Udaipur, a beautiful city located in Rajasthan is known as ‘city of lakes’. The city lies at the southern end of the Aravali range which is an important relief feature for Udaipur. Udaipur covers an area of 37 sq kms and lies at an altitude of 598 m above sea level. The city is situated in the southwest of Jaipur bordering Gujarat. Udaipur has a population of five lakh fifty thousand with an average literacy rate of 77 percent.
Udaipur is known for its rich culture, heritage and scenic location. The palaces of Rajput era are the most attractive tourist destination in Udaipur. The Lake Palace that was built in 1743-1746, is made of marble and situated on Jag Niwas Island in Lake Pichola. The palace looks beautiful in moonlight.
Talking about the history of Udaipur, the city was the capital of the Rajput Kingdom of Mewar. Udaipur was founded by Rana Udai Singh, father of Maharana Pratap. In 1568 the Mughal emperor Akbar captured Chittor and Udai Singh moved the capital to the site of his residence, which became the city of Udaipur. Udaipur remained the capital of the state, which became a princely state of British India in 1818. After India’s independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Udaipur acceded to the government of India. The present king of Udaipur is Sriji Arvind Mewar.
Rajasthan news has thus emerged as the one of the most important sections for both readers and policy makers.
Some of the places of interest in Udaipur are Lake Palace, Jag Mandir, Monsoon Palace, Jagdish temple, Fateh Sagar Lake, Lake Pichola, Gulab Bagh, Nehru Garden and Ahar Museum. Udaipur is known as Venice of the east and Kashmir of Rajasthan. Climate in Udaipur is tropical with average minimum temperature 28.8 degree and maximum 38.8 in summer. In winter, the average minimum temperature is 11.6 degree Celsius and maximum 28.3 degree Celsius. Average annual rainfall in Udaipur is 637 mm.
Being located in the desert lands of Rajasthan, the climate and weather of Udaipur is usually hot. The summer season runs from Mid-March to June and touches the temperature of 38 degree Celsius. Winters in Udaipur are comparatively cooler than summers but not cold at all. The winter season prevails from the month of October till the month of March.
Recent Udaipur news was the murder of a tribal person in July. Tension prevailed in the region and curfew was imposed in Udaipur for three days. The tribal community demanded justice for the victim’s family. But when their demand was not fulfilled, they set 20 houses on fire. Udaipur was also worst affected by H1N1 virus recently as many cases of swine flu were reported from the city.
Udaipur is also a shooting destination for many Bollywood film makers and producers of small screen. The famous “Rakhi Ka Swayamvar” and rahul Mahajan Ka Swayamvar on NDTV Imagine, were shot at Udaipur’s 150 year old Fateh Garh Palace. Hindi movies have including Guide, Mera Saya, Kachhe Dhage, Eklavya: The Royal Guard, Fiza, Gadar and Mera Gaon Mera Desh etc were filmed in Udaipur. Some scenes from the British television series The Jewel in the Crown were also filmed in Udaipur.
Udaipur is a favourite wedding destination. Many celebrities, including film stars and business families chose Udaipur to hold marriage ceremonies and parties. If you are interested in shopping, Udaipur can provide you stone items, pottery, antiques and colorful puppets. The markerst in the old walled part of Udaipur are still bustling with activity and offer wonderful opportunity to soak in the ambience of the city. The major shopping centers are the Chetak circle, Baapu bazaar, Palace road, and Shastri circle. You can get a large number of interesting articles here that would make fine souvenirs.