City Palace, Udaipur
Ah! finally after roaming in and around Udaipur and a whole day trip to Nathdwara, the moment of reckoning comes!!! visit to the grande, magnificent City Palace, Udaipur. Built by Maharana Udai Singh, the palace has been the silent witness to rise and rise of the Mewar House of Royals. It is said that lineage of Mewar traces its origins back to Kusha, the elder son of Lord Ram and has ancestory which equals Japan's House of Mikado.
Entry tickets are available at the Tourist Information Center set up at the entrance of the Palace. A common entry ticket is of Rs. 30 which entails you for visiting only the palace premises. A visit to museum costs Rs. 115 and a boat ride in Lake Pichola with one hour visit to Jag Mandir sets u back by a cool 340 bucks. So the maths works like this a visit to museum costs you Rs. 145 (115 + 30) and likewise.
Tickets in my hand, I set out to explore and discover the hidden treasures inside the City Palace. At the entrance, one is greeted by the Royal Guards of House of Mewar. The house of Mewar still employs it's own army of guards which along with guarding the palace also play role of genial welcomers and guides for the visiting tourists. The whole Palace has 70 posts and is guarded in 3 shifts round the clock.
The Palace
Entry into the main palace grounds is through wonderfully carved Tripolia (Triple) Gate which welcomes you with all its grandeur offering you glimpse of architectural marvels inside the palace complex.
Ah! finally after roaming in and around Udaipur and a whole day trip to Nathdwara, the moment of reckoning comes!!! visit to the grande, magnificent City Palace, Udaipur. Built by Maharana Udai Singh, the palace has been the silent witness to rise and rise of the Mewar House of Royals. It is said that lineage of Mewar traces its origins back to Kusha, the elder son of Lord Ram and has ancestory which equals Japan's House of Mikado.
Entry tickets are available at the Tourist Information Center set up at the entrance of the Palace. A common entry ticket is of Rs. 30 which entails you for visiting only the palace premises. A visit to museum costs Rs. 115 and a boat ride in Lake Pichola with one hour visit to Jag Mandir sets u back by a cool 340 bucks. So the maths works like this a visit to museum costs you Rs. 145 (115 + 30) and likewise.
Tickets in my hand, I set out to explore and discover the hidden treasures inside the City Palace. At the entrance, one is greeted by the Royal Guards of House of Mewar. The house of Mewar still employs it's own army of guards which along with guarding the palace also play role of genial welcomers and guides for the visiting tourists. The whole Palace has 70 posts and is guarded in 3 shifts round the clock.
The Palace
Entry into the main palace grounds is through wonderfully carved Tripolia (Triple) Gate which welcomes you with all its grandeur offering you glimpse of architectural marvels inside the palace complex.
Tripolia Gate
Background
As you moves towards the tripolia gate, a small red plate tells a story of how and why the city palace was built. It is said that one day Maharana Udai Singh, when returning from Eklingji temple offering prayers along with his new born grand - son Amar Singh, set out for hunting and killed hare at the spot (entrance of the city palace). There he saw smoke emitting from the hillock. After tying the horse, Rana climbed the hill where he met Goswami Prem Giri ji, who asked him to build a palace on hillock and thus, City Palace was constructed.
Main Palace Complex
As you cross the Tripolia Gate, giant bastions of City Palace draw your attention on the right side. Against the backgrop of azure sky, the sight of palace leaves you wonderstruck.
As you move ahead the City palace is in full-sight for the first time and one cannot but admire the magnanimity of the palace. The palace has various towers, domes and arches which add to the flavor of the heritage site. On the left side of the main entrance of the palace is Mardana Mahal (Gents Chamber) with its balconies facing the palace gardens and on the right of main entrance is Zenana Mahal (Ladies Chamber). In all, the complex houses 11 different mahals which were built by the successive rulers of Udaipur. You have Manak Mahal ( Ruby Palace), Krishna Vilas (miniature Krishna paintings), Dilkhush Mahal ( Palace of Joy), Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) and other various palaces.
Front View : City Palace Complex
Main Entrance of Palace with Royal Emblem
Entrance in the center with Mardana Mahal on right and Zenana Mahal on Left. Mardana Mahal has towers, arches and balconies overseeing the palace grounds.
City Palace at night with all its grandeur highlighted using special lighting.
(to be continued....)
P.S: The complex is so vast that it's a gigantic task to cover everything in one post. Hence, will be posting sub-posts of this individual post...stay tuned...thanks for your patience...Happy Holi
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