Udaipur City Palace : Udaipur is an oasis in
the dry heart of Rajasthan. Udaipur
means the ‘city of Sunrise’.
Maharana Udai Singh built this city in 1567. After building this
city he enlarged the Pichola Lake and built a masonry dam Badi Pol.
The lake is four km long and three km wide. On the left bank of the
lake is the palace. To the south of the palace is a beautiful
garden. In the lake there are two small islands Jagnivas palace was
built by Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1754 and it occupies the whole
of that island. Now it is a luxury hotel with courtyards fountains,
gardens, etc. The palace on the other island was built by Maharana
Karan Singh.
The City Palace over the lake is the biggest palace in Rajasthan.
The construction of this palace was originally commenced by Maharana
Udai Singh, the city’s founder. Later on many buildings were added.
In spite of this the uniformity of design is maintained. The palace
has many balconies towers and cupolas. The upper terraces offer a
beautiful view over the lake and the city. The main part of the
palace is now converted into a museum. Among the items displayed is
the Mor Chowk with beautiful mosaics of peacocks, The Manak or Ruby
Mahal with glass and porcelain figures. Krishna Vilas has a
remarkable collection of miniatures. Beautiful mirror work is
displayed in the Moti Mahal. Other exhibits include the princely
Rolls-Royces.
