Udaipur
- Jaisamand- Nathadwara- Dungarpur
 Udaipur:
A city known for its lakes, it is also considered to be one
of the most romantic cities in Rajasthan. The huge marble
palaces, the beautiful gardens and the blue lakes enhance
the beauty of this city. This city has a legend of its known.
It is said that the founder of this city Maharana Udai Singh,
and capital of his kingdom Chittorgarh were repeatedly getting
sacked by the Mughal armies. In 1567, the army of Emperor
Akbar sacked the fort and forced Udai Singh to run away and
find a place for himself in the surrounding Aravalli hills.
Udai Singh was advised to shift to the banks of Lake Pichola
and he created the new capital that is known as Udaipur. The
City Palace is approached through Tripolia Gate and has several
carved balconies, arches and decorated pillars. Located inside
are the Suraj Gokhada or Sun Balcony, Bada Mahal, Sheesh Mahal,
Bhim Vilas, Chini Citrasala and Mor Chowk. The Zenana Mahal,
Fateh Prakash, Durbar Hall and Shambu Niwas are other places
of interest.
Close to the City Palace is the Jagdish temple dedicated to
Lord Jaganath. It has imposing sculpted figures and heavily
ornamented interiors. At a short distance is the Sahelion-ki-Bari
or the Garden of Maidens which has four pools and delicately
carved kiosks and elephants in marble. Built in early 18th
century, this is a popular tourist spot.
Sajjan Niwas and its Gulab Bagh, Machchalaya Magra, Doodh
Talai, Jag Mandir, Moti Magri, Nathani-ka-Chabutra, Sajjan
Garh palace are some of the other interesting sights. The
city also has other attractions like the Bhartiya Lok Kala
Museum, the Shilpa Gram, Nehru Park and several hunting lodges
dotting the surroundings hills. The Ahar village and Museum
is of great archaeological importance. Close to it is the
Gangabhar Kund where cenotaphs of the rulers of Mewar are
grouped together. A little outside Udiapur is the Shri Eklingji
Temple complex which houses 108 temples and Nagda where the
temples of Saas-Bahu and Adbhutji are to be seen. More temples
can be found at Rajsamand and Kankroli which are located fairly
close to Udaipur. Haldighati lies 27 km north of Udaipur.
Nathdwara : Nathdwara
is a renowned pilgrimage for the devotees of Krishna and Vishnu
alike. The main Shrinathji temple attracts devotees throughout
the year. Cloth paintings, or Pichhawais of Nathwara are famous
and it is still possible to see artists working on these intricate
paintings. The narrow lanes of Nathdwara have many shops keeping
this old artform alive.
Jaisamand : Built in 1685 by Maharaja Jai Singh,
this is one of the largest lakes in Asia. Located 51 km south-east
of Udaipur, there are some elegant marble cenotaphs on its
banks and a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. On either
side of the lake were the summer palaces built for the Maharanis
of that time which today house government offices. The lake
attracts several species of migratory birds while the Jaisamand
Wildlife Sanctuary is the home of different species of animals.
Dungarpur : Founded in
early 13th century by Rana Dungar Singh, Dungarpur lies a
little off the beaten track for the average tourist. The Juna
Palace and Udai Vilas Palace are the main attraction here
and the interiors have some of the most well preserved wall
paintings. This has been largely due to the fact that the
inaccessibility of the region did not allow invaders to deface
them. Udai Sagar is another area of great natural beauty.
|
|
