Rajasthan
SOUTHERN
R AJASTHAN
Rajasthan
GETT iNG A ROUND
Rajasthan
UDA iPUR
Jaipur (₹226-243, seven hours, every 90
minutes from 7.15am to 10pm)
Kota (₹150, four hours, hourly from 5.15am to
6.45pm)
Pushkar (₹159, four to five hours, 10am)
Udaipur (₹90, 2½ hours, half-hourly from 6am
to 10pm)
TRAIN
Three trains run daily to Bundi (2pm, 2.55pm
and 8.50pm). They take 3½, 2½ and 2 hours
respectively. Sleepers cost ₹120.
Five daily trains make the two-hour trip to
Udaipur (4.10am, 5.05am, 5.33am, 4.35pm
and 7.25pm). Unreserved ‘general tickets’ cost
around ₹45; sleepers around ₹120.
Three trains make the 5½-hour trip to Jaipur
daily (8.42am, 12.35am and 2.45am). Sleepers
cost around ₹160.
Three trains also make the three-hour trip to
Ajmer daily (8.42am, 10.10am and 7.30pm).
Sleepers cost around ₹160. Unreserved 2nd-
class seats cost ₹60.
Two fast trains go to Delhi (7.30pm and
8.50pm), arriving at 5.10am and 6.30am
respectively.
For Ranthambhore, three trains (varying
greatly in speed) travel daily to Sawai Madhopur
(2pm, 2.55pm and 8.50pm). They take nine,
six and four hours respectively. Sleepers cost
around ₹150.
8 Getting ̈Around
A full tour of the fort by autorickshaw should
cost around ₹300 return. You can arrange this
yourself in town. Hotel Pratap Palace gives jeep
tours of the fort for ₹600.
Udaipur
% 0294 / POP 451,000
Beside shimmering Lake Pichola, with the
ochre and purple ridges of the wooded Arav-
alli Hills stretching away in every direction,
Udaipur has a romantic setting unmatched
in Rajasthan and arguably in all India. Fan-
tastical palaces, temples, havelis and count-
less narrow, crooked, colourful streets add
the human counterpoint to the city’s natural
charms. Its tag of ‘the most romantic spot
on the continent of India’ was first applied
in 1829 by Colonel James Tod, the East India
Company’s first Political Agent in the region.
Today the romance is wearing ever so slight-
ly thin as Udaipur strains to exploit this rep-
utation for tourist rupees. In the parts of the
city nearest the lake, almost every building
is a hotel, shop, restaurant, travel agent – or
all four rolled into one – and noisy, dirty traf-
fic clogs some of the streets that were made
for people and donkeys.
Take a step back from the hustle, how-
ever, and Udaipur still has its magic, not just
in its marvellous palaces and monuments
but in its matchless setting, the tranquil-
lity of boat rides on the lake, the bustle of
its ancient bazaars, the quaint old-world feel
of its better hotels, its tempting shops and
lovely surrounding countryside, which can
be explored on foot, by bike or on horseback.
Udaipur was founded in 1568 by Maha-
rana Udai Singh II following the final sack-
ing of Chittorgarh by the Mughal emperor
Akbar. This new capital of Mewar had a
much less vulnerable location than Chit-
torgarh. Mewar still had to contend with
repeated invasions by the Mughals and,
later, the Marathas, until British interven-
tion in the early 19th century. This resulted
in a treaty that protected Udaipur from
invaders while allowing Mewar’s rulers to
remain effectively all-powerful in internal
affairs. The ex-royal family remains influ-
ential and in recent decades has been the
driving force behind the rise of Udaipur as
a tourist destination.1 ̈Sights
Lake ̈Pichola ̈ lAKE
(boat rides adult/child 10am-2pm ₹200/100,
3-5pm ₹500/250; hboat rides 10am-5pm) Lim-
pid and large, Lake Pichola reflects the cool
grey-blue mountains on its rippling mirror-
like surface. It was enlarged by Maharana
Udai Singh II, following his foundation of
the city, by flooding Picholi village, which
gave the lake its name. The lake is now 4km
long and 3km wide, but remains shallow
and dries up completely in severe droughts.
The City Palace complex, including the gar-
dens at its south end, extends nearly 1km
along the lake’s eastern shore.
Boat ̈ rides leave roughly hourly from
Rameshwar Ghat, within the City Palace
complex (note, you have to pay ₹25 to en-
ter). The trips make a stop at Jagmandir Is-
land, where you can stay for as long as you
like before taking any boat back. Take your
own drinks and snacks, though, because
those sold on the island are extortionately
expensive. You can also take 30-minute
boat rides from Lal ̈Ghat ̈(₹200 per person;
h9.30am and 5pm), without the need to enter
the City Palace complex.