Udaipur
Travel Advice for Seniors: Udaipur
Udaipur is one of the most beautiful cities we visited in India. It was founded by Maharana Udai Singh II in 1559 and is set around a series of artificial lakes, enhancing its beauty. It was formerly the capital of the Mewar Kingdom.
Udaipur is called The White City of India, because of the large number of Rajput-style palaces. It has an exquisite royal residence in the City Palace, which is made up of eleven different palaces, all situated next to Lake Pichola.
We headed from Jaipur, the pink city, to Udaipur, the white city. Along the way, we stopped at Ranakpur for a look at the Chaturmukha Dharana Vihara, or Śvētāmbara Jain temple, which is dedicated to Tirthankara Rishabhanath and is a major pilgrimage site. Jainism advocates right speech, right thought and right action to achieve salvation. What makes this temple so special is that none of the 1444 intricately carved pillars are alike. The detail is simply incredible, this is a “must see” stop.
There were also plenty of other interesting sights on the way to Udaipur. Following the temple tour, we stopped at a local market for a look around. The market featured sari fabrics with red/gold trimmed veils and wedding finery and a great deal of offertory flowers among other things. We also saw a gentleman on his motorcycle with a goat strapped into the side pannier (!) and stopped for a look at some Langur Mountain monkeys who were rather demanding of some monkey cookies!
Another sight on the way was a lovely Indian woman dressed in a brilliant magenta sari doing laundry beside a very deep water well. Water was being pumped by cows that she would drive around in a circle to power the water wheel, thus pumping the water out in a trickle needed to do her laundry. It is interesting to see how things worked before the advent of electricity!
We arrived after lunch at our hotel, the Jagat Niwas Palace, which was situated right on Lake Pichola. It was up a steep hill, which required the use of a tuk-tuk for our arrival with luggage, but it was well worth the future walks! Our nicely appointed room looked out over the lake, and we spent a lot of time just admiring the view and watching the local boats go by. Highly recommended accommodation.
First stop the next day was the main attraction, City Palace. The palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh starting in 1553 and continued for over 400 years. It is a mix of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is the largest palace in Rajasthan. The palace is still home to the ruling royal family.
Interestingly, the day that we visited, there happened to be a major procession forming up to commemorate the Cure of Smallpox. This procession included many uniformed and costumed men and decked out horses, plus bagpipers, a full marching band and the royalty themselves accompanying a very large ceremonial urn of rice to make an offering at a local temple. Serendipity strikes again!
Next up was Jagdish Temple, located just outside the royal palace. It has been in continuous worship since 1651. Built by Maharana Jagat Singh, this temple honors Lord Vishnu, the Hindu mythological guardian of the cosmos. It is a magnificent work of white marble with exceptionally intricate carvings. Note that it has 32 steps so take your time. At the time of our visit, the god Krishna was being washed and decorated for an upcoming event. Be sure to follow temple etiquette: Modest clothing, quiet voices and the removal of your shoes as appropriate.
Following our temple visit we stopped by the beautiful Sahel Ki Bar, or Garden of Maids, built for the royal women. It was a serene walk with all of the fountains in action and the flowers in bloom.
After a few hours break, we wrapped up the day by taking a Sunset cruise on Lake Pichola, sailing by the Taj Lake hotel, formerly the royal summer palace.
Second day was a visit to the 1000-year-old Nagda and Eklingji Temples, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The Nagda temples were built for the wife and mother of Lord Shiva. Eklingji is considered one of the most sacred and ancient temples of Lord Shiva in Rajasthan. The scenery around the temples was idyllic and serene, next to a lake with grazing cows.
We capped off our second day with a visit to the local market featuring plenty of spices and produce and a Folk Dancing Show in a lovely old building.
We greatly enjoyed our days in Udaipur and highly recommend a stop here as well as in Jaipur.
Where we stayed: Jagat Niwas Palace. Breakfast included. Nice hotel, convenient location.
How we got there: Six hour drive from Jaipur to Udaipur.This was part of a three week private tour through Nepal and India.
General Accessibility Information: India is not known for accessibility, though they are making progress by introducing ramps at some major sights. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
