Udaipur - City Palace - photos of sightseeing in Rajasthan on Worldisround

Udaipur - City Palace

This journal, one of two or three I will produce for Udaipur, features the imposing City Palace.

Because there is a lot of dialogue in this intro already, I will save the blurb about the city of Udaipur itself (background, history) for the next journal ;o)

CITY PALACE: The majestic City Palace, located in the heart of Udaipur, on a crest overlooking Lake Pichola, is often compared with Windsor Palace in London for its elegance. The complex began with a small palace built by Maharana Udai Singh following the establishment of the ... (more)

Udaipur’s City Palace complex,
measuring 1500 feet in length by 600 to 800 feet in width, has the longest...

The facade of the Mardana Mahal,
the royal mens' palace. The Maharana would have lived here. The...

Flanked by octagonal corner towers
surmounted with cupolas, the complex is a fine blend of Rajput and...

Another exterior shot

closeup of fine details

An attractive lookout point
with a view of man-made Lake Pichola & the Aravali Hills in the...

The intimate Baadi (Badi) Mahal garden
courtyard in the Mardana Mahal (the royal mens' palace).

A partial view of Tripolia Gate
The triple-arched gate, built in 1725, is the main entrance to the...

The entrance courtyard & city view
The Tripolia Gate is located (on the left) in this courtyard. Popular...

Rajya Angan, aka Royal Courtyard,
is the oldest & main part of the palace. Built in 1571 by Maharana Udai...

The Chini Mahal section
of the royal courtyard, aka Chini Chitrashala, is famous for its Chinese and...

The 'Mor Chowk' (Peacock Square)
is the highlight of the museum. It has unique glass & mirror mosaics of...

One of the bird mosaics
The courtyard was built by Maharana Karan Singh II (r1620-1628) as a new...

The former Zenana Mahal (zm),
built in 1620 by Maharana Karan Singh, is the former palace (harem) for the...

zm 2 - Lakshmi Chowk?
I think the pavilion is 'Lakshmi Chowk' which is described as a...

zm3 - check out that delicate dome

zm4 - this old carriage was there too.

zm5 - an attractive zenana display

Lake Pichola view from the upper
terraces. And that's the gleaming white marbled "Lake...

5-star Taj Lake Palace Hotel
Originally called Jag Niwas (after Maharana Jagat Singh who built it), the...

Another view of the lake
across the City Palace rooftops. I don't know what that golden...

City view
Note the sprinkling of Brahmin blue houses.

A few interior shots.
As you may have noticed, interiors aren't my strong suit LOL. I...

The Surya Chopar or 'sun square'
has this huge ornamental sun symbolising the sun dynasty to which the Mewar...

One of the several rooms with mirror
tiles.

Ganesh surrounded by intricate
mosaic tile work.

article published 05/16/2007

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Phenomonal
Fantastic pix. You have certainly given us a well-researched account of the palace city and have portrayed the various aspects in a way that makes one want to see Udaipur in person. Thanks B
— Beth Warkentin, June 12, 2007

Point and Shoot
Lorraine, you have set the standard for us point-and-shooters.
— Fred Smith, May 18, 2007

Terry.....
forgot to add that I'd love to do the Moscow>Vald thing if you pay my way LOL ;o)
— Lorraine Brecht, May 17, 2007

Terry......
If you check my homepage ;o) it says "I have been using a Nikon Coolpix 5600 for about 6 months, and almost all of my pix are taken on 'automatic' at PC resolution." Before that I had a Nikon Coolpix 3300 I think ;o) Nice little cameras. I don't like complex or heavy cameras, nor do I want to tote a lot of gear. I just want to point & shoot. I take a lot & have more to choose from later LOL
— Lorraine Brecht, May 17, 2007

Terry Heaps
When I see the name Lorraine Brecht I always "tune in" because I know the pic's are going to be magnificent. I just never knew that India was so beautiful and colorful. Tell us Lorraine about your camera, I know the camera is only 20% of the talent that goes into taking pictures, but you always seem to do everything right. Very well done. I would like to send you on a Trans- Siberian express from Moscow to Vladivostok taking thousands of pictures. What a treat that would be for posterity. Cheers Terry.
— Terry Heaps, May 17, 2007

i really like "closeup of fine details" shot and a couple of other shots.. buildings are ur strong suit..
— Jon J. Tan, May 17, 2007

Ben:
In the words of Rudyard Kipling - "No tour of India is complete without seeing Udaipur." and I agree!
— Lorraine Brecht, May 17, 2007

Very nice photos
Udaipur is another place I am considering going when I go to India...gosh there are too many choices! The palace and the hotel are very nice (just breathtaking...), as is the interior!
— Ben Hsu, May 16, 2007

Yes Fred,
Udaipur, in general, is used for bollywood movies, & has also been used for Hollywood movies, & the old palaces, most of them now luxury hotels, as a wedding locations for the rich & famous. I plan to 'talk' more about this in my next journal ;o)
— Lorraine Brecht, May 16, 2007

A great and well researched tour...
This certainly makes many of the palaces of Europe look pretty anaemic in comparison. When you joked that you might have your next wedding reception there, it made me wonder if the site has been used for some of those Bollywood movies?
— Fred Perry, May 16, 2007

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