The Famous Attractions in Udaipur 

If you are looking for a romantic retreat in India, there can be no other place as bewitching as Udaipur in Rajasthan. Its lakes and palaces create an enchanting world of their own, and you can expect to revive the fabled majesty of Rajasthan Royals, lost behind the splendor of its monuments and water bodies, set in a fairy-tale like ambience.

The City Palace Complex, Udaipur

Maharana Udai Singh of Sisodia Rajput Clan built this majestic palace in 1559, when he shifted base from Chittor. This palace was later inhabited by the legendary Maharana Pratap, after the death of his father Udai Singh in 1572. He was instrumental in promoting various fine arts, especially miniature painting, during his respite from Akbar. Located on the banks of Lake Pichola, this ostentatious citadel was located on the hill top on the advice of a hermit, providing a panoramic vision of Udaipur city and its environs. Other important monuments located in its vicinity are the Lake Palace, Jag Mandir, the Monsoon Palace, Jagdish Temple, and the Neemuch Mata Temple. These monuments also feature in the Hollywood movie ‘Octopussy’ of James Bond series. After the release of this film, Udaipur also earned the sobriquet ‘Venice of the East’. Today, this palace is one of the major hotels attracting tourists from around the globe.

Bagore Ki Haveli

Built by Shri Amarchand Badwa, who served the Sisodia Rajput Clan as their Prime Minister during the epochal 1751-1778 AD when India was undergoing a widespread tumult, the Bagore-ki-Haveli is located right in front of Lake Pichola at Gangaur Ghat, Udaipur. A specimen of Rajasthani splendor, this mansion has 100 rooms, which display beautiful frescos, inimitable mirror work, besides Mewar paintings, contemporary costumes, and lifelike sculptures of peacocks in glass. After the death of Shri Amarchand, the property passed on to the control of the royal family, where it remained till 1947. Today, it is inhabited by the West Zone Cultural Centre. This site is the venue of a noted folk dance demonstration.

Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar Lake

The famed Lake Pichola of Udaipur is a manmade lake, originally built by a gypsy tribesman in 1362 AD during the period of Maharana Lakha. It got its name from the neighboring Picholi village. This lake is actually a group of several contiguous lakes, which were gradually developed over the span of a few centuries. Later, Maharana Udai Singh, who was looking around for an appropriate site for his capital, got attracted and decided to build his capital around this lake. During the course of its evolution, several palaces got built within the lake on small islands, and on its periphery. The notable ones are Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir.
On the other hand, the Fateh Sagar Lake was originally constructed by Maharana Jai Singh during 1687 AD. The original earthen bund served well for 200 years, but once got washed away during severe floods. Thereafter, the then Maharana Fateh Singh got it reconstructed in 1888, when he invited the 3rd son of Queen Victoria to lay its foundation. This manmade lake is one of the four lakes of Udaipur, which add to the fascination of this city. Located within its confines are three islands; the first one houses the Nehru Park with a zoo and a restaurant, the second displays an attractive water fountain, while the third is the location of Udaipur Solar Observatory. Paddle boats and motor boats are available to explore the environs.

Monsoon Palace

Originally built to watch the progress of monsoon clouds, this famous palace was conceived by Maharana Sajjan Singh (ruled 1874–1884) of the Sisodia Rajput Clan of Udaipur in 1884 AD on a hilltop. Sajjan Singh was a visionary ruler, who introduced civic administration in the city and took up extensive infrastructural development, besides an abiding interest in arts and culture. He was however plagued by his uncle Sohan Singh, who continuously hatched plots to somehow dethrone him. The uncle was ultimately successful and Sajjan Singh was incarcerated for long. Today, this palace is under control of the state forest department. From the tourism point of view, this palace is best visited in the evening to witness a magnificent view of sunset. This palace also featured in the Hollywood extravaganza, Octopussy, when it was the residence of the villain Kamal Khan.

Shri Eklingji Prabhu Temple

Eklingji, located 20 kms from Udaipur, is a form of Shiva, who was the ruling deity of Sisodia Rajput Clan of Mewar. The founder of this dynasty Guhil, or Bappa Rawal, built this temple in 971 AD. The entire Mewar dynasty considers itself the dewan (prime minister) of the empire, while the deity itself is considered to be the actual monarch. The exquisitely sculpted temple actually comprises of 108 temples within its precincts. The main temple was built out of ruins of an earlier temple somewhere during 15th century. The magnificent double-storey temple is constructed completely in marble, having a four-faced image of Lord Shiva in black granite. This complex also houses a temple of Lakulish, a Pashupat Shaiva sect deity, which is the only one of its kind in the country. This temple is highly venerated among Hindu visitors. The Maharana of Udaipur still continues with his family tradition of paying obeisance to the deity every Monday evening.

Tourism information

Udaipur is very well connected by air, rail and road links with all parts of the country.
Lying midway between Delhi and Mumbai, Udaipur sits astride the Golden Quadrilateral on the National Highway (NH) 8. Likewise, the East West Corridor starting from Porbandar and ending at Silchar, skirts the city, cutting across the Golden Quadrilateral midway between Udaipur to Chittor. Udaipur has a number of trains connecting it to Delhi and Mumbai, besides, Kolkata.