Festivals of Udaipur

Located in the western state of Rajasthan, the city of Udaipur is well-known for its rich culture and heritage. Arguable, one of the best ways to experience the culture of a place is to be a part of one of its festivals.

Mewar Festival (March-April)

Celebrates the annual Mewar festival. A party to celebrate spring. There are songs, dances, fireworks and devotional music, where almost everyone participates.

Holi (March)

Holi is one the oldest festival in the world, a colourful music festival, during which everyone sings, dances, rushes with colourful colour.

The most bright and cheerful festival. Thousands of participants will paint themselves and all around the colours of all the colours of the rainbow!

This is the time of true fun and joy, drawings and games, dance and music, and, of course, many bright colours that can leave a bright trace in every heart.

You have a chance to be in the desert under the starry sky, to see the ancient palaces and painted havelis, to meet all kinds of animals from monkeys to elephants and camels, to get acquainted with the colourful locals and to become a participant in the holiday of colours - Holi in the most colourful state of India.

Teej Festival (July-August)

A festival to commemorate the arrival of the monsoons. Women dressed in bright colors and lots of joy prevails during Teej. Essentially a women's festival, it is interesting to see that it enjoys in groups and in various bazaars in which they turn up their shop, in all the best.

Dussehra Festival (October)

Dussehra means the Tenth day, being the 10th day of the brilliant half of Ashvin. This day is also known as Vijayadashmi, or the tenth victory, because of Ram's victory over Ravana.

Shilpgram Utsav (December)
The village of Shilpgram is a village famous for its craftwork and is located just 8 km away from Udaipur. It hosts a 10-day festival during the final week of December, where you can find some of the finest handicrafts from Rajasthan, Goa, and Gujarat. Be sure to visit this village and buy some souvenirs which you can bring back home to your friends and family.

Getting Udaipur

 By Air

24 Km from Udaipur, there is an airport on the name of The Maharana Pratap, this airport is also famous with the name of The Dabok airport. All metro and big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Jaipur have well connected with Udaipur airport and schedule a daily flight for those destinations.

By Road

Udaipur is situated in between New Delhi and Mumbai on the National Highway NH8, The city lies midway between Delhi and Mumbai, at the intersection of NH 8, Golden quadrilateral, East west Corridor and NH 76. So travellers can also reach Udaipur by road also within a journey of 4 to 5 hour from near to places of Udaipur.

By Train

In Udaipur, there are two main railway station, situated 3km away from city center, which are well connected with all major railway station of India, like like Kolkata, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Ajmer, Kota, Agra, etc. Named - Udaipur City railway station and Rana Pratap Nagar railway station.

Suggested Time to Visit Udaipur

The best season to visit this place is probably between the months of September to March, when the temperature is pleasant and we will avoid the rainy and extremely muggy monsoon. It has winters with temperatures ranging between 28.3 º maximum and minimum of 11.6 º.

The most pleasant temperatures are recorded from October to March. April and May are the hottest months (temperatures above 40º C.) The monsoon brings the rains between June and September and refreshes the atmosphere

Shopping in Udaipur

Udaipur is extremely rich in its royal heritage artifacts including textiles, sculptures and much more, also the sellers are hospitable and friendly that makes it a smooth shopping experience.

The striking items that can be shopped in Udaipur and have mentioned them below:

 Ethnic Sarees
 Jackets
 Diaries
 Pagdis (Turbans)
 Paintings and Sculptures
 Cushion Covers
 Authentic Jewellery
 Wall Hangings
 Mojadis (Footwear)
 Wall Clocks
 Traditional Rajasthani Attires
 Bags
 Shawls and Stoles
 Borders
 Boxes

Things to do in Udaipur

Visit the lakeside of the Fateh Lake Sagar : Udaipur is also known as the city ​​of lakes just because everything seems to have been built around the water in the city. Without a doubt, the best known is Lake Pichola. Famous for the City Palace that occupies a bank, but also for the Lake Palace, a luxury hotel that seems out of a fairy-tale. On this lake was set the James Bond film "Octopussy - Operation octopus", impossible not to hear about it if you are even just a few hours in Udaipur!

The second lake we recommend to see is the Fateh Sagar. Located northwest of the city, it can be reached by walking for an hour from the center or by a tuk tuk ride. The atmosphere is very relaxing and peaceful. Here you can make romantic boat trips or sit on a bench to watch Indian families and couples of lovers strolling.

Visit City Palace

Rajasthan is famous for its majestic palaces so, if you've been in the region for a few days, you'll probably already have it seen several.

You cannot miss the City Palace, built by several sovereigns of the Mewar kingdom, it is a place that takes your breath away for 3 reasons: it overlooks the lake, from the palace you can enjoy a fabulous view of Udaipur, the interior decorations and exposed objects are beautiful and refer to a fascinating and mysterious era.

Visit Jagdish Temple

The Jagdish Temple is located in the heart of Udaipur and easy to get to because all the roads coming from the city walls converge here.

The temple is located in an elevated position compared to the chaotic streets of the center and is accessed via a staircase of 32 steps.

The call to prayer, the faithful, the incense and the flowers offered give this structure a mystical and fascinating aura.

If you are in the temple around 11am, you can make your rice or money offerings to the beggars that are there.

Visit the monuments of Gangu Kund

Gangu Kund is what struck us most in Udaipur. It can be reached from the city center with a trip of about 15 minutes by tuk tuk and seems to be a place forgotten by tourists and visitors. Once you arrive, you will find a closed gate but after a few minutes you will be joined by the caretaker who will enter you in this surreal place. It is a sort of cemetery that contains about 300 cenotaphs, that is the tombs of the Mewar maharajahs. The atmosphere is really mystical and difficult to describe. Do not miss it absolutely.

Visit the temple of Eklingji

Eklingji is in fact a small village located 25 km north of the city that can be reached by a bus leaving from the bus station. Be careful because Eklingji is a detour from the main road connecting Udaipur with Nathdwara, so many direct buses do not stop there. For the same reason, when you need to return, you may wait several hours before seeing a bus, the wait before being able to return to Udaipur was about 3 hours but were fantastic hours in which, in addition to visiting the beautiful temple, you might touch the hospitality and kindness of the people.

The royal family deeply involved in the cult Eklingji, a representation with four heads of Shiva. The Eklingji temple is an architectural marvel of a nesting of numerous temples in an enclosure surrounded by high walls. As a complete religious activity, the photographs are strictly prohibited and that is a shame for elegant sculptures and architecture themselves. In the entrance where the merchant offers of flower necklaces are hyperactive. The visit of the interior, especially when a prayer "puja" with the sound of the drums, is particularly interesting.

Beautiful royal garden

"Garden of the Virgins" Sahelion Ki Bari is a tourist mecca of Udaipur. Far enough from the City Palace, this beautiful garden is guarded by a windows. Created in 17 Century, 1710-1734, by King Sangram Singh, the park was for the queen and 48 maids he had brought in. Lotus pool, marble pavilions, elephant fountains: luxury, calm and voluptuousness. You can easily imagine this place of paradise freshness for the court ladies of India in regal splendour open to the public.

The Peacock courtyard (The Mor Chowk)

During the visit to the City Palace in Udaipur a swing, entering rooms, overlooking courtyards and can browse in which were Harn stays or maharaja rooms. There are many suggestive places and others showing a nice view of the city. But undoubtedly one of the most special is the Mor Chowk, a courtyard decorated with beautiful peacock mosaics, a bird revered in India.

Aravalli Hills

Aravalli Hills runs through the entire state of Rajasthan. You can take a scenic drive through the hills near Ranakpur between Udaipur and Jodhpur and it is very beautiful - green mountains, waterfalls, streams and endless street-views to admire the scenery. Aravalli Hills is one of the site of India's strongest and most impressive palaces, the Aravalli hills are also an ideal place for outdoor activities, especially hiking and mountaineering, it is always and strongly advised to go only with a guide like leopards and tigers live in the area. If you stay in Udaipur, Pushkar and Jodhpur, you can inquire for excursions, rafting and other activities in the hills.

The Monsoon Palace

The Monsoon Palace is not to be missed at sunset. The rosy light of the setting sun makes the view of the lakes of Udaipur, the hills and the town more magical.

Monsoon Palace is located just 5 kilometers west of Udaipur, which you have to climb to reach for a winding and winding road up the hill where it is located. The Monsoon Palace was ordered to be built by Maharana Sajjan Singh, who was the ruler of Mewar's 72nd dynasty, but could only rule the city of Udaipur for 10 years, since he died very young. The palace is a real treasure, despite the deterioration it currently has, and the breathtaking views of the city and Lake Pichola are mastered. It is built of white marble in the upper Bansdara of the Aravalli hills, 944 meters above sea level and overlooks Lake Pichola.

Wildlife in Udaipur

Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

It is located in the most rugged region of the Aravalli hills in Pali , Rajsamand and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan . It takes name after the impressive historic fort of Kumbhalgarh, which eats into view over the park. It is spread over 578 square kilometers at an altitude of 500 to 1,300 meters above sea level. It is home to a large variety of wildlife, some of which are highly endangered species. The wild life includes wolf, leopards, sloth bear, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, 'sambhar', 'nilgai', 'chausingha' (the four horned antelope), 'chinkara' and hare.

The bird life at Kumbhalgarh is also gratifying. The normally shy and un-trusted gray jungle fowl can be spotted here. Peacocks and doves can be sighted regularly feeding on grains scattered by the jungle guards. Birds like the red spur owls, parakeets, golden oriole, gray pigeons, bulbul, dove and white breasted kingfisher can also be seen near the water holes.

Kumbhalgarh's natural beauty is attracting many tourists and especially for its accessibility from Udaipur, which is only 100 kilometers from here. Foot tracking and horse safari organized by local tour operators are proving to be very popular. A typical safari route enters the sanctuary from the Kumbhalgarh Fort and while cutting across the sanctuary it reaches Ghanerao, and then borders an old abandoned road. On this road, one can sight 'chinkaras', 'neelgais', four horned antelope and many birds

Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary is situated 5 kilometers away in the west of tourist city Udaipur , which surrounds the Sajjangarh Palace overlooking Udaipur City. From the palace, one can have a magnificent view of lakes of Udaipur and Aravalli hill ranges. The view of sunrise and sunset attracts every visitor atop of Bansdara hill. Safari Park was created and wild animals like Chital, Sambar, Wild Boar, and Blue Bull were reintroduced. Animals like Panther, Hyena, Hare and Jackal have reappeared apart from a variety of reptiles and birds. The wall extended further and now the whole hillock has been fenced, improving the vegetable cover of the sanctuary area.

Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary

In the forests with deciduous vegetation and dry bamboo at a distance of 108 kilometers from Udaipur , this sanctuary offers rich pastures for a variety of deer that includes chausingha. Along with this, it also offers houses for wild boar Caracal, pangolins and leopards.