The
construction of the City Palace, Udaipur was started by Maharana Uday
Singh. However, later on several additions were made to this palace by
the succeeding Maharanas. Irrespective of the number of builders, the
palace retains uniformity in its design. The Udaipur City Palace has a
number of gates. Hati Pol, the Elephant Gate, provides you entry into
the palace. Then there is the Bari Pol, the Big Gate, leading you to
another gate Tripolia, the Triple gate. City Palace of Rajasthan towers over the Pichola Lake. There are a number of balconies, towers, etc in the palace providing with an amazing view of the lake. One of the balconies of the palace is the Suraj Gokhada, the balcony of the sun. Here, the Maharana used to hold public audiences at the time of some crisis. A well-known attraction of the fort is the Mor Chowk, the peacock square, having blue mosaic of a peacock in glass. It adorns the wall of the square.
The palace also has a Surya Chopar, the sun square, which displays a huge ornamental sun. Udaipur City Palace also houses a museum displaying a rich collection of armory ranging from protective gear to a number of weapons, including the two-pronged sword. The entry to the museum is through Ganesh Deori, the door of Lord Ganesh. Further ahead is Rajya Angan, the royal courtyard.
There are a number of structures within the palace complex. Some of them are the following:
- Manak Mahal, the Ruby Palace housing an amazing glass and mirror work collection.
- Krishna Vilas, with some of the finest miniature paintings.
- Moti Mahal, the pearl palace, with magnificent mirror work
- Chini Mahal, adorned with ornamental tiles all.
- Bari Mahal, having a central garden.
- Zenana Mahal, the ladies chambers, comprising of some magnificent paintings of that era.
Apart from these, there is also the Shiv Niwas and Fateh Prakash Palace, which have been converted into hotels.
