Introduction to Udaipur, BR

The valley of Oodipur, the most diversified and most romantic spot on the continent of India
– Col. James Tod, Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829)

Despite the last twenty years of unchecked ferro-concrete construction, James Tod's assessment of UDAIPUR still holds true. Reflected in the shimmering waters of Pichola Lake, the city's skyline of whitewashed havelis and tapering temple shikharas, surmounted by the domes and ornately carved balconies of the famous Rajput city palace, has managed to keep its head above the rising tide of hotels and terrace restaurants, and remains one of Asia's most exotic spectacles. Enjoying it from a boat at water level, or on a rooftop in the cool of the evening, many travellers are tempted to forget their tight itineraries. In any case, it takes at least a week to explore the city's monuments, and the temples, forts, palaces and scenery of the hills and valleys nearby.

The smooth rolling hills that surround Udaipur were once covered with forests. Widespread felling, instigated by the Indian government in the 1970s after it took possession of the Mewar lands, left them irreversibly barren and have added to the dry and dusty desert conditions of the Udaipur valley.

Information by Rough Guides

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