Udaipur: The Modern Heritage

Wandering Through Udaipur: A Day by the Lakes and Palaces

Udaipur, the historic city of lakes, ancient battles, and royal grandeur. If you’re a history buff or just mad about sunset views, Udaipur needs to jump straight to the top of your wander list!

Udaipur has been Mewar’s capital since 1568, since Akbar's Siege of Chittor. But for a good 25 years (1572-1597), Maharana Pratap did not think the city was safe due to its position and moved his capital to Kumbhalgarh (1572-1576) and finally to Chavand (1582-1611).

Where to Stay:

Stay near Lake Pichola, preferably near the Jag Mandir side. We picked Gangaur Palace Hotel, tucked right next to Gangaur Ghat. This ghat ramps up during March for the Gangaur Festival, so book ahead. There are many budget-friendly hotels near the clock tower.

Places You Have To See (and a Few You Can Skip)

Grab an auto for the day, and you’re good to go, for Udaipur’s main spots are all doable in a day and a half! Here's my totally unfiltered take:

City Palace and Museum: Start here! The complex is stunning, all thanks to multiple Maharajas adding their own flair over centuries. Don't miss the light and sound show at the end of the day.
Baghor ki Haveli: Walk in the footsteps of royalty and peek at recreated queen’s rooms. The cultural museum here is quirky and surprisingly photogenic. Cultural programmes like Ghoomer and puppet dance are also held here in the evenings.
Jag Mandir Temple: Among many local temples, this one’s the showstopper. It is one of the main temples in the old city.
Gulab Bagh: This used to be the royal private zoo. Modern garden with a zoo and kids’ park, but honestly? You can skip it unless you're with little ones.
Sahelion Ki Baari: Imagine queenly gardens with fountains and shady walkways, super pretty but lacks the majesty, so unless you go there before visiting forts, you will find it slightly meh.
Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace: Built in 1956, the palace is more about the panoramic sunset views. Not my top pick, but legit for photos. It is a great spot during the Monsoons. Your private car will not go up. Jeeps are appointed and hired with tickets from the counter.
Vintage Car Collection: Car buffs, you’ll geek out, though ₹400 per ticket (as of 2015) is pretty steep for the collection.
Pichola Lake: Boat rides are a must, just ₹150 from Lal Ghat (2015) gets you killer city and palace shots. Prefer to take the boat ride during sunsets.
Gangaur Ghat: Swing by in March for festival madness, or any time, really, to chill by the water. During the rest of the year, it's a very peaceful spot. I went during Choti Diwali and absolutely loved the display of handmade lamps and boats that people came to float in the lake.
Moti Magri: Epic location and top-notch Maharana Pratap museum (though most of it is a repeat from Haldighati). The view of the city is too good.
Fateh Prakash Lake: Manmade but beautiful, as is the rest of this water-loving city! You can spend a nice evening with snacks here.
Dudh Talai Lake & Ropeway: Hop on the ropeway for a dramatic city sweep (trust me, it’s Insta-worthy). The view, the white royal city in its glory.

Udaipur’s got seven lakes, though only four make the tourist circuit, so bring your walking shoes!

Local Traditions

History and tradition soak into every stone here, Chittorgarh (which you should totally day-trip to) even hosts an annual Jauhar Mela in Feb-March honouring the brave Viranganas of 1568’s Jauhar. The newly opened Maharana Pratap Tirth Kendra gives a glimpse of his life, but nothing better than actually visiting Chittor, Kumbhalgarh, Haldighati and Chawand for it.

A Note on Exploring

While Udaipur’s core is pocket-sized, adventures like Haldighati and Kumbhalgarh call for trips out from the city, so keep an extra day or two up your sleeve. For us, it was a five-day trip.

Coming Up…

Udaipur loaded our hearts and memory cards, but the religious hotspots around the city are up next, so stay tuned!

If you’re dreaming of the lakes, palaces, and festival lights, take this as your sign: Udaipur is every bit as magical as they say. Here are some photos I clicked.

Gangaur Ghat

View from the Roof of the Hotel

Pichola Lake

Gangaur gate

Map of Udaipur

Lake Pichola

Bagaur Ki Haveli (Royal Guest House)

Gangaur lamps

Sunset at Pichola

Moti Magri

View of Fateh Sagar Lake from Moti Magri

Statue of Hakim Khan

Statue of Maharana Pratap, Moti Magri

Rana Punja Statue

Sahelion Ki Bari

Ropeway view of Udaipur City

Ropeway at Dudh Talai

City Palace entrance

Mewar's Royal Symbol: City Palace Museum

Udai Singh's Palace

Pratap Kaksh: Udai Singh Palace. He didn't stay here; its name comes from the Gallery name.

Original armour of Maharana Pratap

Original sword, shield and spear of Maharana Pratap. He used two swords, one in each hand.

Club arms and Statue of Maharana Pratap

Chetak's saddle and mouthpiece

Maharana Pratap's only existing stone inscription, mentioning him, is at a Laxmi Temple about 25 km from Udaipur.

Karan Singh Palace

Lakhu Kund

Karan Singh Palace

Corridor leading to the Amar Singh Palace from the Karan Singh Palace.

Karan Mahal Corridor

Seesh Mahal, Built by Jagat Singh in 1716. Guides may say that Maharana Pratap built this for Ajabde, but no, it's not

First Library of the Royals started with Veer Vinod's publication.

View from Karan Singh's Ranimahal

Maharana Raj Singh, who defeated Aurangzeb after his chief destroyed temples in Bijolia

Ivory Doors at City Palace

Kaach Mahal

The carpets and curtains here are made by Prisoners of the King.

Jagat Singh Palace

Weighing scale for Maharana's Charity

Mor Mahal

Utensils from Maharana Amar Singh's Kitchen

Maharana Amar Singh

Utensils at Amar Singh's Kitchen

Entrance to Amar Mahal

Amar Singh's Kitchen

Rani's Mandir at Amar Mahal

Maharana Pratap Singh

Palanquins of Princesses

Kunwarsa's attire

King's attire

Lehenga for queens

Queens Palanquin, used for weddings, also.

The theme wedding destination is Udaipur.

Laxmi Chowk.The old aangan where the palanquins of queens stopped.

Entrance to Rani Mahal of the New Palace

Silverware of Amar Singh's Pujas

These pillars come in 4 and are used in the Royal Mandaps for weddings of the Prince from the Greh Shanti puja till the Ganpati sthapna post marriage. These are built on every wedding separately and are religiously kept as memoirs till either the bride or groom dies.

This Chariot was gifted to King Arvind Singh Mewar (died 2024) by his father-in-law on his wedding.

The Ram Chariot is used for the procession on every Ram Navami by the Royals who are descendants of the Lord.

Wedding horses for princes are decorated like this.

The crown prince's golden Jhula was used as an age-old tradition in Mewar.

City Palace

Entrance to the Palace

Mewari Flags

Bangor ki Haveli

Puppets at the Haveli, each evening, there is a cultural show displaying folk dances and music.

Queen's Sword and shield

Queen's dressing room

Queen's Baithak

Queen's Bathroom

Queen's Luxury room

Queen's Baithak

Gangaur festivals

Idols of the traditional attire of royals

Queen's puja Ghar, which used to have Krishna Idols

Room of Rajmatas

Chests of Rajmata

The Haldi ceremony starts with a royal Mewari wedding where the bride's Haldi is taken to the groom a day after his tilak.

Baraat

Saas aarti involves toran todh and naak pakar ceremonies.

Saath Phere. The wedding takes place in front of the Bride's family, and the Groom's family does not witness the wedding.

The Kunwar Bhojan is a Mewari tradition where, on the morning of the Marriage, the Groom comes to the Bride's house with his younger brother for breakfast cooked by his mother-in-law. The bride catches a glimpse of the groom from the Jharokhas without letting him know.

The ring-finding ceremony takes place at the Bride's house post-wedding and before bidaai

Bidaai

Maharana Pratap attacking Man Singh, Haldighati scene.

The pass that leads to Udaipur is blocked by hills and lakes.

Battle of Haldighati

There have been a lot of talks going on regarding who won the Battle of Haldighati. While some want to change what we read and say that the Maharana won it, many oppose the point with a Mughal victory. Here, I compile every account I found of the Battle and its Aftermath and make my unbiased conclusion on the topic. PS. The dates vary from book to book; I gave the ones I found in most sources. The Background: Relation with Mughals Mewar was one of Rajputana's strongest individual kingdoms, along with the likes of Marwar and Kacchawar (Jaipur). Long before the Mughals under Akbar, Mewar under Rana Sangram Singh had successfully managed to keep the "Turk Invaders" under Babar at bay, fighting 17 wars, big and small. The relationship was further questioned when, during the invasion from Saurashtra, Sanga's widow, Rani Karnavati, had written to Mughal Emperor Humayun for help, sending him a rakhi. Contrary to popular belief, Humayun had rested on his way from Gaur (Beng...

Chandra's Choice: The Story of Dhruvasvamini

More often than not, the private lives of kings and the existence of their queens remain in the words of bards rather than those of chroniclers. Dhruvasvamini is no different, even after being the queen of the golden age of the Indian Subcontinent. She appears in the Basarh Clay Seal as the mother of Govinda Gupta (attributed as a sibling of Kumara Gupta I) and the queen wife of Chandra Gupta II or Vikramaditya. Except for one mention of Dhruva Devi, as she is popularly known, she remains a mysterious character in the Gupta lineage, with a side mention in the dynasty’s history. Visakhadatta, a famous poet and playwright, who later wrote DeviChandraGuptam as the play capturing the life of Chandra Gupta II, captured Dhruva Devi as one of the protagonists of his story. Although some scholars attribute Visakhadatta to be under the patronage of Chandra Gupta II himself when he wrote this story, many historians debate the literary work as a historical fiction written much after his time. Tru...

The Timurid Empress

Ruqaiya Sultana Begum was born to Babur's second surviving son, Hindal Mirza, and his wife, Sultanam Begum, in 1542 C.E., merely a few months after Hamida Banu gave birth to the heir Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. She was well-versed in Persian, Urdu and Arabic and was attracted to poetry and music. Being a proud descendant of the Timurid clan, most of Rukaiya's childhood was spent in Kabul, near the Bagh E Babur, built by Babur himself. From early childhood, she had seen the struggle of her family to regain their lost power in Hind. Miniature of Rukaiya Begum as Empress In 1551 C.E., just after her father died young at a battle for Humayun, leaving her and her mother in the harem of the emperor, it was Hamida Banu who wanted the marriage of Rukaiya to her first cousin, Akbar. Theirs was the first in-house marriage of the Mughals, soon to be followed by many more in the generations to come. At the mere age of nine, she had married the crown prince, and when Humayun won back Lahore...

Etched In Stone

This historical short story is a fictitious account of Ashoka, the Mauryan Emperor and his first wife Devi, who finds no place in Magadhan History. There is another fiction about her in the blog as well. This story stemmed from a merge of two ideas, one was to mention the cave inscription found in Saru Maru that mentions Asoka spending some days there with his lover (presumed to be Devi), the other idea of how if words did not immortalise a lot of battles and achievements, the names of many great men would be lost in time. The prince stood on the edge of the cliff, looking at the horizon. Dawn arrived as the birds started leaving their nests, wings fluttering, eager to discover the world. He looked up at them, the thought of once again going back to exploring the length and breadth of his state making him feel a little restless as he eyed his healing wounds. He was left to die; his enemies wished so. Yet by some miracle of fate, as if his purposes were yet to be fulfilled, here he was ...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested, and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to have been killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals, along with Kunwar Udai Singh, attacked Chittorgarh, taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon t...

Rani Padmini: The Valiant Queen

This story is a retelling of some parts of Malik Mohammad Jayasi's Padmavat, which was a historical fiction poem written in 1540, about 200 years after the siege of Chittorgarh by Allauddin Khilji. Historically, the Rajputs of Mewar didn't keep accounts of their queens, even by name, so the name Padmini or Padmavati was made up by Jayasi to represent the women of Chittor who chose the Jauhar. Historically speaking, Allauddin Khilji wanted the trade route to Surat for himself, which went through Mewar and Rana Ratan Singh, a patron of art, was not known for his military skills. So when Khilji surrounded the fort, the only way out was the Saka and Jauhar. Rani Padmini's Jauhar, as it is now popularly called, is also not the first Jauhar Khilji witnessed. The Jauhars of Ranthambore and Jaisalmer happened before he attacked Chittorgarh. Also, the act of Jauhar happened as early as the Greek invasions of Porus's state, when it is described as the "Mass immolation of Sat...

Haldighati: The Battlefield

The year was 1576 CE. Four years had passed since Maharana Pratap’s coronation as the ruler of Mewar in 1572 CE. In those years, the land simmered not just with heat but with tension. The Timurid emperor Akbar, determined to fulfil his imperial vision, had sent not one, but three peace emissaries with Man Singh and Bhagwan Das leading them, between 1573 and 1575 CE, offering reconciliation in carefully worded treaties. But the wounds of Chittorgarh’s fall in 1568 CE were fresh for Pratap. With the blood and tears of Jauhar and Saka still alive, with the thousands mercilessly killed, there would be no peace without freedom. Pratap was no ordinary king, to be driven just by his zeal. He was a strategist, steeped as much in statecraft as in pride. When Man Singh came in 1575 CE with yet another offer, he was quick to realise that Akbar was reluctant to an out-and-out battle with Mewar. Pratap chose not to appear himself, sending his heir, Amar Singh, instead, stating that kings met kings...

The Suta Putra

He was born as the eldest son of the Princess of Kuntibhoj. She was unmarried and had a bright future ahead of her. She did not want to sabotage her life and future for the unwanted child. She wrapped him in a blanket and decided to float him on the River, hoping the Mother Goddess would safely deliver him to someone. His father, the Sun God himself, was sympathetic to her plight and, for the safety of his son, provided him with a set of golden Kavach and Kundal (A set of earrings and a locket/beads/armour) to protect him. These were powerful enough to save him from any weapon. The currents took the baby far away to the land of Hastinapur. The royal charioteer Adhirath and his wife Radha were bathing there and praying to the Sun God for a child. A basket floated past them with a baby in it. They picked the baby up and decided to call him their son. Growing up, he wanted to learn archery and train as a Kshatriya, much to the objection of his parents. He went to Parasurama, the teacher o...

A Veranda Vendetta

“Outrage in Calcutta; Terrorist Raid, British Officer Murdered” Read the headlines of The Times on Tuesday, 9 th of December, 1930 . 1930: A significant year 1930 was a very significant year in the history of India’s Freedom Struggle against the British Raj. The Indian National Congress went ahead to declare the 26 th of January as India’s Independence Day, celebrating it nationwide; the Civil Disobedience Movement was officially started by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested for participating in the same. On 18 th April, Surya Sen, better known as MasterDa, had done the unthinkable, raiding the British Armoury with his students and fellow teachers at Chittagong. He was still on the loose, yet to be found. In this year of growing protests against the colonisers, an incident emerged that shook the British at their old capital. The Bengal Volunteers Corps was a group of volunteers organised in the 1928 Calcutta session of ...

Soul and Afterlife

It is believed that a human's existence has two parts, namely the body and the soul. The body is the Nashyar(mortal) part, and the soul is the immortal one. A human's body can never be immortal; what can pass on to the afterlife and be immortal is the soul. The main aspect of Spirituality is searching for the inner soul. The emotions in man are said to be in full control of his will through spirituality. When a man has full control over his emotions, he comes close to his inner soul and moves above the feelings of want, desire, sadness, anger, greed, lust, jealousy or happiness. This takes man closer to the immortality of his soul and thus sets him free from the cycle of life. All great religious leaders and reformers, from Prophet Mohammad and Lord Jesus to Mahavir, Guru Nanak and Sri Chaitanya, sought spirituality to discover their true calling and find purpose to teach people ways of life through religious preachings. While some preach the concept of the...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog