 Cities
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City Palace - Udaipur
This majestic white Royal building towers itself on a
hill and is surrounded by crenellated walls. The palace was completed
in its present form by the contribution of many rulers. Originally
started by Udai Singh, the later addition were so carefully planned
and integrated with the original building that it becomes difficult to
belive that the building was not conceived as a whole. The palace
stands along the shores of lake Pichola.
Approach to the palace is through the Hati Pol or the
elephant gate. The Bara pol or the great gate leads to the first court
which joins Tripolia or the triple gate. Between the two gates are
eight carved toranas or arches which marks the spot where the rulers
were weighed against gold or silver the equivalent value of which was
then distributed among the poor. Beyond the Tripolia is the arena
where the elephant fights were staged.
The path then leads to
a series of courtyards, overlapping pavilions, terraces, corridors and
hanging gardens- a harmonious profusion hard to describe.The soft
cream coloured central Chhatri has facing of blue coloured tiles with
massive octagonal towers crowned with cupolas. The Sheesh Mahal has
inlaid mirror work. The Krishna villas has a series of miniature
paintings which are witness to the Royal processions, festivals and
the game of 'Chogan'. The Chini Chitrashala is famous for its Chinese
and Dutch tiles, the latter of which has depiction of biblical scenes
including the flight to Egypt. Radha-Krishna stories are painted on
the walls of the Bhim Vilas. The glass mosaic gallery with its superb
stained glasses and portraits afford a panoramic view of the city
below. The Mor chowk has a brilliant mosaic of peacocks set in the
walls showing the three seasons: summer, winter and monsoon. There are
exquisite terrace gardens with fountains in the Amar villass
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Copyright,Traditional
Rajasthan . All Rights Reserved
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