Venice of the East

Udaipur Located in Rajasthan, India

Coordinates: 24.58°N 73.68°E

Country INDIA
State Rajasthan
District Udaipur District
Total Area 64 km2 (25 sq mi)
Elevation 600 m (2,000 ft)
Population (2011)
 Total 598,685
 Rank 6th
 Density 242/Km2 (630/sq mi)
Languages
 Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 313001/24
Telephone Code 0294
Vehicle Registration RJ-27
Nearest city Jodhpur, Kota, Jaipur, Indore

Udaipur is a city, a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located 403 kilometers (250 mi) southwest of the state capital, Jaipur and 250 km (155 mi) northeast from Ahmadabad. Udaipur is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. The Sisodia clan of Rajputs ruled the Mewar and its capital were shifted from Chittorgarh to Udaipur after founding city of Udaipur by Maharana Uday Singh. The Mewar province became part of Rajasthan after India became independent.

Udaipur is a very popular tourist destination. Apart from its history, culture, and scenic locations, it is also known for its Rajput-era palaces. The Lake Palace, for instance covers an entire island in the Pichola Lake. Many of the palaces have been converted into luxury hotels. It is often called the “Venice of the East”, and is also nicknamed the “Lake City” or “City of Lakes”. Lake Pichhola, Fateh Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar in this city are considered some of the most beautiful lakes in the state.

History

Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II as the final capital of the erstwhile Mewar kingdom, located in the fertile circular valley “Girwa” to the southwest of Nagda, on the Banas River, the first capital of the Mewar kingdom. This area already had a thriving trading town of “Ayad” which had served as capital of Mewar for over 200 years and 17 rulers of Mewar had ruled from Ayad town of Girwa Valley (~10-12th centuries, Ruler #18-34), still earlier (4+1) Rawals ruled from Nagda; so the “Girwa” (& adjoining) valley was already well-known to Chittor rulers who moved to it whenever the vulnerable tableland (Mesa) Chittorgarh was threatened with enemy attacks. Maharana Udai Singh II, in the wake of 16th century emergence of artillery warfare decided to move his capital to a more secure location, importance of which he had realized during his exile at Kumbhalgadh. Ayad was flood-prone, hence he chose the ridge east of Pichola Lake to start his new capital city, where he came upon a hermit while hunting in the foothills of the Aravalli Range. The hermit blessed the king and asked him to build a palace on the spot, assuring him it would be well protected. Udai Singh II consequently established a residence on the site. In November 1567, the Mughal emperor Akbar attacked & laid siege of the venerated fort of Chittor, which was reduced to one of the 84 forts of Mewar.

As the Mughal empire weakened, the Sisodia Ranas, and later maharanas (also called the Guhilots or Suryavansh), who had always tried to oppose Mughal dominance, reasserted their independence and recaptured most of Mewar except for Chittor. Udaipur remained the capital of the state, which became a princely state of British India in 1818. Being a mountainous region and unsuitable for heavily armored Mughal horses, Udaipur remained safe from Mughal influence in spite of much pressure. The rajvansh of Udaipur was one of the oldest dynasties of the world. Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar (the Royal Family of Udaipur), is the current symbolic ruler of the city.

Geography and Climate

Udaipur is located at 24.525049°N 73.677116°E. It has an average elevation of 598.00 m (1,962 ft). It is located in the southern region of Rajasthan and is close to Gujarat. It has five major lakes, which are under restoration with funds provided by the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) of the Government of India.

Udaipur’s autumn/winter climate is the most appealing time to pay her a visit. Tourists arrive in numbers, anytime between mid-September to late March or early April. Even in January, the coldest month, the days are bright, sunny and warm with maximum temperature around 28.3 °C (82.9 °F) Mornings, evenings and nights are cold with minimum temperature around 11.6 °C (52.9 °F) especially if there is a slight breeze in the air.

Tourist Destination