उदयपुर नगरी मा आपरो स्वागत है : an extensive guide for anyone who plans on visiting The City of Lakes.

India is one country with diverse traditions, cultures and food. No wonder it attracts tourists all over the globe. I have always been a firm believer of the fact that, India itself has numerous tourist destinations, unseen natural treasures and beautiful landscapes so, we must first see what is ours and then proceed to the world.
Anyway, I have had the good fortune of living (for the last 1 and a half years) in the beautiful, royal and majestic City of Lakes, situated on the southern slope of the Aravallis; Udaipur. It is a small, tourist city of Rajasthan, with a total population of not more than 6Lacs (Census of 2011 says 451735). My husband and I have travelled in and around the city, savoured on some delicious food and been a witness to a number of festivals here. Today, in this blog post of mine I present before you the extract of all that I have seen, everywhere I've been and everything that I would recommend to you, in case you plan upon visiting this splendid heritage city of Udaipur.

visit Insta Udaipur: https://www.instagram.com/instaudaipur/ for riveting and fascinating clicks of this beautiful city.

History of Udaipur:

It is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar (Rajputana), founded by Maharana Udai Singh of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs in 1553. He built 6kms long city wall and 7 gates to protect the city from external attacks. Presently, Arvind Singh Mewar is the 76th custodian of the Mewar Dynasty and currently resides in the Magnificent City Palace.

Best time to visit:

Well I see tourists all through the year, however; the best time to visit Udaipur would be in the Monsoons (because of the lush green Aravallis and the waterfalls that spring up almost everywhere around the city) and after :) If you're not afraid of biting cold, you could visit uptil the month of February :)

For Sight Seeing (in Udaipur):

Lake Pichola

It is an artificial freshwater lake which is the oldest and the largest lake of district Udaipur. Also, my favourite out of all the lakes in the city. It has four islands namely: Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Mohan Mandir and Arsi Vilas.

(view of lake pichola from the ropeway)

( view of Taj Lake Palace )
Lake Fatehsagar

It has three islands within its confine, two of them have gardens and one houses a Solar Observatory. The Nehru Garden is accessible through motor boats. There is the Fatehsagar Pal where you would spot walkers & joggers or localites just sitting casually admiring the landscape that beholds them.

( Neemuch Hill and Temple decorated during Navratras)

( Fatehsagar Pal )

(Overflow of Lake Fatehsagar during Monsoons)

( View of Fatehsagar Pal from Rani Road)

Lake Badi

This artificial lake is situated 12kms from Udaipur. The scenery provides a sense of calmness to those who visit the lake.

City Palace

It took 400 years to complete this architectural masterpiece, built under several rulers of the Mewar Dynasty. Maharana Udai Singh started the construction of City Palace when he decided to shift his capital from Chittor to Udaipur. Currently, Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar along with his family, resides in the palace. A part of the City Palace is open for tourists, the Amar Vilas: City Palace Garden, Sheesh Mahal, Moti Mahal, Krishna Vilas along with two heritage hotels in a separate wing of the palace.

( View of the City Palace from the motor boat that gives a tour of the Lake)

(Ariel View of The City Palace)

(view of lighted up City Palace from Ambrai - Amet Haveli)

zomato handle: https://www.zomato.com/udaipur/ambrai-amet-haveli-pichola

Sajjangarh ( Fort/ Monsoon Palace & Biological Park )

The Maharaja built it to get a view of his home town to Chittaurgarh. It is also called as the Monsoon Palace, as it was used to spot the incoming monsoon clouds. It provides a beautiful view of the sunset.
Sajjangarh Biological Park is a zoological garden housing various species of fauna for the tourists. Recent addition has been a White Tiger brought in from the Chennai Zoo.

( Sajjangarh Fort )

( View from the hill top and while going up hill )

Bagore ki Haveli

The haveli houses a museum, situated at Gangaur Ghat on Lake Pichola waterfront. It has over hundred rooms and exhibits glass, mirror work, paintings, cloth works etc.

( The entrance )

( Entrance to Gangaur Ghat )

Saheliyon ki Badi

It is a major garden space situated on the banks of Lake Fatehsagar and it is a major tourist attraction.

Neemach Mata Mandir

Neemach Mandir located on a hill on the banks of Lake Fatehsagar. It gives a beautiful view of the city surrounded by Aravallis on all sides. The walk to the temple is tedious but fun, and once you get into habit it gets easy. There has an uphill slope and stairs just in case you want options.

(view of Udaipur City from Neemach Hill Top; surrounded by the Aravallis)

(on a rainy day)

Jagdish Temple

Located in the old city, Jagdish Temple is dedicated to Lord Jagganath and has a beautiful architecture carved in marbles.

Ghats:

Gangaur Ghat:

Situated in the Jagdish Chowk area, very near to Bagore ki Haveli. Since Gangaur is a major festival of Udaipur, all the traditional proceedings and processions end here, at this very ghat. In the evenings group of students sit there strumming their guitars and humming songs, lighting up the environment.

( Gangaur Ghat )

(view of the lake from the ghat)

Ambrai Ghat:

OMG! My favourite place to be. Calm and serene. You could just sit there with your feet immersed in water and be captivated by the sight you see.

Gulab Bagh

The largest garden in Udaipur, also has a toy train for visitors to look around incase they don't want to walk around. It has various varieties of flowers, a zoo which now houses a bird sanctuary. The Navlakha Mahal - an Arya Samaj temple and an artificial water body named Kamal Talai.

do visit the following Instagram page: sweetudaipur for exciting pictures of places to see :)

For Sight Seeing (around Udaipur):

Haldighati:

It is a mountain pass located in the Aravallis, around 40kms from Udaipur. The Battle of Haldighati was fought there in the year 1576 between Maharana Pratap and Akbar's forces. There is a Maharana Pratap Museum, Maharana Pratap Smarak and Chetak Smarak built for the tourists to bear witness to the bravery of the Rana of Mewar, Maharana Pratap.

Kumbalgarh:

It is a Mewar fortress situated at a distance of about 100kms from Udaipur and is also a World Heritage Site. It was the birthplace of Maharana Pratap and the wall of the fort is the second largest wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China.

Mount Abu:

The most popular and the only hill staion of Rajasthan, Mount Abu is situated in the Aravallis at a distance of about 164kms from Udaipur. Here you could spend your time at the peaceful Nakki Lake, visit the Dilwara Temples and witness its exquisite architecture, watch the beautiful sunset from the sunset point,climb down 750 steps to Gaumukh (stream of hot water that flows 265*24*7: the source being unknown), climb up to the highest peak of the Aravallis; Guru Shikhar. You could also shop at the local markets there while enjoying the Choco Dip Softy.

Chittorgarh:

Located at a distance of 117kms from Udaipur, Chitorgarh is home to the largest fort of India; The Chittaurgarh Fort where Rana Pratap grew up. There is a light and sound show staged everyday from 7p.m. to 8p.m.

Nathdwara:

45kms away from Udaipur, Nahdwara is the land of temples. It is famous for its Krishna Temple that houses the idol of Shrinathji, a 14th century avatar of Lord Krishna.

Jaisamand Lake:

Also known as Dhebar Lake. Situated at a distance of 74 kms from Udaipur City, it is India's second largest Artificial Lake. The Dhebar Lake Marble Dam built on the lake is of 300meters in length is also a part of the Heriage Monuments of India.

Ranakpur:

91kms away from Udaipur, Ranakpur is known for its Marble Jain Temple and also a Sun Temple.

For Hunger Pangs: ( Certified By Me )

Non Vegetarians/ Fine Dine: *Ambrai- Amet Haveli, Tribute, Biryani House, *Royal Cuisine- Chunda Palace, *Barbeque Nation, Chandni- Oberoi, Shamiana, Rajwada Bites, *Itihaas- Radisson Group, Panna Vilas, Raaj Bagh, (Sunset Terrace: Haven't tried yet) .

Vegetarians: been here: *Natraj Dining Hall. Haven't been here(as I'm a hardcore Non Vegetarian but Zomato certifies them: ( Mathara, Jaipur Jungle, Udaipuri, Traditional Khana, Gordhan Thal)

Confectionery: Apple Delight, Le Cakery, Celebration Bakery, Jheel's, The Chocolate Room, The Bake Affair.

Coffeholics: *Apple Delight, *Brewmen, Brewsberry, *Sai Sagar, Grasswood Cafe, Kava Lounge

Chinese: *Work by the Lake, Radisson Blu

Mexican: *Amber, Amet Haveli

Fast Food: Apart from the usual Dominos/Subway/Pizza Hut/Mc Donalds we have:

*Grill Hub, *Brewmen, Brewsberry, Shakes n Bites, (Chicken Momos: at Chetak Circle), Sai Sagar, Rooti Wraps and rolls, *Crave Eat Repeat, Mic n Munch

South Indian: *Purohit Cafe, Vaango!, *Sankalp

Street Food: Bombay Market - Sukhadia Circle, Bombay Bazaar - Fatehsagar Lake, Stalls near Town Hall

* My Absolute Favourite!

(view of city palace from the restaurant Royal Cuisine ( Chunda Palace )

Potato Tornado at Crave Eat Repeat. Zomato Handle: https://www.zomato.com/udaipur/crave-eat-repeat-panchwati

Grasswood Cafe: Zomato Handle: https://www.zomato.com/udaipur/grasswood-cafe-chandpole

For a detail review here is my Zomato Handle: https://www.zomato.com/absoheinequity

For Shopaholics:

Hathipole:

I love the market! Being the main market of the city, you get almost all that you want here. Lehengas, Saarees, Rajputi Dress, Mojris, Juttis, Handicrafts, Bedsheets; seek and you shall find.

Jagdish Temple Street

This market is located on both the sides of Jagdish Temple. It has a vast collection of Camel Leather handbags and personal diaries, handmade colourful jackets, traditional jewelry, cloth umbrellas with mirror work, handmade bags, souvenirs etc.

Bada Bazaar

located near city palace, Bada Bazaar is also a traveler's delight. It has big showrooms selling imported items to local shopkeepers selling stuff that you could just die for. It also has shops selling cloth lanterns, camel leather wallets and handbags, silver and camel bone jewelry, handmade shoes etc.

Malda Street

in the by lanes located in the heart of the city is Malda Street which is just perfect for female shopaholics! All kinds of jewelry are available here. Silver and Gold to Kundan and Meenakari and Thewa Jewelry . Bangles and the traditional lakdi or Mangtika and Jhumkas. Even if you wish to design a dress/suit or sari of your own, you could buy tassels, laces, stones and all the matching clothing accessories you'd need.

( here we are, all Udaipuri for a wedding in Maharashtra )

Bapu Bazaar

It is a potters hub.You get pottery, shoes, electronics, traditional clothes etc. The market houses a lot of sweet sellers too. It is basically an electronics market.

Festivals:

The Udaipur Lantern Festival:

Hundreds of enthusiasts gather together for the Lantern Festival where the skies are filled with lighters. The #ULF every year is organised by The Udaipur Blog. The passes are available usually at various outlets in the city. There are Selfie booths and various stalls are set up, along with a Musical Evening.

The Udaipur Lake Festival:

To spread awareness about the lakes and its cleanliness The Udaipur Lake Festival is celebrated. Udaipur is the city of lakes, all of them being artificial water reservoirs. The festival encompasses series of invents such as Kayaking, Canoeing, Dragon Boat race, Marathons, Cyclothons, Bird Watching, Eco Tour and Light and Sound show and Musical Evenings every night amongst other various attractions.

Udaipur World Music Festival:

Singers, Performers and Bands from all over the world come in unison for the World Music Festival with a message that Music knows no boundary or nationality. Bands such as Papon & the East India Company, Sonam Kalra & the Sufi Gospel Project are few of the big names who've graced the stage in the #UWMF

National Theatre Festival:

Natyansh Society of Dramatics and Performing Arts, aims at creating awareness about social issues and bringing about a radical strange through their original scripts portrayed via Nukkad Natak, Theatre, Stage Shows and other various workshops. They organize a National Theatre Festival 'Alfaaz' every year encouraging even school children to come up and exhibit their talents and make others aware about the issues prevalent in the society.

During past three years of existence of Natyansh, they have done more than 600 shows of street and stage plays. Their plays are generally about social and political issues, and performed for raising awareness more than the aesthetics. The plays promote social justice, democracy and pluralism. The subject of plays range from women empowerment, plight of elders in our society, drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse, internet and mobile addiction, forest degradation to female infanticide and illegal abortions. Their voice has reached to an audience of about 3 lac people through various theatrical activities, shows and social network and the number is increasing day by day. Natyansh encourages another look, another thought, another stop, another connection with humanity through raising questions towards social and political change. They believe in ‘entertainment with substantial content’.

Theatre Festival ‘Alfaaz’ started in 2013 as a one day program, which has now grown and expanded into a national level festival. This year the festival is spread over 19 days which has various events around theatre. In the previous festivals, we have seen the participation of top regional artists, nationally known artists and lots of local passionate artists. It has become a much awaited festival in the state.

visit http://natyansh.org/ Fb Page: https://www.facebook.com/Natyansh/

The Shilpgram Utsav:

Shipgram Utsav is organized every year in the last week of December and lasts usually for 10 days. Every day by 11a.m. the market cum exhibition opens for the tourists and localities and by 6p.m. the cultural program is staged where performers from every state exhibit their talents and enthrall us with their rich cultural heritage, all under one roof.

The Food Drive:

In a first of its kind, Food Drive was organised by the Udaipur Blog which started at the OMG Food Court, proceeded to Brewsberry and ended royally at the Chunda Palace. It was an effort to unite the Foodies and do something truly unique.

visit http://www.udaipurblog.com/ and instagram.com/udaipurblog/

for more details about upcoming events!
Details about the New Year Eve Parties is now up on the website! Yayy!

Now that I have covered almost all the aspects that I can possibly think of, I'll conclude this post and all I have to say is:

पधारो सा मारा उदयपुर मा 🙏