India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [468]
and stretch almost 250m (820 ft.) across its eastern shore. The 300-year-old complex actually comprises 11 palaces (or mahals) built by its successive maharanas, making it by far the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Purchase the useful guidebook at the entrance (or hire the services of a guide through your hotel; those who hang around the ticket office charge on average Rs 300 for a 2-hr. tour) to help you maneuver the sprawling museum, much of it connected by a maze of rather claustrophobic tunnel-like stairways designed to confuse and slow down potential invaders. (This is why it’s essential to get here as soon as the palace doors open—finding yourself trapped between busloads of jeering families who mysteriously come to regular standstills in these airless passages is sheer purgatory.) The entire palace is a delight, but highlights include the large peacock mosaics in the 17th-century Mor (Peacock) Chowk; mirror-encrusted Moti Mahal; the glass and porcelain figures of Manak (Ruby) Mahal, which has a central garden; the collection of miniatures featuring Krishna legends in Krishna Vilas (dedicated to a 16-year-old princess who committed suicide here); exquisite Zenana Mahal (Palace of the Queens); and the Chinese and Dutch ceramics of Chini Mahal. When the lake levels are normal, the cusped windows provide superb views of the serene waters of Pichola Lake, on which white-marble Lake Palace appears to float. The last two palaces built, both now open to visitors wishing to overnight or dine, are the grand but rather staid Shiv Niwas and gorgeous Fateh Prakash. The latter can be visited for high tea (a rather dull affair) to view the Durbar Hall’s royal portrait gallery, with its massive chandeliers and Venetian mirrors, and to see the Crystal Gallery, which has a huge collection of rare cut-crystal furniture and ornaments imported by Maharana Sajjan Singh from England in 1877. (For more on these palaces, see “Where to Stay” and “Where to Dine,” later in this section.) Vintage-car lovers should ask about the tour of the Mewar family’s Classic Car Collection. Set aside 3 hours to do the palace justice. (Water and soft drinks are available at a small stand inside the palace complex.)
City Palace. 0294/241-9021. Rs 50 Jagdish Temple end, Rs 75 via Hotel Fateh Prakash; Rs 200 any camera. Daily 9:30am–4:30pm. Crystal Gallery Rs 500; daily 10am–1pm and 3–8pm; no photography.
Lake Pichola & Lake Palace Most beautiful at sunrise and sunset, Lake Pichola reflects what seems to be a picture-perfect inversion of the many whitewashed and cream buildings that rise majestically from its shores and islands, known locally as Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir. Jag Niwas island is entirely covered by the Lake Palace, built by the maharana in 1740 as a summer idyll and today perhaps the most romantic—certainly the most photographed—hotel in India. What you will see if the lake remains parched is a magnificent palace that should be floating on water but instead sits on a vast, dry lake bed. A little farther south is the slightly larger Jag Mandir, upon which domed Gul Mahal stands. Famous as the star location in the movie Octopussy, it has also been a place of refuge: first for the young prince Shah Jahan who—in a typical Mughal ascension—was plotting to overthrow his father, Jahangir (incidentally, Udaipuris believe that Gul Mahal is what later inspired Jahan to build Taj Mahal); and later for European women and children, whom Maharana Swaroop Singh protected during the Mutiny. You can catch a boat to Jag Mandir from the City Palace (Bansi Ghat) jetty, but once you have alighted, there’s not much to do but purchase overpriced refreshments and take some snaps; the trip around the lake includes a visit to Sunset Terrace (near Dovecoat Wing) or the Lake Palace Hotel. If you haven’t booked a room at the hotel, make sure you come for dinner—the views alone are worth it, and the opulent and elegant setting is sublime (see “Where to Stay” and “Where to Dine,” later in this section).
To make a table reservation at Lake Palace, call 0294/252-7961. To