Shower me with rose petals…

The boxes carried by the elephants were full of valuables and gems, the excellence of which drove the onlookers mad. Every emerald sparkled in the light of the sun. . . The lustre of the rubies illuminated the darkness of the night; The emeralds had a fineness of water that could eclipse the lawn of paradise … Hazrat Amir Khusra

Escaping the grime and gridlocked streets of Delhi for a weekend break between 2 hectic weeks of meetings, I found myself in what surely must be one of the loveliest places on earth.

Dotted with palaces set in and around a series of man-made lakes, Udaipur is often labelled the most romantic city in India and referred to as the Venice of the East. Slightly sorry to be there on my own, I was nevertheless looking forward to a glimpse of the world of the Maharana’s and enjoying some down time in the most tranquil of of settings.

A friend had recommended the wonderful Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel, an early 17th century ‘Haveli’ or mansion, beautifully restored and with breathtaking views across Lake Pichola.

Breakfast room with a view, Jagat Niwas

I was shown into a lovely suite replete with a working fountain and a love seat with views across the Lake to not one, but four Palaces – what not to love!

The hotel is all white with black and white floor tiles, lavender painted doors and large brass bolts with padlocks on the rooms, in place of normal locks

The location is perfect for exploring the many attractions in the area, including the Jagdish Temple – a Hindu temple built in 1651, with intricate architecture and carvings and dedicated to Lord Vishnu, preserver of the universe

Stunning carvings cover the Jagdish temple

A short walk up the hill is the vast City Palace, the magnificent main residence of the rulers of Mewar since the 16^th century and today still occupied by the current ‘custodian’ Arvind Singh Mewar and his family

City Palace viewed from Lake Pichola

Lovely tile work,  City Palace

Once this courtyard was the place for an audience with the Maharana 

Seemingly floating in the middle of Lake Pichola is the Summer Pleasure Palace, Jag Niwas, the story goes, built by the young Prince Jagat Singh in the mid 1700’s after he was caught frolicking with the ladies of the Zenana. It’s now the Taj lake Palace Hotel and is perhaps better known to many as the lair of James Bond foe, Octopussy.

Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the film, there are ‘Octopussy’ shows and film screenings playing nightly in a large number of bars and restaurants around the town 🙂

Another ‘floating palace’, Jag Mandir, was built in the 1500’s for the sole purpose of hosting lavish and apparently debauched parties and was also known as the sex palace.

In the early 1600’s Jag Mandir provided refuge to Prince Khurram (later to become Emperor Shah Jahan) during his campaign to overthrow his father and take over the Moghul Throne. The beauty of Jag Mandir is said to have provided Shah Jahan with the inspiration for the Taj Mahal .

Pigeons enjoying the sunset, Jag Mandir

Lastly in the distance, the marvelously named Monsoon Palace, Sajjan Garh Palace, set high up in the Aravalli hills overlooking Fateh Sagar Lake and, poetically, conceived as a place for the Maharana to view the Monsoon Clouds.

Built in 1884, Maharana Sajjan Singh intended to build a five story astronomical centre here but plans for this were scrapped on his death. Previously also used as a hunting lodge, today the palace is surrounded by a wildlife sanctuary, home to tigers,  nilgai,  sambhar deer,  wild boars,  hyenas and panthers.

Another setting used in the filming of Octopussy, Sajjan Garh Palace was the home of  the very charming but evil exiled Afghan prince, Kamal Khan

Sajjan Garh or Monsoon Palace

India is such a land of contrasts and it’s hard not to resort to clichés when attempting to describe it. It is a sensory overload, and certainly polarises people – there is such a contrast between the immense wealth of the former ruling classes and the struggle for survival visible on the streets all around you.  But of course this isn’t unique to India…

Fruit and vegetable seller outside the Jagdish Temple

Scenes of daily life at the Ghat…

Saving the best until last…

As a special treat I booked myself into the Taj Lake Palace hotel on my last night. Until the Bombay bombings in 1993, it was possible to visit the Hotel for a tour or for dinner, but since then it’s only been open to guests, so what choice did I have?

The experience starts with a short boat trip from the hotel’s lakeside dock in the grounds of the City Palace. Hotel staff are there to greet you with a Royal umbrella, and rose petals are scattered over you from above as you enter the palace… not your every day hotel reception but I could get used to it!

Private launch to the Lake Palace

Realising my Maharani potential they upgraded me to a beautiful suite overlooking Jag Mandir, the garden pleasure palace.

The Knowledge, or reading room, with beautiful blue Iranian tile work

View across the Lake to the City Palace 

The lovely internal garden …

Ready for a sunset tour of the Lake

6.30am Yoga in the most exotic setting …  

There is even a resident Astrologer who holds court every afternoon and will give you a reading based on your birth co-ordinates and your palm. I’m apparently very strong willed but also very lucky in health, wealth and have super intelligent children. All sounds positive, although I should have a name starting with K…

Guests are treated to a nightly history tour, sunset boat trip around the Lake and a wonderful performance by talented local musicians and dancers.

All that’s left is to go and change for dinner….

I stayed at Jag Mandir Palace Hotel: http://www.jagatcollection.com/ 

This was my favourite hotel – I  loved the experience of staying at Taj Lake Palace but at the end of the day I prefer the less formal surroundings and relaxed atmosphere at Jagat Niwas ♥

Taj Lake Palace Hotel: https://taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-lake-palace-udaipur

According to their website, the most romantic hotel in the world and it would certainly be a contender.  Stay here if you like to be treated like royalty – the staff were, without exception, warm and friendly and made the experience truly unique.

Shop: While Jaipur is know for its jewellery, Udaipur specialises in paintings and there are many Art Schools where you can see paintings in progress. Often on silk or camel bone with traditional scenes of elephants, royal processions and peacocks being popular. I was told by an artist that in Indian art, female elephants are always depicted facing left as Indians believe that women make decisions using their heart (and the heart is on the left side of the body). Male elephants are depicted facing right, as men make decisions with the mind – hard to argue with that…

Peacocks are believed to bring good luck ….

Also visit:

The Palace Vintage car collection is a must for car lovers. The showpiece is a 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom II that was bought by the 76th. ‘Custodian’ of the House of Mewar, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar.

Saheliyon ki Bari or the Garden of the Maidens’ was constructed by Maharana Bhopal Singh as a place for the ladies of the Palace to come to relax. The gardens are laid out around a beautiful central lotus pond and dotted around with marble elephants and lovely fountains.

1924 Rolls Royce from the Maharana’s Vintage car collection

Reading on the trip:

Indian Summer – The Secret History of the End of an Empire, Alex von Tunzelmann. A brilliant book detailing the events that lead to Independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947; the Political intrigues, ceding of power by the Princely States to a united India, and Partition  – the creation of Pakistan, and the bloodbath that ensued.

The first paragraph neatly sums up the impact the British had on India:

In the beginning, there were two nations. One was a vast , mighty and magnificent empire, brilliantly organised and culturally unified, which dominated a massive swathe of the earth. The other was an underdeveloped, semi-feudal realm, riven by religious factionalism and barely able to feed its illiterate, diseased and stinking masses The first nation was India. The second was England

A State of Freedom – Neel Mukherjee. An extraordinary and compassionate collection of short stories highlighting the brutality of social divisions in India.

Elephant scenes painted on the walls outside the City Palace