Tourist Destinations of Rajasthan

Udaipur

City Palace & Museum

City Palace complex is actually a conglomeration of buildings added by various maharanas, the palace manages to retain a surprising uniformity of design. Building was started by maharana Udai Singh II . The palace is surmounted by balconies, towers & cupolas and there are wonderful views over the lake and the city from the upper terrace.

Main enterence is from northern end through the Baripol of 1600 and the Tripolia Gate of 1725 , with its eight carved marble arches. It was once constom for maharanas to be weighed under the gate and their weight in gold or silver distributed to the populace.

In Badi Chowk , the large retangular courtyard outside the museum, there are some shops selling pricey handicrafts and a money exchange facility.

The main part of the palace is now preserved as the City Palace Museum, housing a large and varied collection of artefacts. Downstairs from the entrance is an armoury section, sporting a collection of old weapons including a lethal two-prolonged sword.

The Ganesh Deori is the entrance to the museum and leads upto the Rajya Angan, or Royal courtyard , teh very spot where Udai Singh met teh sage who told him to found this city here. Teh rooms of the museum are extravagantly decorated with mirrors , tiles and paintings.In the Manak Mahal (Ruby Palace) there is the exquisite glass and mirror work, while Krishna Vilas has a remarkable collection of the miniatures. Teh Moti Mahal has beautiful mirrorwork and the Chini Mahal is covered in ornamental tiles. The Surya Chopar has a huge ,ornamental sun-the symbol of mewar dynasty, the origins of which are traced to the sun. The Mor Chowk (Peacock Square) has beautiful mosaics of the peacocks, the favourate rajasthani bird. In the Bari mahal there is a fine central garden with good views over the old city. More beautiful paintings can be seen in the Zenana Mahal , which opens onto Laxmi Chowk; there's a beautiful white pavilion in the center of this square. Note the large tiger catching cage near Zinana Mahal entrance ; a helpless goat of buffalo would be tied up inside the cage to lure the tiger in-gruesome.

Road Map Udaipur