Udaipur

27/4/09

Our arrival at Udaipur. Someone said our train was 1 kilometre long!

Udaipur, the Lake City founded by Maharaja Udai Dingh of Mewar, 

after the Sisodia dynasty was driven away by the Mughals.

The City Palace, towering over the lake, is a conglomeration of buildings adorned by various maharajas, but still manages to retain a uniformity of design. Building was started by Maharaja Udai Sing II, the city’s founder. The palace has many balconies, towers and cupolas, and there are fine views over the lake and the city from the upper terraces. The palace is entered from the northern gate, the Baripol Gate (1600) and the Tripolia Gate (1725), with its eight carved marble arches. It was once a custom for maharajas to be weighed under the gate and their weight in gold or silver distributed to the populace. The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum. It includes beautiful mosaics of peacocks, the favourite Rajasthani bird, glass and mirror work, a collection of miniatures and an impressive armoury section.



Beautiful ornate gateway into the City Palace


The Royal Family live in the grounds of this beautiful palace.

There is also a very comprehensive museum.