India Travel

Accommodation and eating to Kota East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

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East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The belt of hilly land east of Udaipur is the most fertile in Rajasthan, watered by several perennial rivers. Although you need your own vehicle to penetrate the countryside, the historic town of Chittaurgarh, which preceded Udaipur as the seat of Mewar's rulers, is easily accessible by bus. Further east, clusters of crumbling temples mark the sites of still older cities. In the far southeast, the heartland of the princely state of Kota, palaces and forts in Kota and Bundi stand sentinel over fields of wheat, groundnut, castor-oil plants and opium poppies. A prime crop here for centuries, opium is

KOTA East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

KOTA, 230km south of Jaipur on a fertile plain fed by Rajasthan's largest river, the Chambal, is one of the state's dirtier and less stimulating cities, and foreign visitors are sufficiently unusual to attract stares in the streets. But it does have some beautiful gardens, and its old palaces house one of the best museums in Rajasthan. In the seventeenth century, when Kota was declared capital or. a newly independent princely state by the Moghul emperor Jahangir, it was ruled by Rao Madho Singh of the Hadachauhan Rajputs. Today, with a population nudging 650,000, it is one of Rajasthan's major commercial

Moving on from Kota East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Kota is well connected by bus to destinations in Rajasthan and across the state border to Bhopal and Indore. Services to Bundi leave more or less every half an hour, taking around one hour. Travellers heading northeast towards Agra often pass through Kota to pick up the main broad-gauge line, which is also the most straightforward approach to Sawai Madhopur, jumping-off place for Ranthambore National Park. The recommended service here is the Paschim Express #2955, which leaves at 8.50am and arrives one-and-a-half hours later. There are also six daily trains to Delhi (most of them via Jaipur and Bharatpur). The easiest

Practicalities Between of Kota and Bundi in Rajasthan

Buses run between Kota and Bundi (1hr) every half-hour, and cover the journey to Chittaurgarh (5hr) three times a day, two of them continuing to Udalpur; better still, jump on the 8.10am train from the station on the southern edge of town (only 3hr 30min). Coming from Chittaurgarh, you can avoid a long and tedious road journey by catching the 2.30pm train, which gets you in here at 6pm. Bundi is also connected by hourly buses to Ajmer (165km; 4hr),Jaipur (210km; 8hr) andjodhpur (11hr). For Pushkar, there are three daily direct buses (7hr 30min): Sawai Madhopur (for Ranthambore National Park)

Travel details in the Rajasthan

Trains Jaipur to: Agra (2 daily; 7hr); Ahmedabad (2 daily; 14hr); Ajmer (5 daily; 2-3hr); Alwar (7 daily; 2hr 35min-4hr); Bikaner (3 daily; 6hr 30min-1 Ohr); Calcutta (2 daily: 29hr); Chittaurgarh (2 daily; 7hr 40min-8hr 15min); Chum (3 daily: 5hr 20min); Delhi (8 daily; 4hr 20min-6hr 30]; Jhunjhunu (3 daily; 4hr 40min-6hr); Jodhpur (4-5 daily; 5hr-6hr iOmin); Kota (3 daily; 3hr 45min); Mount Abu (3 daily; 8-9hr); Mumbai (2 daily; 16hr 30min-22hr); Sawai Madhopur (2-3 daily; 2hr-3hr 20min); Sikar (5 daily; 3hr); Udaipur (2 daily; 10-12hr). Jodhpur to: Abu Road (3 daily: 5hr); Agra (2 daily; 13hr); Ahmedabad (3 daily; 10hr);

Bundi North in Kota in Rajasthan

Jeypore Palace may be called the Versailles of India; Udaipur's House of State is dwarfed by the hill round it and the spread of the Pichola Lake; Jodhpur's House of strife, grey tower on red rock, is the work of giants, but the Palace of Bundi, even in broad daylight, is such a palace as men build for themselves in uneasy dreams - the work of goblins rather than of men. The walled town of BUNDI, 37km north of Kota, lies in the north of the former Hadaoti state, shielded on the north, east and west by jagged out-crops of the

Chittaurgarh East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Of all the former Rajput capitals, CHITTAURGARH (or Chittor), 115km northeast of Udaipur, was the strongest bastion of Hindu resistance against the Muslim invaders. No less than three mass suicides (johars) were committed over the centuries by the female inhabitants of its fort, whose husbands watched their wives, sisters and mothers burn alive before smearing ash from the sacred funeral pyres over their bodies and riding to their deaths on the battlefield below. An air of desolation still hangs over the honey-coloured ramparts, temples, towers and palaces of the old citadel, which sprawls over a rocky plateau high above the

Accommodation and eating of Udaipur in Rajasthan

While Chittaurgarh's mid- and upper-range hotels cost a little more than elsewhere, places at the lower end of the price scale are pretty dingy. This is one place budget travellers might want to splash out. As for food, both the Pratap Palace and Mceta have popular non-veg restaurants, of the dimly lit variety where travelling businessmen indulge in chicken eating and beer drinking. A more respectable, and cheaper, option is the Ralu Raj Vatika, across town. They specialize in traditional wedding feasts, but also have an excellent little pure-veg restaurant inside with tables spread over a lawn. The paneer dishes

Accommodation to Udaipur in Rajasthan

Sandwiched between the City Palace and jagdish temple on the east side of Lake Pichola, countless guesthouses vie for views of the water with elegant havelis and royal palaces. Cut-throat competition in this area has meant perennially low tariffs for punters in most categories. But it has also sparked off a destructive building boom as hoteliers scramble to attract customers with better views from ever loftier tower blocks. The result is a mass of hideous concrete that threatens to engulf the very skyline tourists flock here to see. In 1999, the High Court ruled that no further building should take

The City East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The residential areas, bazaars, fort, City Palace and museum east of the Chambal face harsh buildings and factory smokestacks across the river. Kishor Sagar. an artificial lake built in 1346, gives picturesque relief. The red and white palace in its centre, Jag Mandir, was commissioned by Prince Dher Deh of Bundi in 1346 and can be visited only with permission from the Superintendent Engineer of Kota; ask at the tourist office. Gardens to the north of the tank are lush with mango trees, dahlias and palms, and crocodiles and gharial sun themselves in a shallow pond in the Chambal Gardens

Around Udaipur in Rajasthan

You'd need to have a lot of time on your hands to see more than a fraction of the ruins, palaces, temples, forts, lakes and wildlife sanctuaries that abound in the countryside around Udaipur. Day-trips northeast of the city can take in the important historic temples of Nagda. Eklingji, Nathdwara. and Kankroli along NH-H towards Bhihwara, or the peaceful wooded surroundings ot Ranakpur and Kumbalgarh. which also make appealing stopovers before you join NH-15 en route to Jodhpur. Renting a car saves time, but regular and efficient local buses, as well as private tour companies, serve both routes.

Arrival, information and city transport of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Daily flights connect Dabok Airport, 25km east of Udaipur, with Mumbai, Delhi, Aurangabad and Jaipur. Taxis run to the city itself for around Rs200. Trains from Delhi and Ahmedabad pull in at Udaipur City Station a little to the south of the town centre (don't get off at Udaipur Station, much further north).The bus stand is a few hundred metres north of here, directly opposite Udai Pole, the easternmost gate of the old city. The easiest way to get into town from either is to jump in a rickshaw or conga. The town's grand but largely ineffectual tourist office (Mon—Sat )

Udaipur in Rajasthan

Despite the last twenty years of unchecked ferro-concrete construction, James Tod's assessment of UDAIPUR still holds true. Reflected in the shimmering waters of Pichola Lake, the city's skyline of whitewashed havelis and tapering temple shikhams, surmounted by the domes and ornately carved balconies of the famous Rajput city palace, has managed to keep its head above the rising tide of hotels and terrace restaurants, and remains one of Asia's most exotic spectacles. Enjoying it from a boat at water level, or on a rooftop in the cool of the evening, many travellers are tempted to forget their tight itineraries. In

Royal cenotaphs and Ahar museum of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Across the narrow Ahar River, 2km east of Udaipur, domed cenotaphs huddle together on the site of the royal cremation ground. Raised on platforms, some of which are decorated with shiva Jingams, many of the chhatris are falling into disrepair, and the site is pretty dirty Even so, it's a good place to pick up on local history, featuring an ornate memorial to the prodigious builder jagat Singh (1628-52) and the cenotaph of Amar Singh (died 162(1) who contributed so much to the City Palace, embellished with friezes depicting the immolation of his wives. Less than lkm south of here, archeological

Practicalities to Kata East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Kota's railway station is in the north of town, a few kilometres from the central bus stand. The tourist office (Mon-Sat 8am-6pm) is in the RTDC Chambal Hotel, Nayarpura, not far from the bus stand. Changing money is a time-consuming process. The State Bank of India on Aerodrome Circle will change travellers' cheques: other banks do not. The post office is on Station Road (Mon-Sat 6am-6pm).

Udaipur in the Northeast

The former capital of the Manikyas, UDAIPUR retains an atmosphere of antiquity not found in the metropolis of Agartala. An important market town, it is surrounded by paddy fields and low forested hills. On the southwest bank ot Jagannath Dighi tank stand the ruins of the Jagannath temple, while the seventeenth-century Moghul Masjid marks the furthest outpost of the Moghal Empire. Tripura Sundari, the most important temple in the area, stands 5km outside Udaipur, on a small hillock in front of a holy lake which teems with carp and turtles. Built in typical Bengali-hut style with a square sanctum and

Ajmer Practicalities East of Jaipur in Rajasthan

Ajmer's railway station is in the centre of town, with regular services from Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Cittor and Kota. See the box opposite for a list of recommended trains for onward travel. The state bus stand, with an exhaustive array of routes, is inconveniently situated on the northeast edge of town, 2km from the railway station. Tempos and auto-rickshaws connect the two; auto-rickshaws cost around Rs25. Approaching town from the south, most buses stop at a string of large intersections en route, but don't be tempted to get off before the bus stand as transport into town from these

Travel details in Delhi

Trains To Rajasthan: Abu Road (3-4 daily; 11hr 10min-14hr 15min); Ajmer (5-6 daily; 7hr 1 Omin-11 hr 5min); Bharatpur (5 daily; 2hr 50min-4hr 15min): Bikaner (3 daily; 1Ohr 20min-11hr 4Dmin): Chittaurgarti (2 daily: 16hr 30min); Jaipur (10-12 daily; 4hr 25min-11hr 35min); Jodfipur (2 daily; 10hr 55min-13hr 40min); Kota (7-9 daily; 4hr 40min-10hr 45min); Sawai Madhopur (7 daily; 5hr 15min-8hr 15min); Udaipur (2 daily: 15hr 10min-21hr 15min). To Uttar Pradesh: Agra (18-20 daily: Itir 55min-4br 40min); Allahabad (10-12 daily; 7-14tir), Delira Dun (2-3 daily; 5hr 25min-10hr 20min); GoraKhpur (4-5 daily; 13hr 30min-22hr 5fnin); Kanpur (18-22 daily; 4tir 25min-8hr 20min); Lucknow (5-6 daily;

The City of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The original settlement of Udaipur focused around the grand City Palace. bordering the west shore of Lake Pichola. Immediately north is the maze of tightly winding streets that constitute the old city. It cakes a few days of wandering before this labyrinth becomes intelligible; start by getting acquainted with the gates and circles that form traffic islands at the major crossroads. From the clock tower that marks the northern edge of the old city, roads lead east to the tourist information office and Ahar, west to the lake, and north to the GPO at Chetak Circle. Continuing north, the road

Nathdwara of Udaipur in Rajasthan

The temple dedicated to Krishna - known also as Nath, the favourite avatar (incarnation) otVishnu - at NATHDWARA."Gateway to God", is said to be the second richest temple in India after Tirupati (in Andhra Pradesh). The site was known as Sihar until the moment in the seventeenth century when1 a chariot laden with an image of Krishna became stuck in the mud 26km north of Eklingji. The idol was being carried from Krishna's birthplace Mathura to Udaipur to spare it almost certain destruction by Aurangzeb; its bearers interpreted the event as a divine sign and established a new temple where