Starting my day at the Fateh Sagar Lake, I really did not know what to expect from the city of Udaipur. It looked nothing like the last two cities I visited in Rajasthan. Jaisalmer was all about the sand houses in the desert. While Jodhpur was all about the palaces and royal experiences. So now, what better way to explore the city of lakes than to head to the huge artificial lake of Fateh Sagar. Though the intention was to go boating there, I ended up skipping that. The boats looked old and rusty and not so inviting. I chose to move on to the Monsoon palace instead.

Monsoon Palace/SajjanGarh Palace

The view from the Monsoon palace was nothing short of a dream. It is famous for the Bond movie Octopussy. The highlight of that palace was the curling staircases and the view of the whole city. It was the holiday home of the royal Maharana Sajjan Singh. Beware of the monkeys that surround the palace. They necessitate us to be watchful of our mobiles or any food that we carry.

Saheliyon ki Badi

A beautiful and memorable place in Udaipur for me was the fountains of Saheliyon ki Badi. It gets its name from the visits by the princesses and her friends. A fun fact about the fountains is that it is organically supplied with water by the lake of Fateh Sagar.

City palace

By far the most magnificent site in Udaipur is the 400-year-old Mewar heritage construction of City Palace. Situated at the banks of Pichola lake, this palace no doubts a major symbol of grandeur. This stands for everything that you expect Rajasthan to be about. Royal, Colorful, Grand, Vintage, Unique and Historical. I run out of adjectives to describe this place. You get the idea. The highlight in the palace for anyone is no doubt – “The Peacock gate“. This gate is intricate, colorful and elaborate in its design.

Pichola lake

A special mention to the small but classy Udai art cafe near the city palace. I love places that offer books and art to look at while eating. Ordered a lovely honey pancake and met some friendly german travelers there too. I had to run back to secure a seat in the boat for Jagmandir in Pichola lake in time. But that’s something I enjoy doing anyway. The boating in Pichola lake was a serene experience. Jagmandir was a simple yet beautiful on-water resort open to visitors.

Doodh Talai hill

Not many online itineraries will suggest the Doodh talai hill but it was one of my favorite experiences in Udaipur. A cute little cable car took me to the Karni Mata temple atop the hill. A little mosque was also set next to the temple. The route around the temple had old red fort walls. But the most killer part of this experience was the highest point to view the whole city of Udaipur.

Bagore ki haveli

I then headed to the Gangaur Ghat where I was looking forward to seeing some folk dances by legendary dancers from Rajasthan. Hundreds of pigeons line this Gangaur ghat along Pichola lake. Bagore ki haveli next to this ghat is where the folk show was performed. By now I started recognizing other solo travelers that I had been bumping into all day. This haveli was kind of a recreational hub because we saw some actors practicing a street play in a hall downstairs. They are being trained by a yester-year movie actor from Rajasthan.

This brought my first at Udaipur to an end. The family I was staying with, helped me book a taxi for the next day.

Ek ling temple

My second day at Udaipur started with a local symbol and the most worshipped deity of Udaipur, the Ek ling temple. A 4 face shiva statue is the center of attraction inside this temple. Cameras are not allowed in this temple. A place of pilgrimage for many Gujaratis and Vaishnavs is the Nathdwara. The Krishna temple here is a replica of the famous Mathura Krishna. A pleasant surprise for me was the 351 ft Shiva statue near Nathdwara. It is currently at work. Once finished, it will be the world’s tallest Shiva statue.

Maharana Pratap museum

En route the iconic Pratap museum, I crossed the Haldi Ghati. The yellow rocks of this valley have seen plenty of red bloodshed during the Mughal attack in the late 1500s. Next to the museum is also the Chetak memorial dedicated to the Pratap’s loyal horse Chetak. He became a symbol of bravery when he crossed a 21ft canal in with an injured leg with Maharana Pratap in Haldi Ghati.

The Maharana Pratap museum houses an exhibition and a movie on the history of Maharana Pratap. The sacrifices that he and his soldiers made to protect Udaipur from Mughals gave me goosebumps. Those were certainly the first signs of India’s struggle to freedom from Mughal reign.

Farewell to Rajasthan

Apart from the huge vegetarian thalis that serve a variety of delicacies, I will remember Lal maas. So, one last time I had a taste of this spicy mutton dish at the Khamma Ghani hotel. This hotel sits next to the lesser-known but beautiful Rang Sagar lake of Udaipur.

My heart was sinking when I said goodbye to the big joint family in Udaipur who hosted me. Thanks to the colleague who helped me with this Kothi stay with her family. My experience in Rajasthan was royal not only because of the forts and palaces but also by the hospitalities of the locals I met.