Udaipur

We set off from Ahmedabad to catch a bus to Udaipur, about 300 kms north-east in Rajasthan state. This should have been straight forward, except that just as we arrived at the bus stop in our tuktuk, the bus drove off.

Village transport

However, with the help of another tuktuk, dodging the local village transport, donkeys and cows, we finally caught up with the bus at its next stop, and boarded.

Our bus was comfortable and we enjoyed travelling through the tiny rural villages making for an interesting, albeit slow, 6-hour drive.

It was also slow because of the roadworks. We have encountered lots of roadworks throughout this whole trip, making each drive quite dusty, and with chaotic traffic.

But in all cases, the villages have been really interesting.

Dusty roads but interesting villages

In Udaipur, the bus stopped in the outskirts, and we were told that we had to get off. Much confusion reigned.

Then a tuktuk driver (we have met many on this trip), said he knew of our hotel and that it was in the old city of Udaipur. After another round of bargaining to agree a price (it’s expected), off we went.

We very quickly saw why the bus could go no further – the streets became increasingly narrow so that even the tuktuk found it tight.

Eventually, we arrived at Panorama Guest House; an attractive traditional style building. After checking in and receiving a beautiful neck lei, we hauled our cases up three flights of steep steps, to our spacious room.

From top left: Marg with lei and hand-painted scenes on walls of guest house; local shop; the view from our room

It was lovely, with hand-painted pictures on the ceilings and walls, and other traditional features. We even had a wee balcony with fabulous views across the lake.

We were very hot and to our dismay the air-con wouldn’t work! But one hour and two electricians later, we began to relax and cool down.

Udaipur is a small city (around 470,000 people). It is known as the “City of Lakes” and is the historical capital of the kingdom of Mewar, founded in 1559.

Streets and houses in Udaipur old city

It is full of quaint narrow and colourful streets. Much of the architecture in the old part of the city, reflects the traditional Mewar style, with beautiful filigreed architecture, and hand-painted decorations of people, animals and patterns on the buildings.

It was easy to walk from our guest house, through the narrow streets, over a footbridge spanning part of Lake Pichola, and into the old city centre.

Marg on footbridge to the Old City of Udaipur

There are several palaces in Udaipur, and we visited a few. Our favourite was the City Palace. It is located in the old city at the end of one of the wider streets in Udaipur, and strategically built on a hill overlooking Lake Pichola. 

The Palace was constructed over a period of nearly 400 years, commencing in 1553. Over those years, several rulers of the Mewar dynasty, contributed to its construction and decoration. 

After entering through a huge ornate archway, we went through many beautiful courtyards, terraces, corridors, and rooms, and up and down lots of stairs, all set up as a museum. 

Entry archway for the City Palace, Udaipur

It is stunningly decorated, both inside and out, with many beautiful frescoes. We found it really interesting.

The next day, we just kicked around the city enjoying the ambiance and the activity there. 

We saw women doing their washing in the lake, and people swimming in the lake. Men in large and small turbans were seen riding motor-scooters; and there were horses, donkeys and other animals freely wandering around the streets.

Activities seen in Udaipur

There were many craftsmen making metal or pottery bowls, and a myriad of other activities that make Udaipur so charming.

The following day, we travelled about 117 km east of Udaipur to visit Chittorgarh Fort for the day. We booked a taxi to take us there, and after rather fast and swervy ride, we reached this amazing fort. It is the largest fort in India and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is situated on the top of a hill, and driving up the winding hill road we went through several large and impressively decorated gateways.

Tower of Victory inside Chittorgarh Fort (UNESCO)

The whole Fort area is surrounded by a very wide, thick wall. Within this there are many ruins of palaces and temples. At one place, we could look down onto the plains where many battles had taken place.

Built in the 7th century, the Fort was never conquered and we could see why.

Because of its size, we drove between the various ruins and buildings, rather than walking, enjoying the brief reprieve offered by the taxi’s air-conditioning in between.

Udaipur with the City Palace atop the hill

Back in Udaipur that evening, we visited a local haveli (traditional townhouse or mansion) near the City Palace, that holds regular concerts. We found the cultural dances, costumes, puppetry and music really interesting.

We really liked Udaipur; it has a very relaxed feeling to it, the architecture is lovely, and the old city is very easy to walk around, even in the heat. 

After a lovely break here, we were ready to move on to Jodhpur, our next stop. 

The above blog is part of our 2 month tour of India. The first blog on this tour is called "Off to Delhi".