Udaipur (उदयपुर)

Udaipur sits in a bowl of the Aravalli hills in southern Rajasthan. Maharana Udai Singh II founded it in 1553 as the new capital of the Mewar kingdom, ruled by the Sisodia Rajputs, and in 1559 he began building his great palace there.

The city grew around a chain of man-made lakes, and its rulers built marble palaces right at the water's edge. That is why travellers call it the City of Lakes, and sometimes the Venice of the East.

Founded: 1553
Founder: Maharana Udai Singh II
Kingdom: Mewar
Language: Mewari, Hindi

Inside the letter

City Palace. Begun by Udai Singh II in the mid-1500s and added to by Maharanas for roughly 400 years, this complex of courtyards, towers and mirror-work halls rises above the east bank of Lake Pichola. It is one of the largest palace complexes in Rajasthan. Source
Lake Pichola. An artificial lake said to date from the late 1300s, long before the city existed, and later enlarged by Udai Singh II. Boats from the palace ghats still carry visitors out to its island palaces. Source
Lake Palace (Jag Niwas). Built between 1743 and 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II as a summer palace on an island. Today it is a hotel that seems to float on the water. Source
Jag Mandir. A second island palace. In the 1620s it sheltered Prince Khurram, who later became the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal. Source
Fateh Sagar Lake. First dammed in 1678 by Maharana Jai Singh, then rebuilt and renamed by Maharana Fateh Singh in the late 1800s. Nehru Park sits on the largest of its three islands. Source
Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace). Begun in 1884 by Maharana Sajjan Singh on a hilltop west of the city. It was first planned as an observatory for watching monsoon clouds; he died before it was finished, and Maharana Fateh Singh completed it. Source
Saheliyon-ki-Bari. The "Garden of the Maidens", laid out in the early 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh II, with a lotus pool, marble elephants and fountains for the royal women. Source
Mewar Festival. Held in spring during Gangaur. Women carry idols of the goddess Gauri in a procession to Gangaur Ghat on Lake Pichola, with music and dance. Source
Shilpgram Utsav. A ten-day crafts fair every December at Shilpgram, a rural arts village outside the city where artisans from western India show their work. Source
Mewar miniature painting. A tradition of small, richly detailed paintings of court life, royal hunts and festivals, made with very fine brushes and natural colours. Source
Pichwai. Large cloth paintings made for the Shrinathji temple in nearby Nathdwara, showing Krishna with cows, lotuses and seasonal festivals. Source
Kathputli puppets. Rajasthan's string puppets tell old stories of kings and heroes. Udaipur's Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal has a whole museum of them. Source
Dharohar dance show. An evening show, long held at Bagore ki Haveli, where dancers perform Rajasthani folk dances, including Bhavai, where a dancer balances a tall stack of pots on her head. Source
Dal Baati Churma. Hard wheat balls (baati) baked over fire, cracked open and soaked in ghee, eaten with spicy dal and sweet crumbled churma. Source
Gatte ki Sabzi. Gram-flour dumplings, boiled or steamed, in a tangy yoghurt curry. A good dish for a desert land where fresh vegetables were scarce. Source
Ker Sangri. A desert-bean and wild-berry dish cooked with spices. Both ingredients grow in the dry lands of Rajasthan. Source
Mirchi Vada. A big green chilli stuffed with spiced potato, dipped in gram-flour batter and fried. It comes from Jodhpur and is loved across Rajasthan. Source
Laal Maas. A fiery mutton curry, red from Mathania chillies grown near Jodhpur. A Rajput dish, it is loved across Rajasthan. Source
A Bond film was shot here. The 1983 James Bond film Octopussy used the Lake Palace and the Monsoon Palace as filming locations. Source
Maharana Pratap. Mewar's most famous ruler fought the Mughal army led by Man Singh at the Battle of Haldighati in 1576, in the Aravalli hills north of Udaipur. The Mughals won the day, but Pratap escaped and fought on for the rest of his life. Source
The sun on the walls. The Mewar rulers traced their line to the sun god, so a huge ornamental sun shines in the Surya Chopar (Sun Square) of the City Palace. Source
Lakes that talk to each other. Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar are linked through the smaller Swaroop Sagar lake and a canal, so water can flow between them. Source

Through the years

1553: Udaipur is founded. Maharana Udai Singh II founds a new capital for the Mewar kingdom in a bowl of the Aravalli hills, beside Lake Pichola.
1559: Work begins on the City Palace. Six years after founding the city, Udai Singh II starts the palace on the east bank of Lake Pichola. Later Maharanas keep adding to it for about 400 years.
1576: The Battle of Haldighati. In the hills north of the city, Maharana Pratap fights the Mughal army led by Man Singh. The Mughals win the day, but Pratap escapes and keeps fighting; Mewar remembers him as its greatest hero.
1615: Peace with the Mughals. After years of war, Maharana Amar Singh I, Pratap's son, makes peace with the emperor Jahangir. Prince Khurram, the future Shah Jahan, negotiates it.
1746: The Lake Palace is finished. Maharana Jagat Singh II completes Jag Niwas, a summer palace on an island in Lake Pichola. Today it seems to float on the water.
1948: Udaipur joins Rajasthan. After independence Maharana Bhupal Singh signs Mewar into India, and on 18 April 1948 he becomes Rajpramukh, the head, of the new state of Rajasthan.

Sources: Udaipur's founding (Eternal Mewar) · Udaipur (Rajasthan Tourism) · Sisodia dynasty · Mewari language · Khamma Ghani greeting

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What is Virasat?

Virasat means heritage. This is a small, playful place to learn about two great Indian cities. You pick a city, Gaju walks you there, and a letter arrives with that city's stamp on it. Inside are its palaces and bridges, its festivals, its food and its stories, and a few questions at the end to press your seal into the wax.

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Udaipur

Marble palaces on mirror lakes, in the old kingdom of Mewar.

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Durga Puja, College Street's books, trams and the great bridge over the Hooghly.

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