruments are showcases in City palace of Udaipur. 

Above photograph shows one of the wooden doors from Udaipur City Palace. This particular door is now put inside a glass box to preserve art and it's colours. There are quite a few such doors which are preserved around the City Palace of Udaipur. While walking around different sections of the Udaipur City Palace you also see lot of kitchen utensils. Some of them are huge. 

The City Palace in Udaipur is considered as largest palace in the state of Rajasthan. It was built atop a hill, in a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles. 

This is part of the Udaipur City Palace where different celebrations used to happen. Above photograph shows windows through which guests used to look at the events happening in central area. There are also windows on other 2 sides for King & queen. This section is essentially divan-e-aam area, which is king’s administrative assembly place with his ministers to discuss the most important issues. 

In Diwan-e-aam, the king sat in a decorated balcony on the first floor. The balcony extention can be seen in above photograph. This wall is one of the most beautiful walls in Udaipur City Palace. The ministers would sit across him. On the next floor are balconies which were used by the ladies of the royal family to witness the proceedings. This is also the part of Udaipur City palace, which has most intricate mirror works. You will see a beautiful peacock made of all small mirror pieces. Very first photograph of this blogpost is clicked against this wall which has King's balcony on first floor. 

TravellingCamera loved clicking photographs of these beautiful windows of Udaipur City Palace. When you look at the City Palace from outside, you realise that the palace has lot of windows and every section has different kinds of art-work. Like in above photograph you see windows with colourful glasses in wooden frame with interesting design on the top. Don't miss those beautiful brass handles on these windows of Udaipur City Palace. 

Above photograph shows one of the jharokhas with small space to take out your neck and look outside. Rest of the window is filled with colourful glassed and a frame of cement. While I was in this part of Udaipur City Palace, I was wondering when these blue tiles were added to the palace. They can certainly be old because this kind of work for kitchenware was available, but I forgot to confirm with our guide. 

Above photograph shows one of the ceilings inside royal chambers of Udaipur City Palace. These are pretty old arts which are preserved inside the City Palace. Some of the colours fade early so you see some patches and I guess impacted areas are also those which have very fine designs.   

Udaipur City is visible from City Palace on one side and Lake Pichola is on other side. Above photograph shows a view of Udaipur City from City Palace window. 

When you moving between different parts of Udaipur City Palace, you have to go through narrow pathways and all of them have different kinds of jalidaar windows for ventilation. Above photograph shows one of such netted windows. One needs to be careful while walking through these as your head can hit the top, especially when there are steps. So mind your head and you need to be extra careful if your height is more than 5 feet 5 inches. 

Look at above photograph carefully and notice bird cages hanging there. These cages were for pigeons of different regions and when king wanted to send a message to a particular region, pigeon from that cage is taken out and that pigeon will take message. I am sure this whole system of sending messages with pigeons must be pretty elaborate and there must be some system to train these pigeons. Wondering how would they ensure that message is reached for sure. 

Above photograph shows the scale which used to be the equipment for measuring weight of the king. It's placed in men section of the Palace. 

Above photograph shows sliver cases which were used for dispacthing messages in a scroll. These are called Silver Kharita tube. This section of Udaipur Palce has lot of silver stuff including silver photo-frames, silver pens and silver cases to to keep those pens.  

Above photograph shows silver kart which was used as Elephant-kart for the kind. Notice that sun on front part of this kart. It was believed to be an auspicious sun in Mewar. The king everyday started the day with a view of this sun. No matter if it's a cloudy morning or not, this sun sign always remained important in Udaipur City Palace. The bigger version which was used by the king is now kept on display inside the palace. This section of the Udaipur City Palace more such silver made elephant-karts. 

Overall Udaipur City Place is a treasure where you can spend whole day exploring it. I loved the place and wish to go again on my own and without any guide. 

Evening Light & Sound show at City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan :

Light & Sound show at Udaipur City Palace is one of the interesting experiences to have when you are in Lake city of Rajasthan.  This light & sound show takes place in Manek Chowk of The City Palace and this show narrates the rich history of the House of Mewar for visitors from different parts of the world. We also saw this Light & sound show. This post will share more about the show, our experience, what to expect and key factors which will help you decide if it's worth visiting or not. 

Above photograph show City Palace of Udaipur in evening light and it's lit this way for few minutes after the show is over. During the show, partial parts of the city palace are lit and then sound also comes from that part of the palace. During this show and narration, some of the elements of City Palace are also explained, like the famous sun symbol of Mewar dynasty. 

City Palace of Udaipur is managed by a private organisation and with that logic it's India's first sound & light show produced by a non-governmental private organisation. 

The Light & Sound show is available in hindi & english. During Pandemic, only english show was happening so we attended that one. City Palace Light & Sound show in Hindi is called "Yash ki Dharohar" and it seems that the script is written by Pandit Narendra Mishra, who is official court-poet of the House of Mewar. 

The Light & Sound show of Udaipur City Palace certainly increases awareness about Mewar and story covers 1500 years. Narration of Mewar story in City Palace Light & Sound show is done by Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur who is present Custodian of the House of Mewar.

During this light & sound show there are details about dynasty's founding father Bapa Rawal, the glory of Rani Padmini and Chittorgarh, the sacrifice of Panna Dhai. Then story takes the turn and talks about establishment of Udaipur in the 16th century. 

Entry ticket for Light & Sound show at Udaipur City Palace is 300 Rs for adults and 100 rs for children. I am not sure if pricing is different from hindi show & if ticket cost varies for foreigners. So do check out official website for specific details and I am sure pricing will change, so it also depends when you are reading this blog :). 

Now that you know about Udaipur Light & Sound show, I would want to share why you should not compare it with other light & sound shows of India. That comparison may disappoint you. Personally I was disappointed to see this light & sound show. Then I was telling myself that I should be happy about the fact that I got to know about history of Mewar. But if you want visiting City Palace during the day with guide, you will hear same stories again :). So if you have other plans in the evening when in Udaipur, you can skip. But if you don't have specific plans, experience this light & sound show as well. 

The Monsoon Palace for beautiful sunset in Udaipur, Rajasthan : Also named as the Sajjan Garh Palace after Maharana Sajjan Singh, the Monsoon Palace was built on a hilltop to provide a view of the Monsoon clouds. I am not sure how much it is used for that purpose now, but it definitely provides a panoramic view of the Udaipur City. The drive to the palace is pleasant through a wild-life sanctuary, which is a reserve for reptiles, tigers, nilgai, sambhar, wild boars, hyenas, panthers, and jackals. And, as expected, we did not see any of those during the ride. The Monsoon Palace is also the Sunset Point. When we visited, a quite crowd was waiting for the sun to set with their cameras ready on the Tripods. It was a peaceful, safe, and beautiful place.

Lake Pichola of Udaipur, Rajasthan: This is a man-made lake in the city and was created in the 15th century, then extended by Maharana Udai Singh II in the 16th century. This is really the most famous lake in the city. The various islands in the lake are home to more tourist attractions and around the lake are some of the most famous ghats and temples, and also accommodation options. So in a way, this is actually the center of the city. You can also go for a boat ride. If you want to see Jag Mandir then you anyway need to. 

Jag Mandir / Jag Niwas in Udaipur, Rajasthan : Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas were built in the 16th century on two separate natural islands in Lake Pichola. Jag Niwas has now been converted to the luxury hotel Lake Palace and is a luxury property owned by Taj hotels. It is said that Jag Mandir (or Lake Garden Palace) was the original inspiration behind Taj Mahal. Prince Khurram, who would later come to be known as Emperor Shahjahan, was inspired by this building when he was growing up. 

Vintage Car Museum in Udaipur, Rajasthan : Collecting vintage cars is a popular hobbies of the Maharajas of Rajasthan. This Vintage Car Museum is popular with car enthusiasts and is known for housing some really beautiful cars. The ticket for adults is Rs 300 per person. 

Saheliyon ki Bari in Udaipur, Rajasthan : This is a garden that Sangram Singh II gifted to his queen. It has beautiful lawns, fountains and Statues. However, after seeing City Palace, Monsoon Palace, this can be quite underwhelming. If short on time, you can skip visiting this place. 

Jagdish Temple, Udaipur, Rajasthan : 

Jagdish Temple is one of the most popular temples in Udaipur city and a key landmark around City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan. Jagdish temple is one of the important landmarks around Lake Pichola and located around the hustle bustle of handicraft shops around City Palace. 

We were staying in a hotel close to Lake Pichola and had to cross through Jagdish temple multiple times. Strangely I didn't go inside the temple and while coming back I realised I should have. If not for religious reasons but for appreciating it's architecture in a better way. 

Jagdish temple is one of the best architectural wonders of the Mewar dynasty in Rajasthan. Jagdish temple showcases the Indo-Aryan architectural style and the temple is built keeping the rules of Vastushastra in mind, the Hindu architectural science.

Jagdish temple is a three-storied temple, which is built on raised platform with magnificent carved pillars, huge airy halls and painted walls with vibrant colors and intricately decorated ceilings. 

At the entrance of Jagdish Temple, there are two massive elephants statues of stone to welcome the visitors. An inscription engraved on the stone slab is found at the entry. Maharaja Jagat Singh installed the inscription to record his contributions to the temple.

Different Aartis take place at Jagdish Temple and these times can be interesting times to visit & enjoy special environment around the main temple :

Mangla Aarti - 4:30 am to 5:00 am

Dhoop Aarti - 7:45 am to 9:00 am

Shringar Aarti - 10:15 am to 11:00 am

Rajbhog Aarti - 11:30 pm to 12:00 pm

Gwal Aarti - 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Sandhya Aarti - 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm

Shayan Aarti - 8:15 pm to 8:45 pm

Since it is a temple with special architecture, you should observe every part of the temple. You can have a tourist guide to seek more information about the carving on the pillars, painting found on the temple walls and the stories behind 50 pillars of Jagdish temple in Udaipur.

You can make a small offering to Lord Vishnu in the form of garlands and sweets that can be bought from the shops around the temple. That's optional and hence your choice. If you wish to, flower vendors are right in the beginning of the stairs which take you to the main temple from road. 

You can also get a brief insight into the history of Mewar dynasty by understanding the significance of various installations like Mandapas, Samavarnas and Sandharas.

Bagore ki Haveli, Udaipur, Rajasthan :

Rajasthan will be on the top if we start looking at states of India, which have cracked the formula of tourist delight by creating business/employment opportunities. It always impresses me how different places in Rajasthan have developed various tourism activities which are not so common in other states. Rajasthan certainly has an advantage of great heritage which is specially liked by tourists visiting India from different parts of the world. Udaipur is one of the top tourist places in Rajasthan state of India and hence Udaipur city has so many things to explore. Some of them are developed by royal family of Udaipur, tourism departments of Rajasthan but many are also created by local ecosystem & group of entrepreneurs who are good at identifying opportunities or creating experiences which are worth exploring. Are you wondering why I am talking so generically while this blogpost is about Bagore Ki Haveli. I feel that this place is also developed with similar intent to create something for visitors who come to Udaipur to understand rich culture of Rajasthan and it's heritage. This blogpost will share more about Bagore ki Haveli and why this is a place which offers diverse experiences for tourists visiting Udaipur.  

Above photograph shows the huge gate built around Gangor ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur and on the left of it is entry gate of Bagore ki Haveli. The photograph below shows the entry gate of Bagore ki Haveli and the museum inside it. 

Bagore ki Haveli is at a walking distance from one of the main places to explore in Udaipur - City Palace, Jagdish Temple, and Lake Pichola. 

This is one of the biggest havelis in Udaipur. This part around Lake Pichola has lot of Havelis and many of them have been converted into hotels. Bagore ki Haveli is managed by West Zone Cultural Center now and it's good to see it in current shape. 

Today Bagore is Haveli is a museum of Mewar’s aristocratic culture. To provide the same royal look, experts and members of the Royal family were consulted by West Zone Cultural center for developing this haveli as a museum. The Haveli was restored using lakhori bricks and lime mortar. Lot of efforts went into preserving old windows, doors, frescos etc inside Bagore ki Haveli. All that is certainly not easy and demands strong determination. 

Bagore ki Haveli has 130+ rooms, lot of  corridors/balconies, courtyards and terraces. The interiors of the Haveli has intricate and fine mirror work. While strolling inside the Bagore ki Haveli, you can also see the private quarters of the royal ladies, their bath rooms, dressing rooms, bed rooms, living rooms, worship rooms and recreation rooms. Although you enjoy all that more in City Palace of Udaipur. 

The Chambers of the Royal Ladies still bear fine frescoes of the Mewari style and there are glorious coloured-glass windows in some of the rooms as well as two peacocks made with coloured glass mosaics.

Unique symbols of the Rajput clan, such as jewellery boxes, dice-games, hukkas, pan boxes, nut crackers, hand fans, rose water sprinklers, copper vessels and other items are also on display at Bagore ki Haveli. Since it's not as big as City Palace and not so crowded, you can enjoy these at peace. Although the place gets quite busy in tourist season.

In the evening, Bagore ki haveli lightens and stages enjoyable performance of traditional dance and music of Rajasthan. The haveli looks marvelous with glowing lights in the night. Bagore Ki Haveli is a good place to explore the ancient architecture and life style of the royal family. It's ok if you skip museum and day tour of Bagore ki Haveli. Evening cultural show is something which can be enjoyed at Bagore ki Haveli, like puppet show etc. When we visited evening show was not happening because of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Next time, when we are in Udaipur we will certainly try to visit Bagore ki Haveli for evening shows. 

Entry Fees for Bagore ki Haveli :

- Rs. 60 for Indian Adults 

- Rs. 30 for Indian Children aged between 5 to 12 years. 

The Entry fee for Foreigners :

- Rs. 100 for Adults

- Rs. 50 for Children. 

- Cameras are charged at Rs. 50.

Ticket price for Dharohar Dance show at Bagore ki Haveli : 

- Rs. 90 for Indian Adults

- Rs. 45 for Indian Children. 

For foreigners : 

- Rs. 150 for Adults 

- Rs. 75 for Children. 

- Cameras are charged at Rs. 150.

Timings of Baglore ki Haveli, Udaipur :

9:30 am to 5:30 pm on all days of the week.

The Dharohar Dance Show Timings :

- 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm on all days of the week. 

( Tickets for the Dance show are available from 6:15 pm.)

Key Sections of Bagore ki Haveli to explore :

- Dharohar Dance performance in the evening

- Puppet Museum at Bagore ki Haveli

- Haveli museum

- The Turban section at Bagore ki Haveli

- Weapons section at Bagore ki Haveli

- The Wedding section at Bagore ki Haveli

Places to Visit Around Udaipur: If you have some time, I would say that the following places can be explored:

Eklingji Temple: I remember reaching here early in the morning at around 9 and we had to wait for the temple complex to be opened to visitors. The temple opens very early at 4, but closes again at 7. It reopens then at 10. So we had to wait for an hour. But the wait was worth it. Apart from the main temple that has the statue of four-faced Shiva, there are several smaller temples and other structures in the complex. The architecture is marvelous. However, the tour is tightly regimented and photography is not allowed. So if you are going there for photography, then you need to rethink. The temple is about 40 kms from Udaipur. 

Nathdwara (Shrinathji) Temple: We reached here one day before Holi and this being a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna, the atmosphere here was electric. There was color everywhere and if you happen to be a devotee, the sight might move you. It was difficult to get in, and the temple complex was unbelievably crowded. Crowds scare me, so I wanted to exit the scene as soon as possible, but for religious people, this is a must-visit. This is about an hour away from Udaipur and can be covered along with Eklingji. 

Chittorgarh Fort via Haldighati: This can be a day-long excursion from Udaipur. The Fort is about 120 kms from Udaipur. You can also visit Haldighati along with this. This deserves a post of its own, so you will soon see it. The fort is simply beautiful, and must-visit in my opinion. 

Kumbhalgarh Fort: I haven't been here, but have heard a lot about it. It is closer to Udaipur than Chittorgarh. I guess, with Chittorgarh, we have that added factor of legends that are associated with it, such as that of Rani Padmavati, so that adds to its charm. But Kumbhalgarh as well is very beautiful apparently. 

I have personally experienced most of the aspects covered in this story, except a few where I have mentioned this explicitly. However, this was a few years back and things may have changed since then. So in case there are any corrections or additions, please do leave a comment here, and I would correct / include. 

Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur, Rajasthan :

Let me start this blog with a disclaimer that I am in love with Lake Pichola. I may not have enjoyed Fateh Sagar Lake as much but there are certain reasons to ensure that you visit Fateh Sagar Lake. Especially if you are visiting Udaipur with kids and family. And that doesn't mean, this lake doesn't have much for bachelors, solo travellers or couples. May be I am starting this post with lot of apprehensions in mind, but I assure that here I am attempting to provide specific details around the Fateh Sagar Lake, it's surroundings, a good time to visit, activities to do and things to be aware about to ensure that you make best of your visit to Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur. So let's start and learn about another beautiful lake of 'City of Lakes' in Rajasthan. 

As you see Fateh Sagar lake first time after driving through the city, it looks huge. Above photograph shows panoramic view of the lake from an elevated point close to the road which surrounds the Fateh Sagar Lake. The road you see above is quite busy road and gets even busier in tourist season. So it's not very comfortable walking around the lake. And as you move closer to the area from where boats can be taken and there are activities to do, you feel more uncomfortable walking as it gets very crowded there. We will talk about different kinds of activities you can do around Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur. 

There is no Entry Fee to visit Lake Fateh Sagar. The timings of Fateh sagar lake are from 8am till 6pm.

Boating can be the best way to take a quick tour of Lake Fateh sagar, although it depends on your own style or exploration and time in hand. There are many boating stations on the Fateh Sagar lake and you can make your own choice.

Vivekanand Memorial park is a decent place to spend some time around a small green park. Just around the Fateh Sagar Lake, there is a circuit house a small green park to sit around to enjoy lake views. While walking around the lake, we found this more peaceful hence spent some time sitting around this place. There is a small walk around this part of the Fateh Sagar Lake. 

While going back from Fateh Sagar Lake to Lake Pichola, we took a walk. On our way there was a part of lake Pichola which was relatively dirty and not that well maintained. Although not 100% sure if this considered a part of Lake Pichola. When you walk, you are almost walking around the lakes to reach main part of Udaipur where City Palace and Jagdish temple is. Above photograph shows the part of Lake Pichola which is close to Fateh Sagar Lake. 

Above photograph is clicked from elevated walking around around Fate Sagar Lake. There is an elevated platform on other side of the road where you can walk and enjoy beautiful views of Fateh Sagar Lake. This part if relatively less crowded but this elevated platform is only on one side of the lake which is closer to the Lalit Lakshmi Vilas Palace. 

Fateh Sagar Lake is essentially an artificial lake named after Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur and Mewar. Fateh Sagar Lake is one of the four lakes of the Udaipur city - the Lake Pichola which is almost within the main part of Udaipur, Udai Sagar Lake, Fateh Sagar Lake and Dhebar Lake. Dhebar lake is one of the second largest artificial lake in India. 

Above photograph is a view of Fateh Sagar Lake, the road around it from the elevated walking path around the lake. 

There are three small islands inside Fateh Sagar Lake of Udaipur. The largest island of Fateh Sagar Lake is the Nehru Park which is one of the a popular tourist attraction around the lake and is reachable by motor boats. The second island has a public park which is known for it's fountain and the third island has Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO).  

There are good number of activities around Fateh sagar Lake can make your experience even better, so let's talk a little about activities you can do or events you can attend around Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur. 

- Taking a quick boat ride is one of the most popular activity around Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur and it's very enjoyable especially when you are visiting with kids. 

- Lake Fatehsagar consists of 3 tiny islands which are converted to offer tourists an unforgettable experience.

- The largest island is renovated to construct the Nehru Park. Nehru Park is designed to offer lush green gardens and serene environment to relax. A small zoo on this island accommodates many species of birds and animals.

- The boat-shaped restaurant on the island offers good photography opportunities. 

- There are beautiful water fountains carved out of colossal marble slabs and huge palm trees make it even special.

- The second largest island is converted into a public park for recreation and fun activities. This part looks very beautiful in evening lighting on water formations. 

As you walk around the lake through adjoining road, you see various vendors offering different kind of entertaining services and products, along with various kiosks offering street food of India. Above photograph shows Horse karts and a kiosk selling chat. You can also take a camel ride around the lake. All this is available around the Fateh Sagar Lake and especially around the places where boats are parked. 

Walk around the ghats of Lake Pichola in Udaipur, Rajasthan :

 

After watching so many movies with scenes from ghats of Udaipur lakes and especially Lake Pichola, I was waiting to take a walk around these Ghats. The best part was that we were staying in a hotel around Lal ghat of Lake Pichola - Raj Niwas. This blogpost shares about almost all ghats from Lal Ghat till Ambrai ghat which make a horse shoe kind of shape. 

Earlier I thought that all these ghats around Lake Pichola are connected and one was walk around the ghats while enjoying different views of the lake and it's surrounding. But that's not the case. There is no walking path around the lake, and this is something I would highly recommend to Udaipur Smart-city authority to consider as it can be great way to enjoy the lake views. And Udaipur plans to build something like that, vehicles/cycles ideally should not be allowed on this pathway so that people can walk comfortably. Apart from that cleanness would be the key. Certainly there should be business opportunities for small vendors & artists on this pathway to keep the environment alive. From tourism standpoint, I lot more can be done on this front.  

So question arises, how you explore all ghats around Lake Pichola when they are connected. These ghats may not be directly connected but you can always walk through closest streets around the lake to hit these ghats, visit, see around and move on. That's precisely what we did. 

We started our walk from Lal Ghat. Above photograph shows the view on right side when we were standing near Lal Ghat and facing the Lake Pichola. This ghat was closed during the pandemic otherwise, this is also one of the pickup point for boats hovering in the lake Pichola. There was still lot of action around Lal Ghat. This ghat and it's neighbourhood is popular for it's rooftop cafes which offer great views of Lake Pichola, Taj Hotel which is in middle of the lake, Ambrai ghat which is on other side of the lake etc. Monsoon cafe is on first floor of the building you see in above photograph. 

Notice lot of bikes parked around the ghat. This part of Udaipur has very narrow streets and hence very few cars come inside this part of the Udaipur. Getting bikes on rent is the thing in Udaipur, like Goa. So you get a bike on rent and then move between the places across Udaipur City. Some of the places are far away so you certainly need to either hire auto-rickshaw, Ola/Uber or rent a bike. 

Notice those paintings on the wall of building close to Lal Ghat of Lake Pichola. It's a common scene as you walk around the streets of Udaipur. 

This walk around the ghats of Lake Pichola is not only about exploring the ghats but it offers different kinds of experiences on the way. 

After Lal Ghat we started moving towards Gangaur Ghat which is close to Bagore ki Haveli. The strategy was simple - keep following the left most street and you will hit Bagore ki Haveli. If you ask locals, they will certainly suggest you optimal routes but our intent was to just keep walking around the lake as much as possible and we didn't have specific points in mind. It's just that next ghat we landed in was Gangaur Ghat. Above photograph shows the structure which is on Gangaur Ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur and its beautiful architecture. On the left of it, you see Bagore ki Haveli which is one of the popular places in Udaipur to experience cultural activities and now they have a museum as well. 

While you are standing at Gangaur ghat, you see this bridge on your right. Above photograph shows the bridge I am talking about and this connects this part of the Ghat's trail with other. Ambrai ghat is most popular ghat on other side so one needs to cross this bridge to go to Ambrai Ghat. There are multiple bridges like this on Lake Pichola. As you can imagine, there are multiple ghats around Lake Pichola but we took this first bridge to cross to the other side and then started walking towards the left which leads to Ambrai Ghat on the other end of the Lake. 

We took Chand pole pulia which is also known as Daiji bridge and on the right side of the bridge we see another bridge parallel to Daiji bridge. 

As we walked on the Daiji bridge of Lake Pichola in Udaipur, we noticed that there is a long ghat between these 2 bridges. We missed that ghat. That was the moment when we realised that Lake Pichola is huge and we must be missing lot of ghats beyond Daiji Bridge and discussed if we get time, we will also go to other side of this bridge. Seems like we need to plan another trip as we seemed to miss lot of things about Udaipur. 

After crossing Daiji bridge of Lake Pichola, we were on other side which is full of big hotels and restaurants along with craft shops across the streets. We started walking towards our left and hit Hanuman ghat which was almost empty with a boat which was being uploaded and seemed like construction material was brought here through boat as there is no possibility of brining bigger vehicles in these streets. That was quite interesting. There is a Hanuman temple close to this ghat and probably that's why ghat is named as Hanuman ghat. 

As we kept walking, we crossed some of the magnificent havelis converted into grand hotels and then reached Ambrai Ghat. Ambrai ghat is most popular amongst all around Lake Pichola and because of various reasons. Sunset of Ambrai Ghat is very special. Are you wondering why? 

Gangaur Ghat and Ambrai Ghat are quite popular ghats for sunset, but is sunset limited to these 2 and if yes, why? Simply the answer is no. Sunset can be enjoyed from many other ghats as well but certainly views change. 

Let's talk about why Ambrai is more special in that case. Ambrai ghat is located so well that it offers 270 degree view of Lake Pichola with Taj hotel very close to this ghat. This is the place which also offers you views of sun going down gradually. As sunset happens you also see City Palace in evening light, which you see only from here or Hanuman Ghat. Although Sunset views of Hanuman ghat are below average. All this makes Ambrai ghat special and you see lot of people here during evening time. 

Timings of this walk defines what you will experience during your walk around Ghats of Lake Pichola. Early morning & late evening can certainly be more rewarding in terms of witnessing sunrise or sunset light reflecting on the surface of Lake Pichola. Early morning is also a time when city starts preparing for day action and offers very different mood, especially for photography/videography. During the day, when you walk through these streets, the mood can be very different and varies from one season to another. 

Above photograph shows a panoramic view of Lake Pichola from Hanuman Ghat in Udaipur. Daiji bridge on the left most part of the photograph and the trees of Ambrai ghat on the right most part. 

Overall we highly recommend this walk around the beautiful ghats of Lake Pichola in Udaipur. Below is the trail we followed. 

Enjoy colorful Graffitis of Udaipur, Rajasthan :

Albuquerque comes to my mind when I think about most interesting graffitis I have seen during my travel and if I start comparing the variety & amount of graffitis, Udaipur will certainly be in the list of top cities. There are multiple reasons for that and we shall share more about that in this blogpost. Udaipur city is full of colourful graffitis and they are from different decades & influenced by local artistic culture as well as modern colours. There is a lot to in Udaipur & the street art from this city of Rajasthan. 

Above photograph shows one of the oldest graffitis and that can be inferred from designs, colour combinations. Some of the modern designs on the streets of Udaipur are more vibrant and chemical based colours. Even these graffitis are created in different decades, but still design patterns have lot of similarities. 

As you walk in Udaipur street you find so many of such beautiful graffitis. Just look at the above art. Isn't it looking like a women in traditional attire trying to manage traffic. She is trying to stop the car to give a way to the men on horse. 

Most of these graffitis are very meaningful. In above photograph you see 2 security men at the entry gate and both looking inwards to keep an eye on people entering inside. Above one was relatively fresh and at a place where these were standing out clearly on white walls of the building. 

There are lot of temples in streets of Udaipur and each temple has such beautiful frescos around them. 

Above photograph is clicked outside one of the small temples around streets on Lake Pichola ghats. Horses, Elephants, ladies in colourful dresses & men with pagdi are some of the most common elements of these designs across the streets of Udaipur. 

Graffiti is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire. In modern times, spray paint and marker pens have become commonly used graffiti materials and there are many different types and styles of graffiti, it is a rapidly developing art form. (That's how Wikipedia defined a Graffiti)

Above graffiti is around Ambrai Ghat of Lake Pichola in Udaipur city of Rajasthan. These are very few of the graffitis from Udaipur and I wish to visit it again to explore more of these graffitis.