Udaipur Tours Rajasthan

Maharana Bhagwat Singh of Udaipur started the restoration and reconstruction of the Lake Palace in the year 1959. The Maharana realized that the magnificent Lake Palace, with it's romantic setting had tremendous potential to attract tourists to Udaipur. While renovaiting the palace, priority was given to restoring the exquisite glass inlay panels. The only way to get to the Lake Palace Hotel is via launch. Crossing the serene waters of Lake Pichola brings you face-to-face with a 500 year old legend.

The half-submerged statue of a woman tells of a courtesan who claimed that she could dance across the waters of Lake Pichola balanced on a thin rope. The Maharana wagered half his kingdom on this, and as she was about to complete the feat, the minister cut the rope for fear of losing the kingdom. The dancer plunged to her death, and the lake is revered for this reason.

The Maharana took the crucial but necessary decision to hand over the management of the Lake Palace to the Taj Group of Hotels. Today, this internationally renowned hotel continues to attract tourist from all over the world.

This spectacular palace stands white and majestic set on a hill. The palace is surmounted by balconies, towers and cupolas and there are fine views over the lake and the city from the upper terraces. It is surrounded by walls for battlements, at the entrance is a triple arched gate, called the Tripolia which was built in 1725.

The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum. It includes the Mor Chowk with it's beautiful mosiacs of peacocks. The Manak Mahal has glass and mirror work, while Krishna Vilas has a remarkable collection of miniatures. In the Bari Mahal, there is a pleasant central garden. Another monuments which has it's own charm is the Suraj Gokhada (the balcony of the sun). Here the Maharanas of Meware came before the people during troubled times to restore confidence in them. The blue and white ceramics of Chini Chitrashala are extremely fascinating.

This artificial lake was built in 17 th century by Maharana Jai Singh. The marble chhatris along the embankment add grace to this second largest lake in Asia. On either sides of the lake were built the palaces for the favourite queens of the King.