This delightful little town, surrounded by orange groves and poppy fields, is dominated by a 19th century fort, the seat of the erstwhile princes of Jhalawar. It now houses government offices. An incongruous yet charming part of the fort is the Bhavani Natya Shala Theatre, which was modeled on the grand opera houses the maharaja had seen on his European tours. The old walled town of Jhalrapatan, 6 km south of the fort, has a splendid cluster of 11th century temples.
Sightseeing Places in Jhalawar
City Palace
Stretching along the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, Udaipur’s City Palace is a fascinating combination of Rajput military architecture and Mughal-style decorative techniques. Its stern, fortress-like façade, topped by a profusion of graceful balconies, cupolas and turrets, has been aptly described by one writer as a massive plain cake topped with fabulous icing. The largest palace in Rajasthan, covering an area of 2 ha, the City Palace is actually a complex of several palaces, built or added to by 22 different maharanas between the 16th and 20th centuries. Much of it is now a museum, and parts of it are luxury hotels.
Jag Mandir
Jag Mandir, with its lush gardens and marble chambers exquisitely inlaid with colored stone was built in 1620. Eight stone elephants stand solemn guard at its entrance. Between 1623 and 1624, this island palace provided refuge to Prince Khurram while he rebelled against his father. It is believed to have inspired many of his ideas for the Taj Mahal.
Jag Niwas
Jag Niwas, or the Lake Palace, built between 1734 and 1751, was once a royal summer retreat and is now one of the world’s great hotels. It is also a popular location for film shoots. Both Jag Mandir and Jag Niwas can be seen on a boat tour of Lake Pichola.
Jagdish Mandir
This 17th century temple, just north of the City Palace’s main gate, has an enormous black stone image of Vishnu in its profusely carved main shrine. The entrance is flanked by stone elephants, and a superb bronze image of Garuda stands in front of the temple.
How to reach Udaipur
By Air
Nearest airport, Maharana Pratap Airport, Udaipur, connected to Jaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Delhi and Mumbai.
By Rail
Udaipur Station has speedier connections with Delhi with the recently launched Mewar Express from Nizamuddin Station.
By Road
Udaipur is on NH8 which links Delhi to Mumbai via Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
