Udaipur
| Udaipur | |||
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 India
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| State : | Rajasthan | ||
| District : | Udaipur | ||
| Location : | 24 ° 35 ' N , 73 ° 41' E | ||
| Height : | 570 m | ||
| Area : | 56.92 km² | ||
| Residents : | 451,100 (2011) | ||
| Population density : | 7925 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Website : | Udaipur | ||
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Udaipur ( Hindi : उदयपुर , Udayapur ) is a city (Municipal Corporation) with around 470,000 inhabitants in the south of the Indian state of Rajasthan . Udaipur is one of the most visited cities on the Indian subcontinent by tourists .
Location and climate
Udaipur is located in the Aravalli Mountains at an altitude of approx. 570 m ; the city is surrounded by three man-made lakes ( Pichhola Lake , Fateh Sagar Lake and Udai Sagar Lake ), all of which are connected by the mostly dry Ahar ; During the monsoon season, the rainwater flows into the Ganges . The cities of Jaipur and Chittorgarh are approx. 400 and 120 km (driving distance) to the northeast; Jodhpur is about 260 km north and Ahmedabad , the capital of the state of Gujarat bordering to the south , about 260 km southwest. The climate of Udaipur is rather moderate due to the relative altitude for Indian standards; Rain falls almost exclusively during the summer monsoon season .
population
| year | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
| Residents | 308,571 | 389,438 | 451.100 |
The continuing increase in the population is mainly due to the immigration of families from the surrounding area. The population consists of almost 73% Hindus , about 15.5% Muslims and almost 10% Jains ; the remaining 1.5% are Sikhs , Christians and Buddhists . The male population is around 9% higher than the female.
economy
In the surrounding area, fields and livestock are farmed. Craftsmen, traders and service providers of all kinds have settled in the city itself. However, tourism plays the most important role in the life of city dwellers.
history
Before Udaipur, Chittorgarh was the capital of the Mewar Empire . In 1568 the troops of the Mughal Mogul Akbar I conquered Chittorgarh after a long siege and the then ruler of Mewar, Rana Udai Singh II , moved the capital to Udaipur. Under the British , the Maharanas of Udaipur were able to retain large parts of their sovereignty. After India's independence (1947), Mewar was integrated into the state of Rajasthan .
Attractions
Several lakes, in particular the Pichhola Lake (Pichhola Jhil) , are located in the vicinity of the city center - tourism advertising therefore speaks of a " Venice of the East ". The great Maharaja's palace , in which the Maharana of Mewar ruled until 1956, is now used as a museum and hotel. The Jagdish Temple , dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu , is located on the highest point of the city ; behind it the streets lead down to Lake Picchola.
City Palace Museum
The "City Palace" was the residence of the Maharana, who still uses some rooms. The City Palace Museum is located in the same building complex . Both are on a hill on the southern shore of Lake Pichhola. In the area of the palace is also the Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel , which supplies the restaurant in the forecourt of the museum with Indian dishes.
The City Palace Museum mainly shows three groups of exhibits:
- Facilities from the time when this part of the palace was still inhabited, some with figurative representations of the former residents
- Paintings or their reproductions depicting key events in the history of the Maharana of Udaipur
- Hindu motifs, partly as paintings, partly as temple niches; in addition the architecture of the palace itself with the representations of non-religious symbols
City Palace Udaipur
City Palace Museum forecourt
CPM living example
Ganesha niche at the entrance
Wall painting: Krishna in his manifestation Srinath of Nathdwara
Saheliyon Ki Bari
The “Garden of the Maidens”, borders the Fateh Lake (Fateh Sagar) in Udaipur, is thus north of the city palace and was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh for the royal ladies. It is reported that the garden was designed by the Maharana himself as a gift to the Queen and for use by her 48 ladies-in-waiting.
In the garden there are numerous fountains in four water basins, which are fed from a reservoir that was imported from England together with the fountains. This also means that water is used sparingly and that at times the fountains are only opened for a fee. Also noteworthy are elephants made of marble, as well as four kiosks, which are crowned by water-spouting birds, which is supposed to create the illusion of falling rain, which were built by the later Maharana Bhopal Singh .
There is a small museum on the property, which mainly shows furnishings from the royal household, as well as a section with simple technical experiments for the education of visitors.
More Attractions
- The entire old town of Udaipur, with its winding streets and alleys lined with shops and nested houses, exudes a fascinating atmosphere, despite the many motor rickshaws, that other Indian cities usually lack.
- The Lake Palace was built in the years 1743-1746 for Maharana Jagat Singh II, the 62nd Maharajah of Mewar, as a summer residence. It faces east so that the Hindu sun god Surya can be worshiped at dawn . The palace that forms an island, like most of the other palaces, still belongs to the former ruling family and is operated as a luxury hotel by the Taj Group ; it is only accessible to hotel guests. He became world-famous as the setting for numerous films, including The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959) and James Bond 007 - Octopussy (1983).
- The Jag Mandir Palace , another summer palace located on an island in the lake, was started in 1551, but it was not until Maharana Jagat Singh I (1628–1652) that the current state emerged. The palace can be reached by boat and is used as a restaurant.
- The Monsun Palace was built in 1884 on a mountain peak above the city and offers a panoramic view of Udaipur and, on some days, to the old capital Chittorgarh. It is located in a wildlife park and can be reached by cars and rickshaws.
- The Bagore ki Haveli is a city palace ( haveli ) formerly used by the ruling family , which today serves as a museum and as a venue for dance and puppet shows. The exhibits in the museum are mainly items of daily use and jewelry belonging to the former lordly residents as well as paintings in the Mewar style.
- The Jagdish Temple , a Vishnu sacred Hindu temple built in 1651, is the largest religious structure in the city. Compared to the medieval temples of India, however, his figure decorations are rather simple.
Fateh Sagar
Jag Mandir Palace
Monsoon Palace
Bagore ki Haveli
Jagdish Temple
- Surroundings
A trip to the temple complex of Eklingji, about 20 km (driving distance) to the north, and to the nearby temples of Nagda, is highly recommended.
Udaipur in the film
Udaipur, especially the Lake Palace Hotel , located in the middle of Lake Pichhola, was the location for the 1958/9 Fritz Lang films The Tiger of Esnapur and The Indian Tomb as well as parts of the James Bond film Octopussy with Roger Moore from 1983.
