The Lake City of Udaipur
I was on the last week or so of my trip to India. My first impression of Udaipur was that it was the perfect place to end the Rajasthan leg of my tour. This laid back city by the lake was an ideal place to just chill and not move around so much.
Exploring the Streets of Udaipur
Like other places in India, I enjoyed walking down streets, alleys, and seeing stores that sell all kinds of items and people going about their business. People seemed more chill here compared to other big cities I've been to in India. Shopkeepers weren't as pushy about selling you something.
There's always the occasional cow meandering in the streets of India.
I found India to be a very religious country. There are always crowds of locals heading to temples to offer worship and time to their gods. Sometimes I wonder if some of the people in temples have day jobs, but I also can't ignore the number of beggars and homeless people around temples.
If the Philippines has plenty of Catholic churches, India has a ton Hindu temples all over the country. I saw a lot of Hindu temples in all of the places I visited in India.
I found India's streets and alleys endearing, disgusting, charming, grotesque, crazy, and beautiful all at the same time. But after being in Rajasthan for quite some time, I like how chill the streets and alleys are in this region, particularly in Udaipur and Jaisalmer.
Bagore-ki Haveli
Udaipur is the historic capital of the Mewar Kingdom. The Sisodia clan of Rajputs ruled the Mewar kingdom and transferred the capital from Chittorgarh to Udaipur after the founding of the city of Udaipur by Maharana Udai Singh. Like all of the places I've been to in Rajasthan, Udaipur has a popular haveli turned into a museum.
Simply put, the Bagore-ki Haveli was a display of how rich and powerful people lived during the time of the Rajputs. There should be a sign outside that says 'this was how rich people used to live' to cut to the chase.
Sarcasm aside, the Bagore-ki Haveli was another monument to the creativity, history, and culture of Rajasthan.
The intricate and detailed carvings on the walls were beautiful. The restored rooms and furnishing added to the splendor of the haveli.
There were several displays of weapons, furniture, rooms, all sorts of outfits, and music used by the powerful.
You could spend a couple of hours entering each room and admiring the former majesty of this haveli. There is a good cafe for some coffee, desserts, and snacks just outside of the haveli, I forget the name, but I had some delicious cakes there.
*There is an entrance fee of INR 100 including camera fee to enter the Bagore-ki Haveli.
The City Palace
A trip to a Rajasthan state would be incomplete without entering its city palace. The City Palace of Udaipur is a must-visit, despite the many palaces you would've visited by the time you get here.
I was already ooohhhiinnngggg and aahhhh-ing as I walked into the first gate. I was already impressed with the City Palace as I looked at its facade.
The palace complex was built in a period that spanned 400 years! The construction was started by Maharana Udai Singh II. The design of the palace merged Mughal and Rajasthani architecture.
The palace complex was so huge it was easy to get lost. There were so many villas and rooms containing artifacts.
The city palace was also used in the James Bond movie 'Octopussy' starring Roger Moore.
The way royalty lived during Udaipur's ancient past was in full display as I explored the city palace. I can't imagine the time and creativity put into designing and constructing this palace.
*There is an entrance fee of INR 340 which includes a fee for using a camera.
Sunsets
Udaipur is also known as the 'Venice of the East' and 'Lake City'. The romantic views of the sun slowly setting is one of the main attractions of the city.
I only stayed for around 3 days in Udaipur, which is always never enough in exploring and discovering what a city has to offer. I don't know if I'll ever return to Udaipur since India's just to big and I want to return and visit new places. I would recommend a trip to this marvelous city if ever you are staying for more than a week in Rajasthan. This laid back and beautiful city deserves all the attention you can give it.
*I stayed in Zostel Udaipur which had one of the best sunset views and lake palace views in the city.