SAJJANGARH FORT AND BIOLOGICAL PARK

SAJJANGARH FORT –

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 (1874–1884) 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. Previously owned by the Mewar royal family, it is now under the control of the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan and has recently been opened to the public. The palace provides a beautiful view of the sunset. It was during Sajjan Singh's rule that Udaipur gained recognition as the second Municipality in India, after Bombay. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in preserving and developing the Mewar kingdom, and to remind him that his was a princely state under the British Raj, he was conferred the title of "Grand Commander of the Star of India" in November 1881 by Lord Ripon, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's crowning as the Empress of India. The palace, built with white marble, is located on Bansdara peak of the Aravalli hill range at an elevation of 944 m (3100 ft) above mean sea level, overlooking Lake Pichola from the west about 1,100 ft (340 m) below the palace. The white marble palace has high turrets and guards regulating each of the towers. The palace has a grand central court with a staircase and many rooms and quarters. The palace is built on marble pillars, which are carved with exquisite motifs of leaves and flowers. The walls are plastered with lime mortar. At night, the illuminated palace with the Rajasthani architecture comprising domes, fountains and jharokas gives it a fairy tale beauty. The Monsoon Palace is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Udaipur and overlooks Lake Pichola. The palace can be accessed by a winding road through the surrounding Sajjan Singh Sanctuary by taxi or 'auto rickshaw'. The palace and the Sajjan Singh Sanctuary are major attractions and are open to visitors until sunset. A boat ride across Lake Pichola in Udaipur provides excellent views of the palace and allows visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of the palace.

SAJJANGARH BIOLOGICAL PARK –

Sajjangarh Biological Park is a zoological garden located in Udaipur. This biological park is situated just beneath the Sajjangarh Palace, around 4 km from the city center. Construction of this park started off in 2004-05 under the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project, with financial assistance of Japan International Co-operation Agency. The park is developed over an area of 36 hectares, with a budget of 21.70 crore rupees. This park was an outcome of the fact that existing zoo Gulab Bagh failed to facilitate the norms prescribed norms by the Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi. During its construction, the civil construction works are being executed by the Rajasthan State Road Development and Construction Corporation Ltd., while service road was built by the Public Works Department.The forestry related works are being done by the Forest Department. The park was inaugurated on 12 April 2015 by Prakash Javdekar, an Indian Minister holding portfolios of Environment and Forests. The zoo has different varieties of animals and birds which have been brought from different parts of world. At present, it houses 60 animals of 21 species including tigers, panthers, lions, ostriches, alligators, rhesus monkeys etc. Within two months of its inauguration, the park has received more than 46,000 visitors in a month, generating revenue of Rs 14 lakh for the forest department, which is a record in itself.