The City Palace located in Udaipur, Rajasthan
is the largest palace complex situated on the bank of the Lake Pichola. It
was orginally built by Maharana Udai Singh of the Sisodia Rajput clan & the
later rulers added many structures to this palace complex.The palace complex
built in granite & marble has a number of remarkable beautiful buildings with
several courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors & gardens. This is a mixture
of Chinese and European architecture and has several entrances like Elephant
Gate, Bara Pol & the Tripolia or the "
tripple gate".
Architecture
The city palace built in granite & marble is blend of medieval European and Chinese architecture which has several small palaces, temples, gardens, gates & courtyards. The palaces include the Manak Mahal, the Krishna Vilas, Amar Vilas, Bhim Vilas, etc and a beautiful temple named Jagdish Temple. The palace is approached through the Hati Pol or the Elephant Gate from the main road.
Attraction within the palace are
Gates : There are several entry gates like the Hati Pol or
Elephant Gate, the Bara Pol or the Big Gate and the Triple Gate.The Bara Pol
situated on the northern end and leads to the first courtyard which joins
the Triple Gate or Tripolia.
Jagdish Temple : This is one of the most beautiful temple
inside the palace complex was built in 1651 AD. This temple is dedicated to
Lord Vishnu.
The Morchowk : The Morchowk or the Peacock courtyard is one
of the major attractions of the palace. This has unique glass mosaics peacocks
set in the walls which represents the three seasons : the summer, winter and
monsoon.
Krishna Vilas : This palace has a collection of miniature
paintings showing royal processions, festivals and other court activities.
Amar Vilas : The Amar Vilas situated on the highest point
has beautiful hanging gardens with fountains, towers, terraces which provide
a majestic view of the town and the Lake Pichola.
City Palace Museum : The museum inside the palace complex
has a large and diverse collections of miniature paintings, weapons & other
antiques.
Manak Mahal : The "
Mank Mahal" or the Ruby
Palace has a lovely collection of crystal and mirror works.
Other Attractions Near The City Palace, Udaipur
Lake Pichola : This picturesque lake is surrounded by hills,
palaces, temples, and bathing points. Jag Mandir & the Jag Niwas are the two
island palaces located on the lake.
Fateh sagar : This scenic lake was built by Maharana Fateh
Singh. In the middle of the lake is Nehru Park - a beautiful island garden
which provide boat ride facility.
Gulab Bagh : This rose garden laid out by Maharana Sajjan
Singh has a library inside it which cointains a rare collection of ancient
manuscripts & books.
How to Get There
Air : Dabok Airport is about 21 km from the city centre which
is connected to New Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and some other
major Indian cities by regular flights.
Rail : Udaipur is directly connected by rail with Delhi,
Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Chittaur, Jodhpur. The railway station is about
4 km from the city centre.
Road : An excellent road network with bus services links
the city with some major destinations in and arround Rajasthan.
More Rajasthan Forts & Palaces :
Amber Palace Jaipur