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UDAIPUR
 The most romantic city in
Rajasthan, built around the lovely Lake Pichola, has inevitably been dubbed the 'Venice of the East'. Founded in 1568 by Maharana Udai Singh, the city is a harmonious Indian blend of whitewashed buildings, marble palaces, lakeside gardens, temples and havelis (traditional mansions). It boasts an enviable artistic heritage, a proud reputation for performing arts and a relatively plentiful water supply, all of which have helped make it an oasis of civilisation and colour in the midst of drab aridity.
Lake Pichola is the city's centrepiece and it contains two delightful island palaces - Jagniwas and Jagmandir - that are the very definition of Rajput whimsy. The former is now an exquisite luxury hotel. The huge City Palace towers over the lake and is bedecked with balconies, towers and cupolas. It contains a museum, some fine gardens and several more luxury hotels. Other attractions include the gates to the old walled city and its lovely alleyways; the fine Indo-Aryan Jagdish Temple, dating from the mid-17th century; and the lakeside Bagore ki
Haveli, once a royal guesthouse, but now a cultural
centre.
Despite the long list of sights and attractions, the real joy of Udaipur is finding a pleasant lakeside guesthouse, scrambling up to the roof and watching the activity at the
ghats, listening to the rhythmic 'thwomp!' as washerwomen thrash the life out of their laundry, and sensing the gentle changes of light on the water as the slow days progress.
Indian Ailines has daily flights to Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and
Aurangabad. Freqent state owned buses run from Udaipur to other regional centres as well as to Delhi and
Ahmedebad. If you bus it, choose the express other wise it will take forever to reach your destination. Lines into Udaipur are currently metre gauge only. They are scheduled to be converted to broad gauge but nobody is really sure when this will happen. It's quicker in most cases to catch a bus. Taxi's can take you to regional areas, but practice your negotiation skills and haggle down the price a bit before you jump in.
City Palace
A majestic architectural marvel towering over the lake on a hill surrounded by crenallated walls it is a conglomeration of courtyards pavilions terraces corridors rooms and hanging gardens. The main entrance is through the triple arched gate the ‘Tripolia’with eight marble porticos. The Maharana were weighed under the gate in the gold the equivalent amount of which was distributed among the populace. The Suraj Gokhada the balcony of the sun is where the Suryavanshi Maharanas of Mewar presented themselves to the people in time of trouble to restore their confidence. The ‘Mor Chowk’ known for its exquisite peacock mosaics in glass and the ‘Chini Chitrashala’noted for its blue and white ceramics are other attractions in the palace.
Jagdish Temple
Built in 1651 A.D. By Maharana Jagat Singh this Indo-Aryan temple is the largest and the most beautiful temple of Udaipur with noteworthy sculpted images.
 Lake Pichola
The picturesque lake that entranced Maharaja Udai Singh. It was later enlarged by the founder. The lake is surrounded by hills palaces temples bathing ghats and embankments. Two island palaces Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas(Lake Palace) on the lake are of breathtaking magnificence.
EXCURSIONS
Eklingji (22 km): Built in 734 A.D. is the beautifully sculpted temple complex with 108 temples within its high walls. The temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva the presiding deity of Mewar rulers. The walled complex encloses and elaborately pillared hall or ‘mandap’ under a large pyramidal roof and has four-faced image of Lord Shiva in black marble.
Nagda (23 km): The ancient site dating back to the 6th century A.D. is renowned for the Sas-Bahu temples (9t - 10th century A.D.) with interesting architecture and carvings. The splendid Jain temples of Adbudji are also worth a visit.
TRAVEL INFORMATION HOW TO GET THERE
Air: Dabok Airport is 24 km from the city centre. Daily Indian Airlines flights connect Udaipur with Jodhpur,
Jaipur, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Rail: Udiapur is directly linked by rail with major cities. some important train connections are : 9643 Express
(Udaipur-Himatnagar); 9616 Express (Delhi-Sarai
Rohila-Jaipur-Ajmer-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur).
Road: A good network of bus services operate from Ajmer to key destinations around. Local Transport: Udaipur is well connected with road network. Some Important distances are Agra 630 km, Ahmedabad 262 km, Jaipur 406 km, Jodhpur 275 km and Mount Abu 185 km.
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