“Travelling with Parents” series : Destination 4 of 6 - Udaipur

After spending some quality time at the lake, we enjoyed a musical evening with some young talents, playing by the lake - later we checked in to our hotel- Rampratap Palace.

In my first trip trip to Udaipur, we had stayed at this place and head really loved every bit about it. An old haveli has been converted into this boutique hotel and is well known because of its restaurant. Its location is ideal because its away from the hustle bustle of main city and gives solitary space around Fateh Sagar Lake and the rooms have a vantage view of the lake.

Next day, after a sumptuous breakfast by the lake- we started at about 10:30 AM with a visit to Saheliyon Ki Baari. This is a beautiful garden boasting of not just landscaped garden but also clever and creative usage of water force, gravity & transmission to bring water to life and ornate the garden.

Being an arts and crafts lover, i had read about this place known as Shilp Gram, which has been carefully created to give the viewer an experience of Rajasthan. This place hosts exhibitions, which are sheer class and also has exemplary local folk performances. We didn’t get to experience the place fully, as the exhibition season was not on. We found the entry to be heavily priced as exhibition was not running. We saw beautifully created replicas of houses in various parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, witnessed 2 dance performances and some shopping stalls. The Stone Craft Museum was a standout, with its hand mastered stone sculptures spread across the garden. One can give this place a miss, if the peak season is not on.

Udaipur houses a Vintage Car Museum, which has old vintage cars, straight from Maharaja’s fold. The ticket is exorbitant at Rs 400 per person but the experience is worth it. There are so many old models, which are a collector’s delight and a visual treat for the onlookers. With a collection of cars & chariots - this place is a must visit.

After eating South Indian at a nearby restaurant, we then bought tickets for the magnanimous City Palace. Just like other palaces of Rajasthan- most part of this palace is open for public viewership and rest continues to be inhabited by royal family. The biggest beauty of this palace is its location at the Lake Pichola, which makes it ideal to visit during sunsets. We spent about 2 hours at this palace, which has beautiful interiors, opulent decorative pieces, grand palanquins & chariots, scintillating utensils and ornaments and beyond all- great view points.

Having visited earlier, I knew already about the supremely famous Dharohar Show at Gangaur Ghat running for about 20 years. What sets this show a class apart vis a vis other shows is the quality and variety of performances ranging from dance forms to puppetry to theatrical performances all bundled in an hour. One can gauge the notoriety of the show from its foreigner clientele and difficulty in securing tickets. While there is an option of Online Booking, we directly reached the location to grab our tickets. As the place is located in the tiny streets, it is difficult to manoeuvre with 4 wheelers. We reached at about 6:20 Pm and saw a huge queue for tickets. The window opens at 6:15 Pm and by 6:25 PM all tickets were sold out. We tried best to get tickets but failed at all attempts. The only resort we had was to wait until the show starts and see if there is a backout. We were lucky to get place under the tree in the courtyard, after waiting. Even though we missed first 10 mins, but next 50 minutes were worth the wait. Perhaps, this is the only show which covers art forms around the length and breadth of Rajasthan.

Our next day started with a visit to the Karni Mata temple. You have to take the ropeway to reach the temple. This temple has its base in Bikaner where temple is swamped with thousands of rats skimpering on the floor. This place doesn’t house any rats but offers a panoramic view of Udaipur surrounded by various lakes.

On the way to our next destination, we spotted the solar observatory- right in the middle of Fateh Sagar Lake. As entry is not permitted, we quickly moved ahead.

We had heard about Udaipur housing the biggest aquarium of India, located at Fateh Sagar Lake. “Under the Sun” aquarium offers not just display of wide variety of Indian and foreign fishes but also 3D gallery, under water restaurant, fish spa and VR experience. In addition, there is hydroponics at display and some nice photo clicking booths.

Returning from Udaipur, without a boat ride around the Lake Pichola is considered a crime. So, we headed to the boating location around City Palace. We were just in time for Boating at about 5:30 Pm as it was the golden hour and we could catch hues of sun over the lake. While i am not very fond of boating but I didn't mind redoing this 30 minutes boating around Lake Pichola and various premier hotels.

Udaipur is an art connoisseur’s heaven and how could we do without shopping? We quickly left for Hathi Pol Market, from where we shopped and shipped loads of handicrafts and souvenirs. One can also buy Lac Ornaments and Lahariya sarees, which are a speciality. If you really want to shop some exquisite handicrafts, don’t forget to visit the market around Gangaur Ghat. I have previously shopped there and that market stands out for its variety, customization and price.