City of lakes – Udaipur

After an overly amazing experience at Jaisalmer-  our stay at the hotel was beyond our satisfaction, the merry walks through the golden sands, jeep rides through the Thar desert sending an adrenaline rush through us, exploring the deserts and watching the setting sun on the backs of the camels, being entertained by the Rajasthani musicians and dancers along side good food,  happy and content we finally headed on to our next destination the following morning. We visited the Umaid palace en route to Jodhpur.

Umaid Palace

This palace is an architectural grandeur, a splendid heritage hotel at Jodhpur and a true royal experience. The historic records dating back to the earlier times, state that, this was the last royal palace built before India gained independence. The Palace is built with the Chittar Sandstone for its exterior structure, marble and teak are used for its interiors. The exquisite paintings on the walls and ceilings of this marvel is said to have been made by a Polish artist.

Sprawling for over 24 acres it has 15 acres of lush well maintained gardens. This royal residence houses over 347 rooms, where one could practically get lost navigating through!

The most appealing aspect of this location is that apart from the palace, it houses a museum and a hotel, all in one. Presently, the Maharaja Umaid Singh’s grandson resides here with his family. The hotel is owned by the Taj group of hotels which provides luxury accommodations, with rooms having picturesque views to the beautiful gardens, where one can even see the peacocks strolling around, at times. The museum had on exhibit – Classic vintage cars, miniature paintings, household articles and information regarding the royal families and their lifestyle.

We checked into a plush hotel – which was going to be our home for the day that we were at Jodhpur. Towards late evening, we chose to look around a little. The colourful ambience, star lit ceilings and state of art rooms literally took our hearts away! The dinner served, looked more like a feast with a million things to choose from- and we were spoilt for choice!

Mehrangarh fort

On the way to Udaipur, we chose to visit  one of the finest forts of Rajasthan- the magnificent Mehrangarh fort of Jodhpur.

Said to be one of the largest forts of India, it is located on a hilltop and looks down protectively over the city below, hence giving the tourists a bird’s eye view of the same. Spread across an area of 5km, it is surrounded by 7 gigantic gates, enclosed with thick sweeping walls. Within the high risen walls lie several palaces, known for their intricate carvings and massive courtyards. A winding road leads to and from the city below. As one approaches the fort, the monumental sandstone wall of the fort emerges tall, making it quite a sight.

Having spent a few hours strolling through the grounds of the fort and examining the splendid exhibits of the museum within the fort, we set out to Udaipur, and got there by late evening.

“Our hotel looked like an enchanting palace that had just popped out of a fairy tale book. Acres and Acres of the green lawn that was filled with vibrant colours of flowers and roses was a pleasant sight. The fragrance of the garden  lingered in the air, drifting through the open doors and windows of the rooms, with floral scents soothing our senses. The sound of the wind chimes jingling, the chirping of the birds, the leaves of the plants gently rustling in the wind added on to the magical melody.”

Read the post on how we spent our time exploring Jaipur and Bikaner here:  Uncovering the Pink city of India- Jaipur.

Pichola lake & City Palace

Our day at Udaipur was planned along visiting the city palace, pichola lake and Saheliyon ki Bari.

The lake was beautiful with brilliant hues of blues and lots of hotels built on the floating waters. This Lake was cocooned within sky high Palaces, temples, heritage hotels and elevated hills along all of its sides. True to what we heard, this was one of the most picturesque lakes of Rajasthan and the view that we saw here was surreal!

City palace, was next on our cards- a well planned structure, stood majestically, overlooking the Pichola Lake. Nestled within the Aravalli range, its was surrounded by popular monuments such as the Lake Palace, Jag Mandir, Monsoon Palace which were  in its proximity. It is said to have been built 400 years ago by the rulers of the Mewar dynasty.

Several delicate mirror worked rooms with its walls painted with natural colours, tinted glass windows giving a splendid view of the city, interesting exhibits and several murals later, we were finally done exploring this place.

This place had a lot of footfalls than the other places that we had been to. Once done, we chose to have our lunch was at a quaint little place in the middle of the city, close to the jagadeeshwar temple. They served us thali’s with lip smacking delicious food, which tasted very much homemade.

Saheliyon ki Bari

Our next stop for the day was- Saheliyon ki Bari. As per the legends, the king was said to have designed this garden himself to be presented to the queen. It is adorned with a number of fountains in its water pools, chiseled kiosks and marble elephants. It is also celebrated for its lotus pool and bird-fountains. The lush green lawns, flowerbeds, and marble pavilions further enhances the romantic ambience of this gorgeous garden. We took a peaceful stroll around, as a bunch of bougainvillea bent down to greet us, along side the chilled welcoming breeze.

I was specifically drawn to the rainbow that was created due to gravitational force between the fountains and palm trees. Our sightseeing was done in a while and we had a little photo session with the traditional Rajasthani attire at this place.

Our 9 day long vacation, wandering through opulent palaces and spectacular forts, shopping at the kitschy little markets in the hunt for the traditional Rajasthani articles, tasting the local delicacies, experiencing the cultural richness – all of it had finally come to an end. We loved the friendliness and the hospitality of the people out here. Though the weather was pretty dry that kept our throats sore  mostly for the whole of our trip, we still had had a great deal of fun and we had no complaints. We were going to take a ton of wonderful memories that we’d probably cherish for a long long time!

Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found in the pages of the passport.

Take aways:

1. Hathi Pol market is one of the most popular markets out here. One can shop here for exquisite handicrafts, garments and colourful foot wears. The embroidered Mojadis and Bandhej sarees are a must pick with a little bargaining.
2.  We purchased our sweets from the Jagdish Mishtan Bhandar and they had a very wide varieties of the same. Ghevar, Gujia, Mawa Kachori, Churma Ladoo, Badam ka halwa and  Kaju Sangam are a must try here.
3. Boating at the Pichola lake comes at a cost ranging between Rs. 400-750. The cost varies as per the different times of the day and is usually the highest if its during the sunset.

Our Visit to Jaisalmer was one incredible experience. Read it here : Amidst the Golden sand dunes of Jaisalmer