We are enjoying our stay at Taj Fateh Prakash Palace in Udaipur. Our hotel suite is spacious and has a wall of windows overlooking Lake Pichola. My favorite spot is a window seat to watch the boats on the water, coming and going from Taj Lake Palace.
After breakfast this morning, we walked with our guide through the City Palace complex to Jagdish Temple. Completed in 1651, it is the largest temple in Udaipur, beautifully carved in marble with a steeple 79 feet high.
Udaipur was founded in 1559 and set around a series of 7 lakes. It is known for its lavish royal residences. Its current population is about 750,000. City Palace, overlooking Lake Pichola, is a complex of 11 palaces, courtyards and gardens. Construction of the series of palaces in the City Palace complex began in 1559 and continued onwards by 22 generations of the same family. The City Palace facade is 244 meters (801’) and 30 meters high (100’), built on a ridge. The conglomeration of structures includes 11 separate palaces with similar architectural design, entirely built of granite and marble, with interiors exhibiting delicate mirror work, carved marble, murals, wall paintings, silver work, inlay work… Our hotel Fateh Prakash Palace is part of the City Palace Complex, as is the current Royal Palace. We took a tour of the City Palace Museum.
We drove to the Maidens Garden, built from 1710 to 1734, by the Maharana of that time for his queen and her 48 maids. It was a gift to offer them a relaxing spot away from the palace. The Garden features lush lawns, rain fountains, lotus pools and marble pavilions. It is a beautiful, calm place.
We visited the Royal Vintage Car Museum, with vehicles owned by the Royal Family. All vehicles are kept in working condition and several continue to be used throughout the year.
We said goodbye to our tour guide, Singh, in early afternoon. We had a photo taken in front of the gate to our hotel, with him and our driver, Santosh. They were amazing from beginning to end, showing us incredible places, and driving on crazy roads with traffic in all directions. Later in the evening, Papa and I took a walk from our hotel, through part of the city and across the bridge to see the view of City Palace from across the lake. The sun was setting behind the hills across the lake, just as we got back to our hotel. We had a wonderful day! We had a wonderful visit to Rajasthan India! We’ve had an amazing two month trip!
