UDAIPUR
CITY PALACE
INTRODUCTION
 The
City Palace stands over the Pichola Lake. Maharana Uday Singh
started the construction of the palace but succeeding Maharanas
added several palaces and structures to the complex retained
a surprising uniformity to the design. The entry to the Palace
is from the Hati Pol, the Elephant gate. The Bari Pol or the
big gate brings you to the Tripolia, the Triple gate. It was
once a custom that the Maharana would weigh under this gate
in gold and silver, which was distributed to the populace.
It is also now the main ticket office. Balconies, cupolas
and towers surmount the palace to give a wonderful view of
the lake.
LEGEND
The construction of the City Palace, Udaipur was started by
Maharana Uday Singh. However, later on several additions were
made to this palace by the succeeding Maharanas. Irrespective
of the number of builders, the palace retains uniformity in
its design.
DESCRIPTION
 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.
Suraj Gokhada or the balcony of the sun is where the Maharana
would grant public audiences mainly to boost the morale
of the people in difficult times. The Mor Chawk is the peacock
square and gains its name from the vivid blue mosaic in
glass of a peacock that decorates its walls. The main part
of the palace is now preserved as a museum displaying a
large and diverse array of artifacts. Down steps from the
entrance is the armory museum exhibiting a huge collection
of protective gear, weapons including the lethal two-pronged
sword.
The City Palace museum is then entered through the Ganesh
Deori meaning the door of Lord Ganesh. This leads to the
Rajya Angan, the royal courtyard that is the very spot where
Maharana Udai Singh met the sage who told him to find a
city here. The rooms of the palace are superbly decorated
with mirror tiles and paintings. Manak Mahal or the Ruby
Palace has a lovely collection of glass and mirror work
while Krishna Vilas display a rich collection of miniature
paintings. Moti Mahal or the pearl palace has beautiful
mirror work and the Chini Mahal has ornamental tiles all
over.
The Surya Chopar or the sun square depicts a huge ornamental
sun symbolising the sun dynasty to which the Mewar dynasty
belongs. The Bari Mahal is a central garden with view of
the city. Some more beautiful paintings can be seen in the
Zenana Mahal or the ladies chamber, which leads to Lakshmi
Chowk a beautiful white pavilion.
HOW TO REACH
Air- Debock Airport is 24 km from the city
centre, Dairy Indian Airliness flights connect Udaipur with
Jodhpur Jaipur Aurangabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Rail- Udaipur is directly linked by rail
with major cities- Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, and Chittaurgarh.
Road- A wide network of bus service link
Udaipur with several destinations. Some of the important
distance are Agra 630km, Ahmedabad 262 km Jaipur 406 km
.Jodhpur 275km and Mount Abu 185km. Taxis, auto-rickshaws,
tongas, city bus, regular city bus service is available
for local transport.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
September to March
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