CITY PALACE
AT
UDAIPUR
Udaipur City Palace is one of the architectural marvels of Rajasthan
state of India and located peacefully on the banks of Lake Pichola. This
majestic City Palace is the most-visited tourist attraction of Udaipur and
often distinguished as the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Initially,
Maharana Udai Singh built this superb wonder, but the present form of the
Palace is the result of subsequent additions by his successors.
City Palace boasts of the wonderful blend of Medieval, European and
Chinese Architecture. The Palace has various towers, domes and arches, which
add to the flavor of heritage site. Towering on the banks of Pichola Lake, City
Palace is truly a feast to the eyes. City Palace is a marvelous assortment of
courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens.
Encircled by fortifications, this imposing Palace is wholly built in granite
and marble.
City Palace has several gates that are known as "Pols". 'Bara
Pol' (Great Gate) is the main gate to the City Palace complex that will take
you to the first courtyard. On passing 'Bara Pol', you will come across a
triple arched gate, which is known as 'Tripolia'. Between these two gates, you would
see eight marble arches or Toranas, where Kings used to weigh themselves with
gold and silver. Besides Tripolia, there is an arena where elephant fights were
staged. Across 'Tripolia', you would enter the 'Elephant Gate' or the 'Hathi
Pol'.
City Palace comprises 11 wonderful palaces, which were built by
different rulers still they resemble each other. With the sheer glimpse of
unique paintings, antique furniture and exquisite glass mirror & ornamental
tiles work of these palaces, you will get amazed. Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) has
figures of crystal and porcelain. However, Bhim Vilas flaunts a fabulous
collection of miniature paintings depicting the real life stories of
Radha-Krishna.
The 'Krishna Vilas' is known for the noteworthy album of miniature
paintings portraying royal processions, festivals and games of the Maharanas.
Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) is celebrated for its lavish decor while Sheesh Mahal
(Palace of mirrors) is known for its breathtaking mirror work. 'Chini
Chitrashala' is renowned for its Chinese and Dutch ornamental tiles. 'Dilkusha
Mahal' (Palace of Joy) is known for the murals and wall paintings.
Bada Mahal is the exotic garden palace that stands erect on a 90 feet
high natural rock formation. Rang Bhawan is the palace that used to contain royal
treasure. There are temples of Lord Krishna, Meera Bai and Shiva, located right
to the 'Rang Bhawan'. 'Mor Chowk' has exceptional glass mosaics of peacocks,
set in the walls presenting the three seasons of summer, winter and monsoon.
'Laxmi Vilas Chowk' is an art gallery with a distinctive collection of Mewar
paintings.
Situated in the premises of City Place complex, Jagdish Temple is the
biggest and most beautiful temple of Udaipur. This temple Appeals to the
aesthetic sense of the people and we will further discuss it in our other
section. You can also trace a Shrine of Dhuni Mata in the complex of City
Palace. This part is considered as the oldest part of the Palace where a sage
passed his life meditating here.
In 1974, a part of the City Palace and the 'Zenana Mahal' (Ladies
Chamber) have been transformed into a museum. The museum is open for public and
we have discussed it in our other section about museums. One can locate some
striking paintings in the 'Zenana Mahal' which further leads to Lakshmi Chowk.
'Lakshmi Chowk' is a beautiful white pavilion. In City palace, the most
captivating sight can be viewed from the towers and terraces of 'Amar Vilas'
from where you can get a breathtaking view of Lake Pichola.
'Amar Vilas' is the highest point of this Palace and has wonderful
hanging gardens with fountains, towers and terraces. City Palace is structured
in a way that it offers a splendid view of the lake from all its Balconies,
cupolas and towers. Unlike the craggy exterior, City Palace has amazing
interiors with delicate mirror-work, marble work, murals, wall paintings,
silver work, inlay work and surplus of colored glass. The exquisite work of
City Palace cannot be bounded in words, so one must visit this palace to
capture the real picture of it.
By Air
Udaipur Airport namely Maharana Pratap Airport is located near Dabok at
a distance of 22 kms from the city of Udaipur. Many domestic airlines connect
the city to all the major cities of India including Jaipur, Mumbai, Delhi,
Mumbai and Kolkata. Regular air services are available for Delhi and Mumbai.
By Rail
Udaipur Railway Station is located at a comfortable distance from the
city of Udaipur. Rajasthan Railways connects Udaipur station with all the other
cities of Rajasthan as well as India. There are frequent trains which run to
and from Udaipur connecting Jaipur, Mumbai and Delhi. One can also travel to
this beautiful city by the luxurious Palace on Wheels.
By Road
Udaipur is well connected by road to major cities in India. Brilliant
road network ensure people to enjoy a relaxed journey to and from Udaipur. This
mode of commuting is quite easy and economical. Udaipur Bus Stand has regular
bus services, connecting Udaipur with nearby cities including Delhi, Jaipur,
Chittorgarh, Indore, Kota, Ajmer, Ahmedabad and Mt. Abu. Rajasthan Roadways
provides the facility of Deluxe Buses and AC coaches for the convenience of
passengers. One can also hire taxis and cars to reach Udaipur by road.
