Udaipur - The Lake City

DAY 8 – UDAIPUR

We woke up late next day and then went for breakfast in our hotel. After a nice breakfast enjoying the view of #Lake Pichola we headed to #Jagdish Temple which was walking distance from our Hotel.

Jagdish Temple is devoted to Lord Vishnu. It is a temple as beautifully carved as the ones seen in South India. The carvings on the stone are really impressive and you will find yourself staring at them for a while.

After the temple visit we headed for a guided tour of the #City Palace which is located on the bank of Lake Pichola. Many parts of the palace have magnificent work with glass and many rooms also have mesmerizing paintings made directly on the wall. Any visitor to the palace museum should not miss out the peacock courtyard, which is the most beautiful courtyard of the palace. 

Cannons at the entrance of City Palace

Peacock Courtyard

Sheesh Mahal

Coloured Glass Work

When we visited the City Palace it was extremely crowded and at times it was suffocating because of the narrow pathways that the Palace has.

City View from the Palace

Lake view from the Palace

After the City Palace we made our way to the city’s another landmark #Sahelion Ki Bari. The garden is beautiful but not extraordinary. It is a garden with beautiful fountains. It is said that the garden was built for the queen of Udaipur.

Sahelion ki Bari

After a nice sumptuous meal, the men of the team went to the hotel to take a nap and the ladies strolled the market near the hotel for shopping. Visit to a place is not complete without bringing back a couple of memorabilia. We bought few more jutis and beautiful neck pieces.  

In the evening we headed to Lake Pichola for a boat ride. The boat ride gave us the opportunity to see the #Lake Palace and #Jagmandir from a distance. The Lake Palace is a luxurious hotel today in the middle of the lake. It appears as if the palace is floating in the blue water of Lake Pichola.

Beautiful Sunset

Palace and lake both take on a spectacular glow with the illuminations at twilight, leaving us entranced with their almost ethereal beauty.

The Lake Palace

The City Palace from the Lake

After the beautiful boat ride we went to 3 Bagore ki Haveli which is located at Lake Pichola for a folk cultural show (a must watch, evening show from 7 pm to 8 pm). The cultural show 3Darohar (meaning Heritage) showcases the various folk dances of Rajasthan like kalbelia and teratal manjira dance among others.

Darohar - The cultural program

It’s a small informal gathering in the courtyard of the haveli. The host introduces us to the history and origin of various Rajasthani dance and other folk arts before the artists perform them. The show ends with the performance of a dancer dancing on the glass pieces while balancing 13 pots on her head. The performances were mesmerizing and the atmosphere was electrifying.

Folk Dance

Since its one of the favourites especially among the foreigners the whole courtyard gets filled quickly going early and securing a seat would not be a bad idea; else you might have to stand at the back. The road to haveli is congested and parking is a huge problem so keep this in mind if you plan to reach there in a self driven vehicle.

Rajasthani Group Dance

The Balancing Act

After the mesmerizing Rajasthani folk dance we headed to our hotel where we enjoyed our dinner at the terrace taking in the view of the lake and keeping myself warm in November cold night of Udaipur. A mild breeze blowing on a full moon starry night with a nice view of the lake was the perfect setting for spending a few hours.