City Palace Udaipur: The 400-Year Architectural Crown of Mewar on Lake Pichola

1. Foundation in 1559: Maharana Udai Singh II and Mewar's New Citadel

Rising sheer from the eastern shoreline of Lake Pichola, the **City Palace of Udaipur** is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II after the Mughal siege of Chittorgarh forced the shifting of Mewar's capital to the secure Girwa Valley of the Aravalli Hills, the palace evolved over 400 continuous years. Unlike many royal seats that were built in a single campaign and later abandoned, Udaipur City Palace grew organically through the reigns of 22 successive Maharanas, each adding courtyards, terraces, and royal suites while maintaining a magnificent stylistic harmony.

The site itself was selected on the advice of a hermit sage named Goswami Prem Giriji Maharaj, who was meditating upon a hill overlooking Lake Pichola. The hermit blessed Maharana Udai Singh II and advised him to construct his royal residence upon that very ridge, prophesying that a palace built there would remain invincible and never fall into enemy hands. The first modest structure raised on the hill was the royal hunting lodge (*Rai Angan* or Royal Courtyard), from which the colossal 244-metre-long, 30.4-metre-high palace complex eventually expanded.

Constructed entirely of granite and local greyish-green Aravalli phyllite schist, faced with gleaming white marble and finished with smooth shell-lime plaster (*ghutai*), the palace presents an impenetrable fortress-like exterior to the outside world, punctuated by high defensive walls, soaring watchtowers, and small fortified gateways (*Tripolia* and *Badi Pol*). Yet beyond these austere military battlements lies a labyrinth of delicate hanging gardens, sunlit marble pavilions, mirrored corridors, and glass-mosaic courtyards that capture the aesthetic brilliance of Mewar's royal court.

2. Mor Chowk: The World-Famous Peacock Courtyard

Among the countless chambers of the Mardana Mahal (King's Palace), the most celebrated is **Mor Chowk** (Peacock Courtyard). Created during the reign of Maharana Karan Singh (1620–1628) and embellished during the reign of Maharana Sajjan Singh in the late 19th century, this small inner courtyard was designed as an intimate open-air gathering space for official festivities and royal celebrations.

The defining glory of Mor Chowk is its three monumental high-relief peacocks sculpted into the chamber walls. Master artisans crafted these birds using over **5,000 individual pieces of concave and coloured Belgian glass**, micro-cut and set into wet lime plaster. The peacocks depict three distinct seasonal moods: summer, monsoon, and winter. During the monsoon season, when clouds roll over the Aravallis, the shimmering blue, green, and gold glass tiles catch the diffuse natural light, creating the iridescent illusion of live dancing peacocks. Adjacent to the peacocks are fine glass inlay representations of Lord Krishna, surrounding floral arabesques, and delicate jali stone screens through which cool breezes circulate.

Above Mor Chowk lies the **Surya Chopar**, an elliptical salon adorned with a massive gold-plated sun emblem (*Surya*). As descendants of the Suryavanshi (Sun Dynasty) Rajput lineage, the Maharanas of Mewar made it a religious vow never to consume morning food without first gazing upon the rising sun. During overcast monsoon days when the sun was concealed by cloud cover, the Maharana would venerate the radiant gilded sun face inside Surya Chopar before taking his meal.

3. Zenana Mahal, Manak Mahal & Sheesh Mahal: Royal Living Quarters

The City Palace is architecturally segregated into two expansive zones: the *Mardana Mahal* (male quarters and administrative halls) and the *Zenana Mahal* (female residential quarters), separated by guarded corridors and courtyard terraces.

The **Manak Mahal** (Ruby Palace) was originally designed as an intimate audience chamber for royal consultations. Lined with mirrors, stained ruby-red glass imported from Europe, and portraits of Mewar rulers, it houses an exquisite collection of traditional Mewari miniature paintings depicting court darbars, tiger hunts, and battle marches against Mughal armies. Adjoining it is the **Moti Mahal** (Pearl Palace), constructed by Maharana Jawan Singh, featuring mirror-inlaid walls and floral alcoves illuminated by hidden oil lamps.

The **Sheesh Mahal** (Palace of Mirrors), founded by Maharana Pratap for his queen Ajabde Punwar in the late 16th century, represents the pioneer phase of glass-mosaic architecture in Rajasthan, preceding the later Mughal mirror chambers of Agra and Delhi. Convex glass mirrors imported from Aleppo and Venice reflect single candlelight into thousands of twinkling star-like points across the vaulted ceiling.

The **Zenana Mahal**, accessed through the grand Laxmi Chowk, served as the private haven for Mewar's royal women. Its immense central courtyard is enclosed by multi-tiered balconies, hanging jharokhas, and delicate stone screens (*jali*) that allowed the Ranis and their attendants to observe religious processions and court entertainments in complete purdah without being seen. Today, the Zenana Mahal houses the City Palace Museum's textile gallery, silver palanquins (*howdahs*), and royal cradle collections.

4. Badi Mahal: The Hilltop Garden Palace

One of the most extraordinary engineering achievements inside Udaipur City Palace is the **Badi Mahal** (Great Palace), also known as the *Garden Palace* (*Amar Vilas*). Situated on the fourth storey of the palace complex, Badi Mahal gives visitors the astonishing impression of being perched high in the clouds. In reality, it was constructed atop a natural 27-metre-high rock hill around which the surrounding palace wings were built over successive centuries.

Because the foundation of Badi Mahal rests on bedrock rather than masonry vaults, Maharana Amar Singh II (1698–1710) was able to lay out a lush tropical tree garden directly in the sky, complete with mature neem and banyan trees, marble swimming pools, and cascading lotus fountains. The pavilion features **104 exquisitely carved marble pillars**, fluted arches, and deep stone balconies that provide sweeping 360-degree vistas across Udaipur: looking west over the shimmering expanse of Lake Pichola to the island palaces of Jag Mandir and the Taj Lake Palace, and looking east over the rooftops and temple spires of the old walled city towards Jagdish Temple.

5. The City Palace Museum: Armoury, Silver & Mewar Miniatures

Managed today by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF), the City Palace Museum houses one of India's richest archives of medieval arms, historical manuscripts, and decorative arts:

• The Royal Armoury (Silah Khana): Displays authentic swords, daggers, chainmail armour, and muskets wielded by Mewar warriors. The highlight is the legendary weaponry associated with Maharana Pratap, including heavy curved talwars, tiger-claw daggers (*bagh nakh*), and composite horn bows.
• The Crystal Gallery: Located within the adjacent Fateh Prakash Palace, this is the world's single largest private collection of crystal furniture and tableware. Commissioned in 1877 by Maharana Sajjan Singh from F. & C. Osler of London, the collection includes crystal armchairs, dressing tables, chandeliers, sofa sets, and even a crystal four-poster bed, none of which the Maharana lived to see before his untimely demise.
• Mewari Miniature Paintings: Hundreds of original 17th- and 18th-century court paintings by master artists such as Sahibdin and Manohar, documenting Mewar's resisting stance against external domination, royal hunts in the Aravalli valleys, and vibrant celebration of Gangaur and Teej festivals.

6. Practical Visitor Information, Timings & Photography

Visiting Udaipur City Palace requires careful planning due to the vast size of the complex and multiple ticketing tiers. The palace is open daily throughout the year.

Photography & Guides: Still camera permits are required at the entrance. Highly knowledgeable government-licensed guides are available at Badi Pol entrance; hiring an authorized guide is strongly recommended to decode the complex architectural history and hidden passages.