Udaipur, Rajasthan

	Udaipur
Home \| Rajasthan \| Ajmer \| Taragarh \| Bikamer \| Jaipur \| Udaipur \| Jaisalmer \| Jodhpur \| Mount Abu \| Pushkar

Reflected in the shimmering waters of Pichola Lake, Udaipur's skyline of whitewashed havelis and tapering temple shikharas, surmounted by the domes and ornaphoney carved balconies of the famous Rajput city palace, has managed to keep its head above the rising tide of hophones 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 travelers are tempted to forget their tight itineraries. In any case, it takes at least a week to explore the city's monuments, and the temples, forts, palaces and scenery of the hills and valleys nearby.

The smooth rolling hills that surround Udaipur like sleeping armadillos were once covered with forests. Widespread felling, instigated by the Indian government in the 1970s after it took possession of the Mewar lands, left them irreversibly barren and have added to the dry and dusty desert conditions of Udaipur's valley.