Royal & Romantic: Udaipur

Located within the Thar desert in Rajasthan, surrounded by Aravalli mountain ranges this historic town is an oasis of exquisiteness. This architectural forte in India is embraced by seven beautiful lakes and lavish royal dwellings. Udaipur, often referred to as The City of Lakes, has been ranked at the 10th position in the World’s Best Cities- 2019, by Travel & Leisure.

It is one of the favorite tourist destinations, especially in winters, but the beauty of its landscape during monsoon makes it a compelling choice for a romantic escape too.

A pleasant and relaxing stay of three days is good enough to cover all the top attractions of Udaipur. The places one should visit include City Palace, Lake Pichola, Lake Palace with crystal gallery, Jagmandir Island Palace, Bagore ki Haveli, Vintage Car Museum (1934 Rolls-Royce amid other rare collections), Jagdish Temple and Sajjan Garh Monsoon Palace.

The Majesty of City Palace houses everything from gardens, pavilions, terraces to courtyards laced with the fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal interiors. You will love being embraced by the breeze on the rooftop of City Palace. The view from the palace (of the whole city and Lake Pichola) is breathtaking, you would feel the romance in everything you see.

Exceptional architecture, the museum, antique furniture, colorful glass-work, peacock mosaics, archways, and exclusive paintings highlight the exquisite memoir of the palace. You can have the most royal clicks here. Also, you must not miss an evening at the rooftop for a view of the mesmerizing sunset overlooking the lake followed by a comforting, palatable dinner. The light and sound show, puppet-show with folk tales, traditional music and dance performances will make you feel absolutely nostalgic.

If you love rural art and simplicity of village life, Shilpgram- popularly known as the ‘village of artisans’, has it all. Constructed in traditional, architectural style, this place has small huts made of natural materials and mud offering workspace to the dwelling workmen. The simple yet reflecting richness of our ethnicity and culture, you would feel grounded and enjoy time spent here.

If you are someone who loves historic vibes and you wish to experience a mélange of valor, devotion, and magnificence of Rajput warriors, plan a trip to cover Udaipur along with Nathdwara, Ranakpur, Chittorgarh, Haldighati and Kumbhalgarh, in which case this trip would need a minimum seven days with your family and children to enjoy a holiday checking our most celebrated history.

This seven-day trip will encompass the feels of-

• Devotion & value:

The simplicity of Nathdwara temple, intricate carvings of Nagda temple and spectacular location of Ranakpur Jain temples will make you understand how rich and prolific is the art, Rajasthan is blessed with. At Meera Bai temple- Chittorgarh, you can admire the piousness of the Rajput princess who gave up her lavish lifestyle and became a saint in the worship of Lord Krishna. This is the same fort where men committed saka, marched to the battlefield expecting a certain death; while the women committed jauhar or mass self-immolation. You could have goosebumps while your guide narrates the stories of the battles where rulers, soldiers, noblewomen, and commoners preferred death over surrender to the enemy.

• Bravery:

Driving past Haldighati (a valley with yellow color soil), the merciless battlefield of 1576 will run chills down your spine. You can sense the immortal presence of chivalrous Maharana Pratap and his loyal horse Chetak here.

Do not miss the light and sound show at Kumbhalgarh fort after you come down watching its 36 km long perimeter wall, which is amongst one of the longest in the world.

• Romance:

Udaipur has a unique way of sprinkling love. A boat ride on a pleasant day or evening will make your vacation in Udaipur more mystic than that you would anticipate it to be. You will undeniably sing the most romantic song for your beloved while rowing amidst the Jag Mandir and Taj Hotel on Lake Pichola. As they maneuver your boat, you will find these magnificent structures seem to have come to life, especially when they are all lit in the evening.

• Royalty

If you ever fantasized about a quixotic, luxurious sojourn with your beloved then “Taj Lake Palace” or “The Oberoi Udaivilas” are the places you could consider. And if you are single and wish to get the feel of living life king-size, a look at these places can be a great motivator for you to earn enough wealth to plan an extravagant wedding ceremony here.

Udaipur offers the best places to stay and dine, in plenty. It has very good connectivity- via air/ rail/ road to all the major cities of India. So why would you want to wait? Get re-energized to fall in love, so once the lockdown is eased and it’s safer to travel, your next stopover should be the Venice of the East!

HARDIK | SANGEETA | PRANAV | VARDAN | ABHAY | NAGARJUN | ASHWINI | ROWAN | MITCHELL