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| Unhurried Udaipur! |
Nestled between Aravalli hills, laced with lakes, Udaipur is
lovely. No wonder the city has
captivated artists, poets, royalty and now a steady stream of tourists from all
over the world.
My Udaipur plan wasn’t exactly impromptu. I always wanted to go to Udaipur, especially
after my parents visited this city last summer.
Another draw for me was the prospect of visiting two UNESCO sites,
Kumbalgarh and Chittorgarh, the ideal day trips from Udaipur. Don’t get me wrong; I love slow travel, but a
whirlwind 4 day trip was just what I needed to recover from, well, lack of
travel! Oddly enough, in spite of a hectic schedule I had enough opportunity to
bask in this lake city!
The beginning
I flew to Udaipur on a 5 am flight from Mumbai. While waiting for my pre-paid taxi I saw the
most spectacular sunrise.
Thereafter, the drive to
fortified city of Udaipur (though the fortifications are now ruins and restored
in parts) was picturesque, especially as I saw Udaipur wake up to a March
morning, among the fog and mist.
Experience Mewari hospitality at a heritage haveli
Udaipur old city, better known as Lal Ghat area, is located
around Lake Pichola.
We stayed three
nights at the eastern bank of Lake Pichola in a heritage haveli homestay called
“Aashiya Haveli”. This haveli is
predominantly family run. Satyadev ji
(the owner), with a little help from family and staff extends warm hospitality
to tourists.
The Haveli has clean homely rooms, no TV (yes, they want you
to talk and venture out during vacations!) and sit-outs by the window side. We had specifically requested for rooms with
view of the lake and were promptly so allotted.
Though the haveli doesn’t serve meals, their tea was delicious, perfect
accompaniment to enjoy the sunsets with.
Our stay here was comfortable. The location was unbeatable, bang opposite
the jetty for sunset ferry, a 5 minute steep ascend off the Udaipur palace and
Jagdish temple. I highly recommend
staying at Aashiya Haveli/ other haveli(s) for Mewari hospitality at an
affordable price.
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| A happy lot! |
Rooftop/lakeside breakfast and dinners!
Rooftop restaurants are a rage in every major city, more so
on tourist circuits. Udaipur is no
exception and the grand views of the lake make for a perfect setting for
rooftop/ lake-side eateries/ candle-light dinners!
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| View from Ashiya haveli rooftop! |
We’d head to Aashiya haveli rooftop with our team to enjoy
the moods of the sun reflecting on the water in the lake.
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| Cheers from rainbow! |
We also had a good value-for-money meal at Rainbow
restaurant with awesome views of Lake Pichola and Taj Lake Palace. Luckily for us, as this restaurant catered
mainly to foreigners, we enjoyed chilled beer and tandoori chicken for dinner!
Soak in the architecture
I love to walk around cities; aimlessly so. Lal ghat area in
Udaipur is choc-a-block with narrow lanes, steep lanes and lanes seeping with heritage
architecture and dotted with quaint boutiques/ cafes – mostly catering to
foreigners.
One day we walked around the vicinity looking for new places
to eat, photographing shops selling silver/ leather artefacts and looking for
interesting havelis/ doors to photograph.
The next day we loitered around the Bagore ki Haveli (museum/ theatre
which was shut on that day) area.
Then crossed the pedestrian bridge over Lake
Pichola to the western bank.
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| On the pedestrian bridge connecting eastern and western banks of Lake Pichola |
The pedestrian bridge runs parallel to the bridge for automobiles!
And we walked around some more in a bid to find a sunset spot!
Shopping
We also shopped some! Great place to buy:
Leather products
Mojaris
Silver!!!
Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola is the single most imposing thing in Udaipur.
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| City (Lal ghat) around Lake Pichola |
The old city is built around it, tourists
flock to see the lake and enjoy a boat ride/ sunset.
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| Painting Lake Pichola |
Others, with more leisurely itinerary have deep
rooted conversations sitting by its banks and paint some.
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| Lake Pichola, view from Udaipur Palace |
For some like me, who chose to stay amongst the grandeur of
the lake, a prospect of a sunset boat cruise wasn’t exciting enough. I imagined a stinky boat and a super short
cruise time. My dad coaxed me into it
and I am glad he did, because I was wrong on both counts!
The boat was fairly good with life jackets for every
passenger.
The cruise lasted a good 45
mins and took us around Lake Pichola.
He then slowed the boat to show us and Taj Lake palace.
Thereafter, the boatman anchored the boat at a lovely spot to watch
the sun go down.
The sunset was enchanting and the air got crisper awaiting moonrise. The next night was graced by full-moon a and the Lake looked magical!
Sunset from the ghat next to Amba mata temple
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| Amba temple ghat, the other side of Udaipur |
The sunset boat cruise wasn’t enough; our hunt for an even
more perfect sunset spot ended at a ghat next to Amba mata temple, on the
western banks of Lake Pichola after crossing the pedestrian bridge.
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| Udaipur Palace view from Amba Temple ghat |
The ghat juts out into the lake right opposite Taj
Lake palace. This side not only gives unparalleled views of Udaipur Palace, it is also a ghat open for public to pay homage, bathe or just dip their feet in the water, while
the other side has a lattice railing.
This other side has benches/ stairs to sit on and enjoy the sunset
beyond the lake and over the mountain.
As the sun sets, the domes of The Oberoi Udaivilas come alive with
lights and make for the picture perfect after sunset moment.
Lights will guide you home!
If Udiapur in daylight and sunset is beautiful. The views at night are unparalled!
On retrospect
As much as Udaipur is commercial, it is serene and beautiful
by the day and romantic and dreamy by the night.
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| Bidding farewell to Udaipur from Fateh Sagar Lake! |
Agreed Udaipur is a done to death tourist destination,
but it deserves all this attention, and more!
3 comments:
So many beautiful pictures! I liked your picture of the palace glowing in gold at sunset the most, with the deep blue waters of the lake as perfect set off.
Glad to see you enjoying the jaunt with your family, and I shall remember your haveli recommendations.
Couldn't you have included a few pictures of the palace interiors, or is it kinda out of bounds?
Hi Soumyendu. Indeed, that is also my favorite picture!
The haveli is hotel-like. The family lives on ground/ first floor and some rooms are converted to a hotel. Since its not a royal haveli per-se, there aren't any artefacts, etc on display. Hence, the lack of such pictures.
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