ADVENTUROUS THINGS TO DO IN UDAIPUR

1 CITY PALACE –

The City Palace in Udaipur was built in a colourful style and is considered the largest of its type in the state of Rajasthan. It was built atop a hill, in a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, providing a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. Overlooking Lake Pichola, several historic monuments like the Lake Palace, Jag Mandir, Jagdish Temple, Monsoon Palace, and Neemach Mata temple, are all in the vicinity of the palace complex. The palaces within the complex are interlinked through a number of chowks or quadrangles with zigzag corridors, planned in this fashion to avoid surprise attacks by enemies. Erected in the complex, after entering through the main Tripolia gate, are the Suraj Gokhda, the Mor-chowk, the Dilkhush Mahal, the Surya Chopar, the Sheesh Mahal, the Moti Mahal, the Krishna Vilas, Shambu Niwas, the Bhim Vilas, the Amar Vilas that faces the Badi Mahal, the Fateprakash Palace and the Shiv Niwas Palace; the last two have been converted into heritage hotels. The complex is set with facilities of a post office, bank, travel agency, numerous craft shops and also an Indian boutique belonging to the World Wildlife Fund. The entire complex is the property of the Mewar royal family with various trusts maintaining the structures.

2 LAKE PICHOLA –

Lake Pichola is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several adjacent lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around Udaipur. The lakes around Udaipur were primarily created by building dams to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of the city and its neighbourhood. There are four islands on the lake:

Jag Niwas, where the Lake Palace is built.

Jag Mandir, with the palace of the same name.

Mohan Mandir, from where the king would watch the annual Gangaur festival celebration.

Arsi Vilas, Small Island which was an ammunition depot, but also a small palace. This one was built by one of the maharanas of Udaipur to enjoy the sunset on the lake. It is also a sanctuary catering to a variety of birds, including tufted ducks, coots, egrets, terns, cormorants and kingfishers.

The Natini Chabutra is a raised platform in a courtyard, built to commemorate a "natani" (tightrope walker) legend. Maharana Jawan Singh (1828–38), in an inebriated state, is stated to have assured a "natani" that half the kingdom of Mewar would be gifted to her if she crossed the lake over a tightrope stretched across the lake from a village on the west bank of the lake to the City Palace on the east bank. It is said that she was tricked since the rope got cut off before she was to reach the other end of the rope. The girl plunged into the lake and drowned. Before she died, it is believed that she cursed that the Maharana’s family, who from then on would not have any direct descendents or heirs. This curse is claimed to have come true, since six Ranas out of the seven succeeding Jawan Singh were adopted sons.

3 HALDIGHATI –

Haldighati is a mountain pass in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan in western India which connects Rajsamand and Pali districts. The pass is located at a distance of 40 kilometres from Udaipur. The name 'Haldighati' is believed to have originated from the turmeric-coloured yellow soil of the area. The mountain pass is a significant historical location. It is the site of the Battle of Haldighati, which took place in 1576 between the Kingdom of Mewar and the Mughal Army led by king Mansingh. Maharana Pratap led the armed forces of Mewar against the Mughals who fought under the command of Mughal emperor Akbar's general Man Singh I of Amer. Maharana Pratap's horse Chetak played a pivotal role in the Battle of Haldighati. Chetak was fatally wounded in this battle and died on 21 June 1576. Maharana Pratap erected a small monument for his horse at the place where Chetak fell. The cenotaph still exists at Haldighati. Haldighati is also known for its charity rose product and the mud art of Molela. Much emphasis is being laid for promoting a private cottage industry by the Department of Tourism.

4 HORSE RIDING –

A great way to discover the rural areas of Southern Rajasthan is a horse ride. On horseback you can visit small villages and discover the landscape of the lower Aravalli Mountains which surround Udaipur. The region has many small and bigger lakes and a great variety of wildlife such as different birds, monkeys, smaller animals and even antelopes or gazelles. Short rides are suitable for beginners and non-riders also as they are varied in pace and difficulty to suit the riders. Overnight and longer programs are strictly for riders only and you should be in a good condition.  There are 3 operators in Udaipur mentioned in the Lonely Planet to offer horseback rides, all of them having mostly Marwari horses. They vary in quality: Princess Trails and Pratap Country Inn, which are near each other. On the other side of the city is a place called Kumbha Palace.  

5 BOAT RIDING –

Boat ride is a must do activities in Udaipur, there are several sparkling lakes with serene water in and around Udaipur. The Maharana created the lake for drinking and irrigation of mewar region. They connected lake properly in hundreds of year’s back which now became a life line of Udaipur.  Main and most attractive lake is Pichola Lake. You may spend hours to appreciate the beauty of this manmade lake .There are a few points where you can get a boat to enjoy the ride and surrounding. Boats run from rameshwar ghat which is part of palace complex.  Sharing boats are available round the clock. it is almost one hour boat tour .but not required to book in advance  it is first come first serve basis. Charges of morning sharing boats are   Rs.530 per person including complex tickets and afternoon sharing boat are Rs.730 per person. These boat stop at jagmandir island where you can roam around or use high end restaurant for drinks or food .

6 MONSOON PALACE –

High in the Aravalli Hills, just outside Udaipur, the Palace is illuminated in the evenings, giving a golden orange glow. The Monsoon Palace, also known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is a hilltop palatial residence in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. It is named Sajjangarh after Maharana Sajjan Singh of the Mewar Dynasty, who built it in 1884. The palace offers a panoramic view of the city's lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. It was built chiefly to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace. It is said that the Maharana built it at the top of the hill to get a view of his ancestral home, Chittorgarh. The palace provides a beautiful view of the sunset. It was originally planned to make it a five-storey astronomical centre. The plan was cancelled with Maharana Sajjan Singh's premature death. It was then turned into a monsoon palace.

7 VINTAGE CAR MUSEUM –

Vintage and Classic Car Museum is a car museum in Udaipur, having some of the rarest classic and vintage car collection. This museum is owned by Arvind Singh Mewar. The Vintage and Classic Car Museum, or Vintage & Classic Car Collection was unveiled to general public on 15 February 2000. It was inaugurated by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, founder of the National Motor Museum in England. The Vintage & Classic Car Collection is a car collection and a museum, showing all the vehicles belonging to the Maharanas of Mewar both past and present. The collection is housed in the original former Mewar State Motor Garage, which currently serves as this museum. Garden Hotel and Restaurant, a property of HRH Group of Hotels, Udaipur, is also contained within the garage’s grounds. The semi-circular motor garage with its forecourt is housed within a greater courtyard. It also houses one of the original Shell petrol pumps, which is still assumed to be in usable condition. Despite some vehicles being over seventy years old, each one is still kept in working condition. The Vintage and Classic Car Museum has around 20 antique cars, including 4 Rolls-Royce's, 2 Cadillac’s, one MG-TC convertible, one Ford-A Convertible, one Vauxhall-12 and several other exhibits like solar powered rikshaws and many more.

8 ROPEWAYS –

It serves as a boon for the people who intend to visit the historical locations at the Machhala Hill and the renowned Karni Mata Temple. In the previous days people used to strive hard and climb numerous stairs in order to seek blessings of the Goddess, with the construction of Ropeway, several worshippers who were unable to climb up the stairs, fulfilled their wish by travelling in the ropeway up hill. The Ropeway was commenced in 2008, in order to ease the process of browsing historical locations and seek blessings of the Goddess Karni. The ropeway is bi-directional. The ropeway is extended from the Deen Dayal Park (Dood Talai) till the Machhala Hill near the temple of Goddess Karni. One can cherish the enchanting panoramic view of the mesmerizing city including Sajjangarh Fort, City Palace Complex, Pichola Lake, Fateh Sagar Lake, and to add the cherry on the top the fascinating landscape view of the Aravalli Mountains. One can also witness the golden sunset from the ropeway by scheduling their ropeway trip around 6:30 to 7:00 pm. One Gondola can accommodate 6 people at a time.

9 SOLAR OBSERVATORIES –

The Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) is on an island in the Fateh Sagar Lake. The sky conditions at Udaipur are quite favourable for solar observations. Since the observatory is situated amidst a large mass of water, air turbulence which occurs due to ground heating by sun's rays is decreased. This improves the image quality and accuracy. The observatory was built in 1976 by Dr. Arvind Bhatnagar following the model of the Solar Observatory at Big Bear Lake in Southern California. Later, he was joined by Dr. Ashok Ambastha in 1983 and subsequently by many others at different stages who have continued further contributing to the growth of this observatory.

10 LAKE PALACE –

Taj Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas) is a luxury hotel, which has 83 rooms and suites featuring white marble walls. The Lake Palace is located on the island of Jag Niwas in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, and its natural foundation spans 4 acres. The hotel operates a speed boat which transports guests to the hotel from a jetty at the City Palace. The palace was constructed facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn. The successive rulers used this palace as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens. The walls made of black and white marbles are adorned by semi-precious stones and ornamented niches. Gardens, fountains, pillared terraces and columns line its courtyards. The Lake Palace was built between 1743 and 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a winter palace. It was initially called Jan Niwas after its founder.