UDAIPUR AND ITS ENVIRONS
Udaipur (City of Sunrise), is
one of the most beautiful and picturesque cities of India.
Situated in a delightful natural setting its manifold
attractions include enchanting lakes, marble palaces,
luxurious gardens and old temples. “There is nothing,”
remarked the Prince of Wales while on a visit to Udiapur in
1921, “between Madras and the northern passes quite like
Udaipur.”
Udaipur is the terminal station of the Chittor Udaipur
branch of the Western Railway and is connected by rail with
Ajmer 298 km. (185 miles) and Marwar 191 km. (119 miles)
through Mavli Junction. It is also connected with Ajmer,
Chittorgarh and Indore by good motorable roads.
The city is situated at an elevation of 577 m. (1893 ft.)
above sea level on the slopes of a low ridge overlooking the
steel-blue waters of Lake Pichola in which rise graceful
pavilions of pure white marble. It is surrounded by a
bastioned wall which, except on the south-west, contains
five main gates with iron spikes to protect them against
ramming. Suraj pol on the east, Hathi Pol on the north,
Brahma Pol on the west and Kishan Pol on the south are the
chief gates of the city.
The Palace
The Maharana’s palace, an imposing edifice of granite and
marble, is a stately building at the southern extremity of
the city. It stands on the crest of a high ridge running
parallel to Lake Pichola. The palace, a magnificent
rectangular structure, is regarded as the largest palace in
Rajasthan. Although built in various periods, it has harmony
of design that is rendered striking by the massive octagonal
towers surmonunted by cupolas. Within the many apartments of
the palace – Chhoti Chitrasali, Manak Mahal, Moti Mahal,
Bari Mahal, and others – are to be found brilliant mosaics
of peacocks, inlaid tile and mirror work and exquisite
paintings in addition to many relics of a historic and
colourful past.
Lake Pichola
The Pichola lake, bounded by hillocks, bathing ghats,
temples and palaces, affords the most picturesque sight in
Udaipur. Covering an area of about 10 sq. km. (4 sq. miles),
it was created artificially at the end of the 14th century.
To the east of the lake is Khas Odi, the royal shooting-box
built by Maharana Sajjan Singh, which can be approached both
from the lake and by a road running past the Sajjan Nivas
Gardens.
Almost in the middle of the lake, with a background of
wooded hills touching the water’s edge, is the Jag Nivas
Palace built by Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1757 and added to
by subsequent rulers. The granite and marble palace covers
about 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of ground and consists of a
group of apartments with courts, baths, fountains and
gardens. Bara Mahal, Khas Mahal, Dilaram, Sajjan Niwas and
Chandra Prakash are particularly beautiful and make this
island-palace one of the prettiest of its kind.
Jag Mandir, the other
island-palace, is situated near the southern end of the
lake. It is associated with Prince Khurram, afterwards
Emperor Shah Jahan. who sought asylum in it while in revolt
against his father, Jahangir. Work on the palace was begun
in 1615 during the reign of Maharana Amar Singh I
(1597-1620) and it was completed in 1622 in the time of
Maharana Karan Singh. His son, Maharana Jagat Singh I
(1628-1652), made some additions to it and named the entire
palace after himself. The principal building consists of a
three-storeyed round tower of yellow sandstone, lined inside
with marble slabs and crowned by a handsome dome. The
circular apartment above has a floor of black and white
marble and its walls are decorated with niches and
arabesques of coloures stones.
To the north of Lake Pichola and connected with it by a
canal is the Fatehsagar, another artificial lake constructed
by Maharana Fateh Singh. The lake, 2.4 km. (1˝ miles) long
and 1.6 km. (1 mile) broad, is fringed by hills on three
sides. Bordering it is the Fatehsagar drive, a fine zig-zag
tarred road running parallel to the shores of the lake.
Below the embankment of the Fatehsagar lake is
Sahelion-ki-Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honour). The most
fascinating garden of its class, it was laid out for the
Maids of Honour presented to Maharana Sangram Singh II by
the Emperor of Delhi. The garden contains ornamental pools
with finely sculptured chhatris of soft black stone
surrounded on all sides by a large number of magnificent
fountains.
Jagdish Temple
The Jagdish Temple, approached by a wide flight of steps, is
dedicated to Vishnu and was built by Maharana Jagat Singh I
in 1651. A little below the entrance, on both sides of the
steps, are two huge elephants of stone. The temple stands on
a rectangular platform 7.6 m. (25 ft.) above the ground and
rises to a height of nearly 24 m. (80 ft.). Link all other
temples built in the Indo-Aryan style, it has a pillared
porch (mandap) and a sanctum (garbhagriha) which is covered
by a curvilinear spire (shikhar) crowned by a flat ribbed
dish (amalaka) and a finial (kalasa). The platform is
decorated with sculptured bands between pilasters, and the
walls on the sides of the sanctum contain rows of boldly
carved figures and other decorations. The Sanskrit
inscription in the porch, dated 1651, gives an account of
the reign of Maharana Jagat Singh I. In front of the temple
is a shrine with a brass image of Garuda.
The Museum
The Victoria Hall Museum, in the Sajjan Nivas garden,
contains some rare antiquities. The historic turban of
Prince Khurram, from which the present headgear of Mewar has
evolved, is displayed there. Inscriptions of the first and
second centuries B.C., sculptures and images from
Kumbhalgarh and a number of inscribed Jain images are some
of the outstanding exhibits in the museum. In the Saraswati
Sadan attached to the museum, there are valuable books on
Indology. The Sadan has a remarkable collection of many old
and rare manuscripts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi, Urdu and
Persian.
Ahar
About 3 km. (2 miles) to the east of Udaipur lie the remains
of the ancient city of Ahar, referred to in old inscription
and Jain literature as Aghatpur. According to tradition, it
was founded on the site of a still older town, Tambavati
Nagari, the home of the ancestors of Vikramaditya before he
occupied Ujjain. The cenotaphs of the former rulers of Mewar
are located at Ahar and are mostly in the shape of chhatris
erected on high plinths. Those of Sangram
Singh II and Maharana Amar Singh I are remarkable for their
elegance.
AROUND UDAIPUR
Around Udaipur, there are many places which are known for
their scenic charm, architecture, religious or historical
associations. These can broadly be grouped under (a) lakes
(b) temples and shrines and (c) forts and other historical
places.
Lakes: Artificial lakes and dams, so necessary for
irrigation in Rajasthan, have offered the builders of
Rajasthan scope for the expression of their artistic
talents. One of the most beautiful of these lakes, called
Rajsamanda, is at Rajnagar 64 km. (40 miles) north of
Udaipur on the road to Ajmer. Built by Maharana Rai Singh
between 1662 and 1676, it covers an area of 7.7 sq. km. (3
sq. miles). The northern portion of its huge masonry
embankment, known as the Nauchoki bund, is about 183 m. (200
yards) long and 64 m. (70 yards) broad and is entirely paved
with white marble. A flight of steps descends to the water’s
edge. Jutting into the lake are three nicely carved marble
pavilions and ornamental arches. The longest Sanskrit
inscription, yet discovered in India. is found there. Known
as Rajprashasti and dated 1675, it a poem inscribed on
twenty-five slabs fixed in the niches of the embankment The
inscription gives the history of Mewar with special
reference to Maharaja Raj Singh.
Fifty-one kilometers (32 miles) south-east of Udaipur lies
Jaisamanda or Dhebar lake. It is one of the largest
artificial sheets of water in the world. Fourteen kilometers
(9 miles) long and 9.6 km. (6 miles) broad, the lake has a
circumference of nearly 48 km. (30 miles) and drains an area
of about 1787 sq. km. (690 sq. miles). Its dam, measuring
366 m. (1202 ft.) in length and 35 m. (116 ft.) in height
was built by Maharana Jai Singh. Six chhatris with a
delicately carved elephant in front of each and a temple of
Siva in the centre, stand on the embankment. The island in
the lake are inhabited by the aboriginal Bhils and Minas and
the area abounds in big game.
Udai Sagar is another pretty lake about 13 km. (8 miles)
east of Udaipur. Constructed by Maharana Udai Singh between
1559 and 1565, it has an area of 8 sq. km. (2 sq. miles) and
drains about 479 sq. km. (185 sq. miles) of the country. It
has a dam of massive stone blocks. Amidst attractive
surroundings is another lake – Badi-ka-Talab – built by the
mother of Maharana Raj Singh.
Temples and Shrines : The temple of Eklingji, the
tutelary divinity of the Maharanas of Mewar, is it
Kailashpuri, 22 km. (14 miles) to the north of Udaipur. It
is said to have been built originally by Bapa Rawal in the
middle of the eighth century. The present structure,
however, dates from the days of Maharana Raimal (1473-1509).
Built of white marble, it consists of a double-storeyed
porch and sanctuary, the former covered by a flat pyramidal
roof of many hundred circular knobs and the latter
surmounted by a lofty and elaborate shikhar (tower). In the
sanctum is a four-faced image of Siva in black marble.
Outside the porch, opposite the western face of the image,
is the statue of Nandi, the bullmount of Siva. Within the
enclosure are some other shrines, of which the one known as
Mira bai temple, dedicated to Vishnu, is the most
interesting.
Close to Eklingji is Nagda, one of the most ancient places
in Mewar, named after its founder Nagaditya. Nagda had to
bear the onslaught of many Muslim invasions and is now in
ruins. The temples of Sas and Bahu dating from the 11th
century are, however, the principal attractions at Nagda.
Both the temples are decorated with carvings and sculptures
which are unsurpassed in Mewar.
Nathdwara
Nathdwara, the famous Vaishnava centre of pilgrimage, is 26
km. (16 miles) from Eklingji, 48 km. (30 miles) from Udaipur
on the Ajmer-Udaipur highway. It is 11 km. (7 miles) from
the Nathdwara railway station. This temple of Lord Krishna,
styled as Srinathji, attracts thousands of pilgrims every
year from all parts of India. The image of Srinathji, in
black stone, is said to date from the twelfth century and is
associated with Vallabhacharya, a great Vaishnava saint and
exponent of the Krishna cult. The image was brought from
Mathura in 1669 by Maharana Raj Singh to save it from the
iconoclastic fury of Emperor Aurangzeb. The story goes that
when the image of Srinathji was being removed in a chariot,
the wheels suddenly sank into the earth at the site of its
present installation and defied extrication. This was
interpreted as the desire of the deity to be installed
there. So the place came to be known as Nathdwara. An
elaborate ritual characterises the daily worship in the
temple.
Sixteen km. (10 miles) from
Nathdwara, on the banks of the Rajsamand lake, is Kankroli
where another important Vaishnava temple is situated. It is
known as the temple of Dwarkadhish, another manifestation of
Lord Krishna, and resembles the temple at Nathdwara.
The Jain temple of Rishabhdevji, 64 km. (40 miles) south of
Udaipur, is remarkable for its graceful architecture.
According to an inscription in the temple, its oldest
portion – the sanctuary – was built in the fourteenth
century. The image of Rishabhdeva, also called Kesariaji
because of the saffron which is offered to it by pilgrims,
is of black marble in a sitting posture.
At Kareda, now known as Bhupal Sagar, is another impressive
Jain temple dedicated to Parasnath. Built towards the end of
the sixteenth century, it has a sculptured, colonnaded
vestibule at the entrance with a double-domed sanctuary
supported on numerous massive columns. The domes have a
diameter of nearly 9 m. (30 ft.) each and are 12 m. (40 ft.)
in height.
There are many other old sites in this region where numerous
Hindu and Jain temples are situated. These are notable both
for their architecture and historical associations. Bijolian,
341 km. (212 miles) north-east of Udaipur, is full of the
relics of the past and contains many Siva temples probably
of the tenth century, and also a group of five Jain temples
of considerable architectural interest dating from the
twelfth century. The Jain temples at Delwada, 23 km. (14
miles) north of Udaipur, are large shrines with ornamental
decorations. Almost in ruins, Menal, a small village about
161 km. (100 miles) east of Udaipur, possesses some
twelfth-century temples which have elegant carvings.
Forts and Other Historical
Places: The forts in Mewar were built at strategic points on
hills. More than eighty-four fortresses existed in Mewar at
one time, besides the celebrated four of Chittor already
described.
Sixty-four kilometres (40 miles) to the north of Udaipur,
Kumbhalgarh, built by Maharana Kumbha in 1458, stands on a
craggy hill, 1087 m. (3,568 ft.) above sea lovel and 213 m.
(700 ft.) above the pass at its foot. It commands an
impressive view of the rugged Aravalli ranges and the sandy
deserts of Marwar. It is the chief of a number of forts
built by Maharana Kumbha in 1458. The narrow approach to the
fort lies through fortified gateways. On a conical hill,
within the fort, rises the inner fortress of Katargarh,
topped by a palace built by Maharana Fateh Singh. The
objects of interest in the fort are the temples of Nilkantha
Mahadeva and Kumbhaswami and the chhatri of Rana Raimal’s
son. Some distance from the fort is a Jain temple with a
vaulted dome and a colonnade in classic design.
The fort of Mandalgarh on the crest of a hill, surrounded by
low ramparts and a bastioned wall, is nearly 161 km. (100
miles) from Udaipur. Reputed to have been built by the
Chauhans of Ajmer in the 12th century, it changed hands
several times, till Rana Amar Singh II finally took
possession of it in 1706. The fortress of Bhainsarodgarh is
located on a ridge commanding the Chambal river.
Haldighat, the well-known pass where the historic
battle between Rana Pratap and the Mughul forces was fought
in April 1576, is 66 km. (41 miles) from Udaipur. A
platform, two miles away, marks the spot where Chaitak, the
Rana’s faithful horse, breathed his last. |
