A city built around water,
in a desert state
Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II, who moved his capital here from Chittorgarh after that fortress fell to Mughal siege. He chose the site for one reason above all: water — in a state otherwise defined by desert, Udaipur sits among a chain of artificial lakes that make it feel like nowhere else in Rajasthan.
Often called the most romantic city in India, Udaipur's skyline is dominated by the City Palace complex and, floating just offshore in Lake Pichola, the white marble Lake Palace — now one of the world's most famous heritage hotels, instantly recognisable from its appearance in the James Bond film Octopussy.
Tourism here centres on this water-and-marble combination: boat rides at sunset, rooftop restaurants overlooking the lake, and a old city of narrow lanes that has become one of India's leading centres for miniature painting, an art form still taught and practised in small ateliers throughout the city.
