Udaipur

Anand Bhawan

Built seven decades ago as a royal guest house, and later the residence of the prime minister of Udaipur, Anand Bhawan is built overlooking the Fateh Sagar and Swaroop Sagar lakes. A white mansion in the Indo­Saracenic style, it is set within a garden complex, and has 24 rooms, a multi cuisine restaurant, and bar, within a rambling building.


Caravanserai

A haveli that was the residence of Rajmata (Queen Mother) Vijayalaxmi Ranawat, and built one-hundred­and-fifty-years ago in traditional Rajput style, with additions over the decades, and located next to Jagdish temple on the banks of the Pichola, the 24 rooms have been extensively renovated to add modern facilities, and the property has a rooftop restaurant with a panoramic view of the lake.


Lake Palace

Also known as Jag Niwas, this stunning palace, afloat on Lake Pichola, was developed by Rana Jagat Singh II in the 1730s as a pleasure palace because permission had been denied to him by his father to develop the existing island palace of Jag Mandir. A large number of the palatial apartments here date to this period. Col. James Tod described it as follows: 'The apartments are decorated with historical paintings in water colours, almost meriting the term fresco from their deep absorption in the wall, though the darker tints have blended with and in part obscured the more delicate shades, from atmospheric causes.'

Additions were made in the following century, but the palace was now aging. However, it continued to remain a favourite retreat for the Sisodia family who would come here to get away from the pressures of court. In 1961, Maharana Bhagwat Singh decided to convert Jag Niwas into a luxury hotel because, as its design­consultant said, '...it seemed the only viable way that it could be maintained'. It caught the fancy of the international who's who immediately, and since 1971, it has been managed by the Taj Group of Hotels.


Laxmi Vilas Palace

Built in 1911 as the residence of the British Resident as a small bungalow, it was later converted into a guest house after three decades. However, Maharana Bhopal Singh gave it a complete makeover in 1945, transforming it into a royal guest house for visiting princes and dignitaries. So it remained till 1962 when it was taken over by the government, and is now run as a 47-room hotel with 6 suites, a swimming pool, and tennis courts.


Rang Niwas Palace

Built with the express purpose of viewing the Sitla Mata procession as it wound its way through the city, this late­19th century palace was renovated in the 1930s for conversion into a guest house for princes from neighbouring states. Characterised by its Rajput architecture, and spacious rooms with high ceilings, the heritage hotel has 24 rooms, a restaurant that serves Indian and Continental cuisine, a swimming pool, games room, and library.


Shikarhadi

Managed by Maharana Arvind Singh, this former royal hunting lodge is a sprawling complex that, but for its palatial building, would have been a farmhouse. There are deer and geese and horses on the premises, and facilities such as riding, clay pigeon shooting and boating, and provisions for jeep and horse safaris. The lodge has 25 rooms, t~nts on the grounds, as well as restaurants, a swim-ming pool, and a conference room.


Fateh Prakash Palace

Over­looking the Pichola and an adjunct to the City Palace complex, Fateh Prakash recreates the aura of a royal residence not just in its spacious 9 rooms, each with an exquisite view, but also in its public areas that include the Durbar Hall which has portraits of the rulers of Mewar, and its resplendent Crystal Gallery.


Shiv Niwas Palace

Built at the turn of the century as an adjunct to the royal residence, Shambhu Niwas, which is a somewhat incongruous, Western looking building, Shiv Niwas is its anti-thesis with its curved chajjas or dripstone roofs, and its arched chambers that were opulently appointed 'of a number of white halls and white kiosks'. Over­looking Lake Pichola, it had two of its court artisans sent to London to study and create in its interiors the fine art of frescos and glass-mosaic design. Used variously as a royal residence and guest house, and home till recently to a splendid suite of Belgian crystal furniture, Shiv Niwas was converted into a hotel in 1982, and is currently being run by the head of the clan, Maharana Arvind Singh. It is, without doubt, the most exclusive palace hotel in India, its original ornamentation preserved and splendidly maintained by the head of the clan himself.


City Palace

A majestic architectural marvel towering over the lake on a hill surrounded by crenallated walls, it is a conglomeration of courtyards, pavilions, terraces, corridors, rooms and hanging gardens. The main entrance is through the triple arched gate, the 'Tripolia' with eight marble porticos. The maharanas were weighed under the gate in gold, the equivalent amount of which was distributed among the populace.

The Suraj Gokhada, the balcony of the sun, is where the Suryavanshi Maharanas of Mewar presented themselves to the people in time of trouble to restore their confidence. The 'Mor Chowk' known for its exquisite peacock mosaics in glass and the 'Chini Chitrashala' noted for its blue and white ceramics are other attractions in the Palace.

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