The valley of Oodipur, the most diversified and most romantic spot on the continent of India
- Col. James Tod,
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829)
Despite the last twenty years of unchecked ferro-concrete construction, James Tod's assessment of UDAIPUR still holds true. Reflected in the shimmering waters of Pichola Lake, the city's skyline of whitewashed havelis and tapering temple shikharas , surmounted by the domes and ornately carved balconies of the famous Rajput city palace, has managed to keep its head above the rising tide of hotels and terrace restaurants, and remains one of Asia's most exotic spectacles. Enjoying it from a boat at water level, or on a rooftop in the cool of the evening, many travellers are tempted to forget their tight itineraries. In any case, it takes at least a week to explore the city's monuments, and the temples, forts, palaces and scenery of the hills and valleys nearby.
The smooth rolling hills that surround Udaipur like sleeping armadillos were once covered with forests. Widespread felling, instigated by the Indian government in the 1970s after it took possession of the Mewar lands, left them irreversibly barren and have added to the dry and dusty desert conditions of the Udaipur valley
The City
The original settlement of Udaipur focused around the grand
City Palace , bordering the west shore of
Lake Pichola . Immediately north is the maze of tightly winding streets that constitute the
old city . It takes a few days of wandering before this labyrinth becomes intelligible; start by getting acquainted with the gates and circles that form traffic islands at the major crossroads. From the
clock tower that marks the northern edge of the old city, roads lead east to the tourist information office and Ahar, west to the lake, and north to the GPO at Chetak Circle. Continuing north, the road passes the
Bharatiya Lok Kala folk art museum, and heads to
Sahelion-ki-Bari , the gardens of the royal ladies.
The road that encircles Lake Fateh Sagar north of Lake Pichola carries on west to the excellent crafts village of Shilpgram , a showcase for all types of traditional Indian art. It's a good cycling route; you can stop off at Pratap Memorial Gardens on the eastern shore of the lake, visit Nehru Park in its centre and cool off with an ice cream or drink from mobile stands near the jetty. In the far west of the city, Sajjangarh - the "Monsoon Palace" - commands superb views, while to the east both the royal cenotaphs and Ahar museum with its fifth-century BC relics can be visited in a morning.
