Udaipur and the lake palaces

Lake Pichola in Udaipur, just after sunrise.

A city that faces its water, not the road.

Palaces on still water

Udaipur is built around lakes, and Lake Pichola is the one in every picture. Along its eastern shore runs the City Palace, a long white wall of balconies and domes added to over four centuries. Out on the water sit two island palaces: the Lake Palace, now a hotel, which seems to float, and Jag Mandir, where the boats stop. In the morning the lake is still and the white buildings sit on their own reflections.

How the city uses the lake

The ghats, steps down to the water, are the town’s front rooms. At Gangaur Ghat people bathe, wash clothes and sit with a glass of tea as the light comes up. Boats leave from the City Palace jetty and circle the islands. Each evening at Bagore ki Haveli, an old mansion above the ghat, there is a show of Rajasthani folk dance. The lanes behind the water are full of miniature painters, rooftop cafés and small hotels.

Why people come

Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II of Mewar, a line of rulers remembered in Rajasthan for holding out against the Mughals. Indian families come on holiday and for weddings. Visitors from abroad often come for the Lake Palace, and because a James Bond film, Octopussy, was shot here in 1983. Udaipur is called the City of Lakes, and after the monsoon, in October, the lakes are at their fullest.

Getting there

Udaipur’s airport, a little over twenty kilometres from town, has flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and other cities. Trains connect it with Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, and Ahmedabad is about four hours by road. The old city is compact. Walk it, or take an auto between the ghats and Fateh Sagar, the second lake, to the north.

By the lake

• Take a boat once, early or at sunset. The islands are best seen from the water.
• The Lake Palace is for hotel guests. Jag Mandir is open to boat passengers.
• Give the City Palace museum two hours. The upper courtyards have the best views of the lake.
• Keep one evening for the folk dance at Bagore ki Haveli.

The palaces made Udaipur famous. The steps down to the water are what you remember.