Udaipur, The City of Lakes

(December 20 – 24, 2018)

Having made up my mind to make good use of the Christmas (and all other) vacations,  I decided to begin with a visit to Udaipur, the City of Lakes. Having 4 days & 4 nights at my disposal, I prepared a list of ‘must-do’, ‘must-see’ and ‘must-eat’. Although I had planned this as a solo trip, I was, at the nth moment, joined by a friend whose own holiday plans had got cancelled. Managing to swap seats on the plane, I shared my itinerary with her before settling down for a nap. 
We did all we planned…and more! That being the case, this might just turn out to be one long blog entry :-)

Most people we knew suggested we add another destination to our itinerary as Udaipur didn’t really require more than two days. We, however, have a different story to tell. There’s so much to see in this beautiful city that’s set around a series of man-made artificial lakes and is famous for its lavish palaces. Before I take you through our Udaipur experience and give you a glimpse into its rich history, here’s a brief sketch of our itinerary –

DAY 1 – The City Palace à Sajjangad (The Monsoon Palace) à Shilpgram (The Craft Village) à Saheliyon ki Bari à Dharohar (a cultural show) at Bagore ki Haveli.

DAY 2 – A visit to the historic & majestic Chittorgarh.

DAY 3 – Bagore ki Haveli Museum àBoat ride on Pichola Lake à Shilpgram Festival

DAY 4 – Jagdish Temple à Nathdwara Temple à Shopping in the Hathipol Market.

Of course, to all of the above we added some leisure activities, walks around town and many delicious meals.

Udaipur – a brief history.

Founded by Maharana Uday Singh II in 1559, this historic city was, until 1818, the capital of the kingdom of Mevar. It was only after India gained independence in 1947 that Mevar became a part of Rajasthan. Udaipur, located in the southernmost part of Rajasthan, is a popular tourist destination due to its scenic beauty, grand palaces, interesting museums, forts and beautiful lakes.

We begin our vacation.

Wanting to make maximum use of the time we had, we booked an early morning flight from Mumbai and landed at Udaipur’s Maharana Pratap Airport in the wee hours of the morning. As expected, it was extremely cold and we had to don our gloves, scarves and fluffy, woolen beanies while we figured out a way to get from the airport to the city. After weighing our options, we booked a pay-cab from the airport itself (INR. 650) and gave the driver the address to our guesthouse located in the old town, near Chandpol. 

Since the streets in Old Town are rather narrow, the cab dropped us off at the bridge at Chandpol and, from there, we had to walk for about 4 minutes to get to Lassi Guest House (https://lassiguesthouse.business.site/ ). This guest house met our expectations – clean rooms, hot water and gracious hospitality. What I liked best was the effort taken to make us feel welcome & comfortable. Most of the important sights of Udaipur were within walking distance from the Guesthouse. Set in a quiet neighborhood, the accommodation was perfect for us in many ways and, if we ever visit Udaipur again, we’ll surely consider staying here. 

Old Town, where the Guesthouse is located has really narrow, winding streets lined with restaurants, shops and houses with gaily painted walls. Do not be surprised to find a cow or a herd of them at various street corners. We found them to be quite harmless, except for the first morning when one did attempt to chase us because she was alarmed by the sound of our bags rumbling along on the street.

DAY 1:

Although check-in is usually around 10.30am, we were quickly shown to our rooms even though it was just a little before 7am (I did say they were gracious hosts, didn’t I?). A quick visit to the washroom and we stepped out again, all set to soak in all that Udaipur had to offer. We began with a filling breakfast of Aloo Parathas and Tea/Coffee at the Little Prince Restaurant on the banks of Lake Pichola.

That done, we made our way to The City Palace, a palace complex built over a period of 400 years. Considered to be the largest of its type in the state of Rajasthan, this impressive structure was constructed with a blend of Rajasthani & Mughal architecture.  Although the Mevar kings have lost their royal privileges and titles, they still retain ownership of the palaces in Udaipur. Many palaces, now managed by a trust, have been converted into heritage hotels.

Although visiting the City Palace was very interesting, we found the ticket prices to be too steep - INR 300 for the City Palace and an additional INR 700 for a visit to the Crystal Gallery. We decided to skip the Crystal Gallery and proceeded to explore the Palace. 

Entering through the impressive Toran Pol, we walked up to the Information Booth hoping to get a map for the tour. Unfortunately, there are none. Like in every other place in Udaipur, here, too, there were no maps or signboards providing information/direction to tourists. Such being the case, one has three options to choose from …

1.      Explore blind and make what you can of what you see

2.      Shadow tourists who’ve already hired a guide. Then pray that what he tells them will be loud enough to reach your ears.

3.      Hire the services of a tourist guide.

The latter is a very good option because the guides are locals who have plenty to share about the history and facts about the place. Moreover, they are extremely courteous, knowledgeable and generous with their time and suggestions.

We spent around 3 hours within the City Palace and liked almost everything we saw. The courtyards within the complex are verdant and pleasantly cool. Rooms/ halls are grand with amazing glass inlay work, stained glass windows and spectacular views of the city. Walking through the many rooms we could almost imagine the opulence and pomp which defined the lifestyles of the Mevar rulers.

The palaces within the City Palace complex are connected by a number of quadrangles and narrow, winding corridors. We learnt that this was so fashioned as defense in case of attack by enemies.

The guards at the Palace are very alert and also proud of their history & heritage. At one point, we were about to exit the Palace without viewing the Silver Gallery. The guard at the gate had us turn around and visit the Silver Gallery as, according to him, it was a part of the history of the palace and must not be missed.

After we had had our fill of grandiosity, we hired an auto to take us to our next stop. A word about the auto drivers – they are quick to provide information and guide you around the city. They are also trustworthy and honest in their dealings. Our auto driver, Raju Bhai, first took us to The Monsoon Palace – Sajjangarh. Now, this is the highest point in Udaipur and offers panoramic views of the city, its lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. If one does not have a private vehicle, tourists can book a seat in one of the Sajjangarh vehicles within the premises. In about ten minutes, we were at the entrance to the Monsoon palace.

Built in 1884 for Maharana Sajjan Singh, today, the Palace is under the control of the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan.  The best time to visit Sajjangarh is around sunset, we made the mistake of insisting on an afternoon visit. Around sunset, one can spend a good hour or two just admiring the view when the city is cloaked in the light of the setting sun. At night, the Palace is illuminated and, with its golden glow, seems like a fairytale castle.

Camera thieves alert!

 As we were making our way uphill to Sajjangarh, the other passengers in the van (a family of five) realized that the previous tourists had forgotten their Nikon DSLR on the back seat. Instead of informing the driver and enquiring about how to find the owner, the group began whispering among themselves & that made us uncomfortable because we could sense that something was cooking, and it’s wasn’t something good. No sooner did my friend loudly inform the driver about the ‘lost property’, the group had no option but to hand over the camera to him. You could almost hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.

Given the fact that such sneaky characters do exist, it would be advisable to take care of your belongings and ensure you do not leave them lying around. Honesty is not a virtue found in all.

Expecting to get a glimpse into the lifestyle and culture of the folk and tribal people of the region, we made our way to Shilpgram, a rural arts and crafts complex about 3kms from the city of Udaipur. Spread over 70 acres of undulating terrain, Shilpgram provides a platform for the rural folk to display their arts, craft & culture. We were informed that Shilpgram is an ethnographic museum showcasing not just art & craft, but also the architecture and dances of the region.

When we arrived at Shilpgram (entry, INR 50), there were many stalls & booths being set up for the Annual Shilpgram Festival that was scheduled to begin the next day. We purchased a few terracotta items and watched two folk dance performances. Since there wasn’t much else to be done, Raju Bhai (remember our auto driver?) insisted that we visit Shilpgram when the festival began for a much richer and more exciting experience. Saying that, he led us to our next destination on our itinerary – Saheliyon ki Bari.

Saheliyon ki Bari, a garden located on the banks of the Fateh Sagar Lake, was built by Maharana Sangram Singh for the pleasure of his queen and her 48 maids. The highlight of the garden is its fountain. There is also a pool and a little art gallery. Entry is not very expensive, which is a good thing since there’s really not much to see or do here. Exiting the garden, we now looked about for a place to have lunch. It was way past lunch-time and we were really hungry.

Raju Bhai, like almost all auto drivers and guides in Udaipur, seemed to have a set-up of sorts with various restaurants and souvenir stores. At his insistence (and believe me when I say this, the guides can get rather pushy) we decided to have a meal at Chappan Bhog, a restaurant very popular with tourists. Sadly, we found the service to be extremely slow (we had a 45 minute wait) and the food to be quite average. Not something to write home about. The most popular dish in Rajasthan, the dal-bati-choorma¸ was lacking in flavor and the choorma was dry and not very appetizing.

I guess our opinion of the restaurant was tainted by the extremely long wait and by the shocking experience of having my ‘thali’ stolen by another customer.

Food Thief Alert!

A lady and her husband were seated at the table beside us, waiting for their order to arrive. No sooner did our meal arrive, the lady just reached across the table, snatched my thali towards herself and began eating. We were taken aback by her uncouth behavior and her absolute lack of shame at coming to a restaurant and grabbing at food ordered by others. Absolutely disgusting!

By the time we were done with lunch we were quite tired decided to call it a day. Back at Chandpol, we walked to Gangour Ghat, a main ghat situated on the banks of Lake Pichola. It’s a great spot to sit and watch the sun setting behind the palaces and hotels across the lake. It’s not uncommon to find a local musician entertaining the public in exchange for whatever they might choose to give him. We were quite happy to find one such musician who was playing some popular folk songs, so we sat a-while beside him & let his music add to the beauty of just being at Gangaur Ghat.

Just beside Gangaur Ghat is the Bagore ki Haveli Museum. Although it had already shut for the day, there was a queue quickly forming at its gates. This Haveli hosts Dharohar, a most entertaining cultural performance every evening. We joined the queue and were let to an inner courtyard full of tourists seated cross legged on padded mats placed on the floor. The hour long performance that showcases dances from the various regions of Rajasthan is something you must experience for yourselves. There is also a puppet show that will have you in splits and, the highlight of the evening is a performance by a 72 year old lady who dances with eleven pots balanced neatly atop her head.

The only drawback to the evening is the discomfort caused by sitting on the floor in a cramped space. It would be wiser to hold the line early and get in first so as to get a seat on one of the few benches placed around the perimeter of the courtyard.

Dinner was a light, but very refreshing soup and then bed for much needed rest.

DAY 2:  

On the second day of our stay in Udaipur, we planned to visit the historic 7^th Century fort of Chittorgarh. Chittor is 119kms away from Udaipur and renting a cab to take you to Chittor & back will cost nothing less than INR 2500. We opted for a much cheaper option. We took an auto to the bus-stand at Surajpol and then booked seats on a local bus to Chittorgarh (INR 90). It’s a comfortable journey of around 2.5 hours and it’s safe to take a nap as the journey ends only at the Chittor bus-stand.

The first thing we did when we alighted was looked for a washroom. The washroom at the bus-stand is clean and it was a good thing we stopped here as there are no washrooms anywhere within the fort complex.

Once again, we hired the services of an auto driver who took us up to the fort complex & ferried us from one spot to another.

Chittor is home to the largest fort in India and worth a visit. It was the site of three major invasions and, when faced with certain defeat, the brave warriors fought to the death while the women, to avoid capture and rape, immolated themselves (Jauhar).

Wanting to know more about the many structures within the fort complex, we employed the services of a guide, Kishanji. He provided us with a wealth of information about the rulers, architecture &history of Chittorgarh. What we liked best were the tales of Queen Padmini, Meera and Pannadhai, the nanny who sacrificed her own son to save the Prince.

We ended our exploration after 3 hours by spending some time the main entrance of the fort. From here, one gets a good view of the countryside spread out far below. Where once were fought terrible battles, today stand fields and factories.

For lunch, we went to Sri Aapni Chokhi Dhani, a dhaba style restaurant right beside the Chittor bus-stand. The food is delicious & budget friendly. I have to admit that the dal-baati-choorma served here is by far the best I have ever tasted. It’s rich, beautifully spiced and just dripping with ghee (clarified butter). Absolutely delicious! The host even suggested that I eat the meal with my hands as it was the right way to enjoy the dal-baati-choorma. We enjoyed a good meal and then boarded a bus back to Udaipur. It had been a long but enjoyable day. We were very impressed with Chittorgarh and left wanting to learn more about this historic fort.

Dinner was again a light soup. While we waited for our order to arrive, we sat planning our activities for the next day. We had planned to visit the fort of Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, but considering that it would entail another three hour journey, we decided to drop the plan and spend time in Udaipur itself.

DAY 3:

The morning of our third day in Udaipur saw us outside Bagore ki Haveli, a palatial structure built sometime in the 17^th century by the then Prime Minister of Mevar, Amar Chand Badwa.

Being the first visitors to the museum allowed us the luxury of exploring the Haveli in peace. Purchasing our tickets we first visited the Weapons Gallery followed by the Royal Wedding Exhibit.

Next, we visited the Puppet Gallery where we were treated to a little puppet show. Here, one can also purchase some traditional Rajasthani wall hangings and puppets. The Haveli Museum has many interesting exhibits such as the Turban Gallery, displays within the Queen’s Chamber, stained glass windows, jewelry boxes etc. The architecture itself is worth admiring. We spent around two hours within the Haveli.

After exiting the Haveli, we decided to walk all the way to the Lake Pichola Municipal Boating Point. It’s a 15 minute walk that takes you through the narrow, winding streets of the city. Autos are available to take you to the Boating Point, but there’s a good chance of getting stuck in hour long traffic jams closer to the boating point. It’s all still within Old Town and the traffic jam can be harrowing when the narrow streets are blocked by a seemingly unending line of tourist busses.

Pichola Lake Boat rides are quite popular and can be booked by any of the many providers in the city. Many of them also make stops at the Taj Lake Palace and the Jagmandir Palace in the middle of the lake. The Municipal Boat Ride does not make any stops; it just takes you for a leisurely 15-20 minute cruise. The ticket rates are much cheaper, boats are clean and the ride is comfortable, providing excellent views of the many palaces on the banks of Lake Pichola.

Next, we trekked uphill towards the Ropeway to the Karni Mata Temple. Tickets are easily available for the 3-4 minute cable-car ride up the mountain, but there’s a long wait time. They usually warn of a 20 minute wait, we were in line for more than 45 minutes. Thankfully, there’s a decent, shaded waiting space with a restaurant, a garden and washrooms. Moreover, there is no jostling and pushing in the line as there’s a good system of token numbers in place.

Visitors to the Shri Manshapurna Karni Mata Temple can stop awhile to take in the beautiful views of Udaipur. The temple itself is small and in need of some repair, but popular with devotees and tourists alike.

Once again, it was past lunch time. We hired an auto to take us to the Shilpgram Festival. Our driver, Feroz, was a young man who discussed with us the lack of jobs and daily struggles of youth in Udaipur.

The Shilpgram Art Festival was a letdown and not what we had expected. Except for a folk dance or two we did not find much by way of a ‘cultural experience’ as highlighted on the website. It was more of a shopping festival with crowds of people haggling over the prices of handicrafts, jewelry, fabrics etc. Although the Festival was meant to highlight the culture and art from the many states of India, there were no markers or signboards anywhere. As such, it was difficult to distinguish one region form another. Some stalls even sold items like board games, soft toys and Pokémon stickers. What among those were handicrafts is anyone’s guess! The idea behind such a festival must surely have been good, but somewhere along the way, the organizers seem to have lost the plot.

We must, however, commend the excellent way in which Shilpgram had been converted almost overnight. Where, just yesterday, there were only a few empty stalls and one restaurant, today, there were bright banners, gaily decorated camels, packed stalls and numerous food courts. We had a lunch of piping hot Chole Bathure and Green Paneer Tikka followed by Milk Jelebi for dessert.

Later that evening, back in Old Town, we spent a good hour or two sitting at Manji Raj ka Ghat. This is another beautiful spot popular with locals and tourists alike. From here, one can get great views of the palaces and city. I guess it’s also a good spot to watch the sun rising behind the impressive City Palace across the lake, but we enjoyed sitting at this Ghat at sunset. Everything is awash with a golden glow and it’s wonderful to see the city slowly coming alive at night. We were lucky to catch the moonrise. Our time at this Ghat has been the most peaceful experience of our stay in Udaipur.

Walking towards Hanuman Ghat reminds one of evenings in McLeodganj. There are many souvenir shops and some beautiful boutique hotels along the way. WE decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Hari Ghar. Beautifully lit with oil lamps and blissfully lacking in music, Hari Ghar was a great end to a lovely day. We were seated at a table right beside the lake and enjoyed a delicious Rajasthani dinner of Kesari Murg Kebabs and Butter Rotis with Mewari Murg Dunger, a mildly spiced preparation.

DAY 4:

Our last day in Udaipur. Although we had planned to take it a little easy today, I was up early, so stepped out to see the city as it opened its eyes to a new day. The streets were deserted save for a few cows and a woman or two sweeping the street outside their houses. I saw many houses advertising ‘Art Classes’. For a very small fee, tourists are welcomed into the homes of local artists who guide them as they create/replicate artwork that is typical of Rajasthani culture.

I walked, once again, to Manji Raj ka Ghat. In the morning light it looked very different but no less beautiful that last night. A couple of locals were taking a dip at the far end of the Ghat while some couples were standing around looking for the best shot. Udaipur, you must know, is a popular choice for destination weddings in India.

Post breakfast, my friend and I visited the famous Jagdish Temple located just two minutes away from Chandpol Bridge. The temple, completed in 1651, is a major monument in Udaipur. The temple is decorated with intricate and ornate carvings that are, in many places, not unlike those found in the temple architecture of Khajuraho. What held our interest was the attention given to detail in the carvings depicting scenes of hunting and chained elephants.

Noticing our interest, one of the guides standing by suggested we visit the Nathdwara and Eklingji temples, located about an hour away from Udaipur.

Boarding a local bus from Chetak Circle, we made our way to Nathdwara Temple. More than a tourist spot, the Nathdwara Temple is a place of pilgrimage that is popular among devotees from all across India. The narrow streets are crowded and lined with dharmashalas, numerous shops selling religious and fancy articles such as clothes, jewelry and packed sweetmeats.

To enter the temple complex, we had to deposit our footwear, bags and mobile phones at the counters at the entrance. Not being comfortable with jostling crowds, I chose to wait outside the temple while my friend made her way inside the temple. Sadly, it was too crowded, the lines were too long and, by the time she got anywhere near the inner sanctum, the gates to the temple were shut. Apparently, there are fixed times for ‘darshan’. Quite disappointed by this, my friend made her way to the exit and we began to look for a place to eat.

There are a few popular eating houses at Nathdwara, but they only serve thalis that cannot be shared. Sure that we wouldn’t be able to eat much, we chose to share a delicious Paneer Bhurji and Butter Rotis at Sri Vijay Lunch Home, beside Bank of Baroda near the taxi stand.

After much discussion and weighing of pros & cons, it seemed prudent to skip the Eklingji Temple visit and, instead, head back to Udaipur. The bus dropped us off at Chetak Circle from where we walked through Hathipol Market, one of the major local markets of the area. Being a Sunday, many of the shops were shut, but we did visit many selling beautiful Rajasthani fabrics, souvenirs & decorative articles. Hathipol market is also the best place to purchase silver jewelry. There are plenty of shops with pretty silver ornaments on display.

Making our purchases, we walked until the road ended at the Jagdish Temple junction. Rushing back to our guesthouse, we now looked forward to the last ‘experience’ we had planned for our little holiday – a royal dinner.

We had made our reservations at Upre, a rooftop restaurant at Lake Pichola Hotel (http://www.lakepicholahotel.in/ ). Why this choice, you ask? Well, every evening, when we stood at Gangour Ghat or crossed Chandpol Bridge, we’d see this beautiful rooftop restaurant with beautiful shamianas and candlelit tables. What was most appealing was the many torches that were lit on the rooftop at sunset.

On arrival, we were shown to our table. To our great joy, our table was at the highest point of Upre Restaurant. From where we were sitting we were treated to a spectacular view of the city at night. Once again, we ordered a tradition meal of Paneer Corn Tikki, Laal Maas, Ker Sangri and Kulcha. The service is excellent, the food is delicious and well-prepared and the entire experience is just awesome.

Truly, God had been kind to us during our entire trip. We saved much on internal travel by opting for local modes of transportation, we saw and experienced more than what we had initially planned & had super dining experiences (except for the one at Chappan Bhog). Most of the tourists come in around Christmas Day and, once they’re in, walking through town is quite a task. There are no pavements and pedestrians need to be very alert to avoid being hit by the chaps speeding by on bikes. We were leaving Udaipur just as the peak tourist season was starting and were lucky to have avoided the crazy rush of season time.  

We had an early flight back to Mumbai the next morning and pre-booked a cab at Lassi Guesthouse before retiring for the day.

The next morning, at the airport, we each sat in silence, scanning through the many pics we had taken & reflecting on the numerous wonderful experiences of our holiday.

Truly, Udaipur has much to offer to anyone who has a love for history and architecture.  The visit to Udaipur was like an appetizer into the main course that all of Rajasthan has to offer, and I, for one, am hungry for more.

Pics by Misha.