UDAIPUR, Rajasthan

Main Attraction: LAKE PALACE

The Lake Palace of Udaipur, for which the city is famous, is also known as Jag Niwas. This stunning palace in the middle of Lake Pichola was built by Rana Jagat Singh-II as a pleasure palace. The palace became a favourite retreat for the Sisodia family as an escape from the pressures of court. It is now a luxurious five star hotel and a pride of Udaipur.

Brief History

The antiquity of the region of the Princely State of Mewar (ancient Medpat), with Udaipur as its capital, is pushed back to hoary past. The archaeological excavations conducted on sites like Ahar and Gilund evidently prove that the area was quite flourishing in ancient times. Through the diggings of the ancient mounds of above sites, material remains of the chalcolithic man have been unearthed who actually lived here around 1800 B.C. They have used wheel-made black and red deluxe pottery which is usually painted in white. They knew copper. Their buildings were made of undressed stones and they also made use of terracotta tiles for thatched roofing. After a break of several centuries, the site of Ahar was re-occupied by the people during the early days of the Christian era, coinciding with the Kushana period. They had a definite system of sanitation which is attested to by the discovery of ring wells and soakage jars.

The region has played its own role in the cultural heritage of Rajasthan under the aegis of the celebrated Guhilas who produced personalities like Kumbha, Sanga and Pratap. Fine sculptured temples were created at Ahar, Sarneshwar, Ekalingji, Nagda, Rikhabdeo etc. Fine places were raised on the banks of Pichhola Lake.

When the Mughal Emperor Akbar captured Chittorgarh in 1568 and the fort was looted and destroyed, Rana Udai Singh was founded Udaipur the new capital of Mewar. Although the Rajputs were thrown out of their capital they never gave up their sense of freedom, choosing to give up their lives for dignity and honour instead.

The foundation of the city has an interesting legend associated with it. According to it, Maharana Udai Singh, the founder, was hunting one day when he met a holy man meditating on a hill overlooking the Lake Pichhola. The hermit blessed the Maharana and advised him to build a palace at this favorably located spot with a fertile valley watered by the stream, a lake, an agreeable altitude and an amphitheater of low mountains. Maharana followed the advice of the hermit and founded the city in 1559 A.D. The Maharana built a small shrine, Dhuni Mata, to mark the spot which is now the oldest part of the City Palace.

In 1568, Chittor was attacked by the Mughal emperor, Akbar and to ward off this danger, Udai Singh shifted the whole kingdom to Udaipur. Udaipur was naturally safe under the fortifications made by Aravalli Hills. Since that time, Udaipur developed into a full-fledged city. Slowly when the Mughal Empire undermined, the Sisodias reasserted their freedom. They recaptured most of the parts of Mewar with the exception of the Chittorgarh Fort. Udaipur continued to be the capital of Mewar, till it became the princely state of British India in 1818. When India got independent in 1947, the Maharaja of Udaipur granted the place to the Government of India. At that time, Mewar was merged into the state of Rajasthan.

The valour and honour of the Sisodia clan is known everywhere - from the pages of history books to the folklore of Rajasthan. "O mother, give me only unto the house of the Sisodias, if you must" says the lines of a popular folk song. The Mewar dynasty is the world's oldest surviving dynasty with a time span of 1,500 years and 26 generations and has outlived eight centuries of foreign domination. Extremely possessive about their culture, tradition and honour, the Sisodias have played an important role in medieval Indian history as tireless upholders of Hindu traditions.

It was in Udaipur that legendary Maharana Pratap was born. Rana Pratap who fought against Emperor Akbar in 1576 is remembered throughout India for his bravery on the battlefield. The rulers of Udaipur never gave any of their women in marriage to the Mughals unlike some of the other royal houses of Rajputana. Maharana Pratap Singh once refused lunch with Raja Man Singh because he had given away his sister in marriage to Prince Salim, later Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Man Singh avenged this insult by defeating Pratap at the battle of Haldighati. Pratap's son Amar Singh made peace with the Mughals but unable to accept his humiliation, he gave up his title in favour of his son Maharana Karan Singh. Amar Singh left Udaipur never to see its landscape again.

Maharana means Great Warrior, and the one from Udaipur is the acclaimed head of all the 36 Rajput clans. The title of Rana was adopted in the 12th century when the Parihara prince of Mandore awarded it to the Prince of Mewar. The Mewar dynasty descends from the sun family and is hence known as Suryavanshi (descendents of the Sun) with the sun as its insignia. The central shield on the coat of arms depicts a Bhil tribal, the sun, Chittor Fort and a Rajput warrior with a line from the Gita saying 'God helps those who do their duty'. The Maharana of Udaipur is crowned only after being anointed with blood drawn from the palm of a Bhil chieftain, who then leads the Maharana to the throne of Mewar. 

The rulers of Mewar were

Rana Udaya Singh(1537-1572), 

Rana Pratap Singh(1572-1596), 

Rana Amar Singh(1596-1607), 

Rana Sugra(1607-1615), 

Rana Karan(1620 -1628), 

Rana Jagat Singh(1628-1652), 

Rana Raja Singh(1652 -1680), 

Rana Jaya Singh(1680 -1699), 

Rana Amar Singh II(1699 -1711), 

Rana Sangrama Singh II(1711-1734), 

Rana Jagat Singh II(1734-1752), 

Rana Pratap Singh II(1752-1754), 

Rana Raja Singh II(1754-1761), 

Rana Ari Singh II(1761-1771), 

Rana Hammir II (1771-1777), 

Maharana Bhim Singh(1777-1828), 

Maharana Jawan Singh(1828-1838), 

Maharana Sardar Singh(1838-1842), 

Maharana Sarup Singh(1842-1861), 

Maharana Sambhu(1861-1874), 

Maharana Sujjan Singh(1874-1884), 

Maharana Fateh Singh(1884-1930), 

Maharana Sir Bhupal Singh(1930-1955) and 

Maharana Bhagwat Singh(1955-1985).

Before Udaipur district was carved in its present form, it was a part of erstwhile Princely State of Mewar. With the formation of the United States of Rajasthan in 1948, a part of the district of Girwa, Khamnor, Rajnagar, Bhim, Magra, Kherwara and Kumbhalgarh, together with the Thikanas of Nathdwara, Kankroli, Salumbar (excluding Saira tehsil), Bhinder, Kanor, Bansi, Bari Sadri, Amet, Sardargarh, Deogarh and Gogunda were combined to constitute the district of Udaipur. After 1991 Census, seven tehsils of Udaipur district viz. Bhim, Deogarh, Amet, Kumbhalgarh, Rajsamand, Nathdwara and Railmagra were transferred on 10th April 1991 to make a new district Rajsamand.