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Bhartiya Lok Kala Museum
The museum deals mainly with the tribal and folk
art of India. It has an extensive collection that includes
dresses, dolls, masks, musical instruments, paintings and
the famous puppets of Rajasthan.
Timing : 0900 Hrs to 1800 Hrs, open on all days except the
day following Holi.
Evening Show : 1800 Hrs to 1900 Hrs
Sajjangarh Palace
In the late 18th century Sajjangarh or the heritage
palace of Sajjan was built by its namesake Maharana Sajjan
Singh (1874-1884). About 5km west of Udaipur City it is at
a height of 3100 feet above sea level and 1100 feet over the
Fateh Sagar Lake. The palaces of the fort look like a tiara
on the head of a rocky hill, the one on which the fort proudly
stands. The rocky crag is massive and has an excellent view
of the surrounding hills, pristine lakes and snow-white palaces.
The fortplace is crowned by the Monsoon Palace, which also
has a panoramic view of the lakes and palaces and the city
below. The fort was built by Maharana Sajjan Singh as an observatory
to watch the progress of the monsoon clouds over the surrounding
areas. It is said that the Rana had planned to build a nine
storey observatory here but his dreams remained unfulfilled
owing to his untimely death at the age of 26. Towards the
left of the Monsoon heritage palace is Shikarbadi or the Khas
Odi, a shooting box that lies at the southern end of the lake
Pichola. It was built by Sir Sajjan Singh between 1874 and
1884 and now has been converted into a small palace with exquisite
surroundings that can be approached both by car and boat.
The boat trip is recommended more as it gives an extraordinary
view from the south end of the lake.
Ekling Garh or Machla Magra
A little distance away from the Sajjan Niwas Garden is a
small fish shaped hill better known as Ekling Garh or Machla
Magra. At a height of 2,469 feet above sea level, this place
is attached to the walls of Kishan Pol, one of the city gates.
Once when the Scindias attacked Udaipur in 1764, the hill
was used as an ordnance dump. There are still some pieces
of cannons left as evidence of the military episode. Later,
guns were fired from this place, a sound that reverberated
through the city and even beyond it. They were fired everyday
precisely at midday and midnight – with no consideration
of the sleep of the subjects. The best thing about this hill
is the fact that it’ll give you an absolutely fabulous
views of the Pichola Lake as well the low-lying Udaipur City.
Shiv Niwas Palace
The debonair Shiv Niwas Palace was first opened for
the shooting of the 007 Bond film Octopussy. This crescent
shaped palace was originally the annexe to the Shambhu Palace
near the southern end of the Pichola Lake. It was built sometime
in the beginning of the century by Maharana Fateh Singh for
nearly Rs 6,00,000, a very great sum in those days. The style
and design of the building is purely European although it
has retained some of the distinctive traditional Hindu elements
seen in Udaipur. It is a beautiful combination of Hindu tradition
and European elegance. As a structure it is more harmonious
and artistic than the Shambhu Niwas. The maharana had sent
two of his court artisans, Khaja Ustadh and Master Kundan
Lal, to England; the former to learn the art of glass-mosaic
design and the latter to study the fine art of fresco painting.
The former has given the interiors of Shiv Niwas their radiant
effect. In 1903 when the Prince of Wales came to visit Udaipur
he was dazzled by the brilliance of the palace and described
it as ‘the Diadem of the Palace’.
The Luxurious Accommodation
The Shiv Niwas Palace was used for a short period by Maharana
Fateh Singh as his personal residence and during Maharana
Bhopal Singh’s stint as the king the palace was used
for partying and entertainment for the royal guests. The original
palace had nine suites all around the courtyard. The first
among these is ornated with beautiful paintings. The second,
third, seventh and eighth are without any such ornamentation.
The fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth are decorated with inlaid
glass mosaics. The fifth suite once housed the celebrated
Crystal suite and is the most intricate and beautiful of the
glass-mosaic work. The palace was converted into a hotel by
Bhagwat Singh in 1982 which was later developed by his son
and heir Arvind Singh into India’s most luxurious and
exclusive hotel. Later more suites were added on the second
floor overlooking the courtyard and the marble swimming pool,
and each with an open terrace facing the lake. The decoration
of the traditional suites has been candidly preserved. The
suites, with hand-cut coloured glass inlay work on their walls,
crystal chandeliers and polished teakwood doors inlaid with
ivory, have all been retained in their original state for
the privileged guests. The conference room has a breathtaking
view of the lake and since from wall to ceiling it is covered
in glass, the water of the lake is reflected at every nook
and corner of the room.
The Tradition of Entertaining Guest By Maharajas
Arvind Singh, the royal host personally entertains the hotel
guests from his residence at Shambhu Niwas. Entertaining guests
has always been a great tradition with the Mewaris as recounted
by Louis Rousselet, a French traveller in the 1870s who had
attended a banquet in Udaipur given by the Maharana. He records
his experience thus: "The dinner itself, which comes
from the kitchens of the Residency, naturally is quite in
the European style; and the wine, which comes from the royal
cellars, is first rate. The Rana receives his guests, but
only waits till they are seated at the table … considering
that, his religion forbids him to take part in our repast,
his presence as a spectator would be a restraint upon his
guests. Numerous toasts soon remove all constraint, and Rajpoots
and Europeans vie with each other in doing honour to the wines
of the West and to the Manila and Havanah cigars." Shiv
Niwas Palace maintains an aura of both worlds a princely palace
and a luxury hotel, fully epitomizing the bygone days of oriental
swank and splendour.
Gulab Bagh Udaipur
Sajjan Niwas garden or the Gulab Bagh with an area of 100
acres is perhaps the biggest and best garden in India. Apart
from the trees, flowerbeds and a zoo, the garden also has
a museum to boast of. The museum, originally known as Victoria
Hall Museum, was well known for its collection of antiques
and curios. It has now been shifted to Karan Vilas Mahal within
the City Palace complex. There is also a public library attached
to the garden, which has large volumes and illustrated manuscripts
on Indology, Archaeology, and History. The museum, the library
and a reading room are all located inside the Victoria Hall.
In the month of Shravan (Jul/Aug) a fair is held here on every
Monday.
Ekling Garh or Machla Magra
A little distance away from the Sajjan Niwas Garden is a
small fish shaped hill better known as Ekling Garh or Machla
Magra. At a height of 2,469 feet above sea level, this place
is attached to the walls of Kishan Pol, one of the city gates.
Once when the Scindias attacked Udaipur in 1764, the hill
was used as an ordnance dump. There are still some pieces
of cannons left as evidence of the military episode. Later,
guns were fired from this place, a sound that reverberated
through the city and even beyond it. They were fired everyday
precisely at midday and midnight – with no consideration
of the sleep of the subjects. The best thing about this hill
is the fact that it’ll give you an absolutely fabulous
views of the Pichola Lake as well the low-lying Udaipur City.
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