What was it that I found most memorable in the city of Udaipur? The grand and luxurious palace hotels, the seven lakes, the silence and serenity, the perfect weather, or the Full moon night… when the moon seemed to be shining bright as the glorious history of Mewar….
Honestly the above experiences were only like cherries on the cake. What really inspired me most was the rich culture and the rare tales of the bravest people, that this land has gifted India.
“Located on the south western tip of Rajputana (the name of Rajasthan before independence) the small area of Mewar is one of the only princely states which was never under the Mughal or the British rule”
Really? I asked Ran Vijay Singh ji (Our guide) as he continued…
I was bewildered to hear this information, and many questions followed in my mind .. how did the Mewar Kings have any chance against the mighty Mughal emperors and the modern British army ? And are there many states who can boast about such achievement in Indian medieval history ?
Ran Vijay Singh ji caught my mind and the rain of bewilderment that followed in me after hearing the information… And with a smile told me, you will know everything in detail by the end of this tour of the grand city Palace of Udaipur.
(Sharing with you a glimpse with a strong recommendation to visit Udaipur to experience the unparalleled glory of bravery)
City Palace of Udaipur is one of the few heritage sites of India, which have been restored and conserved like a world heritage site, and so rightly it should be. I have often walked into the most astounding pieces of architectures in our country, finding them in ruins now, feeling a sense of pain (including some of the forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) . Contrast to which was my experience of City palace Udaipur. Thanks to the commitment of Arvind singh ji popularly known as Sriji, the present king of Mewar dynasty, for his great efforts to preserve this invaluable legacy.
The city palace took more than four hundred years to be built and even till today some or the other construction work goes on in this palace. The continuous construction being considered a sign of growth and prosperity by the locals.
On the left of the Palaces’ main entrance is the private residence of the present king and on the right side the area open to public, now maintained as a museum.
(The Private Residence) (The Museum)
The Palace was designed in such a way that it would help the king to equip himself quickly for an emergency. A situation, which must have been faced very often, by every Mewari king.
At this point, Shashwat curiously asked, “Mummy why do all these city names end with a “PUR” JaiPur, UdaiPur, JodhPur etc etc”. Ofcourse I did not know, so I looked at our expert for a worthy answer.- To which he replied- “most of the cities which were ruled by Hindu kings have their name ending with a “Pur” and those ruled by Mughals with a “Bad”, like AhmedaBad, HydreBad ,FerozaBad etc etc.” I did not care to verify the information and I just nodded in agreement, after all one must believe an expert!!
The horse stables were located right across the palace in its courtyard. Like in Mumbai, now the Cars are parked across the multi-storied buildings. So that the ever racing Mumbaikar, who is always riding at the speed of a Ferrari, can hit the highway in no time. Just kidding! 🙂 🙂 🙂 this was so that the horses could be made readily available to the kings without any delay at the time of an enemy attack . Also this is the only palace on planet earth where there is also found an official parking for the elephants. How organized and well planned were Mewari’s, I thought…
Their planning was better than the modern day airports, for boarding their warships (horses and elephants) they did not require any special elevators, they had 2 Aerobridge (elevated extensions) built for the job. Which helped them board without any delay. The Mewari troops were often defending themselves against armies which were much bigger than their own size. And so needed much more planning to combat their enemies.
The palace had zig zag , uneven passages and shorter gateways ( Mewari kings were short and their contemporary Mughal kings where much taller) The soldier would hide behind the doorways and when the Mughal soldier bent their neck to enter, their heads would be chopped off..
(Rana Sangram Singh-1)
An emblem on the main entrance caught my attention. In the center of the emblem was the Sun and on its each side was a man. By their clothes one looked like a king and the other looked like a tribal.
A Tribal, next to a king, what did this signify?
To all the readers, share your thoughts on what can this signify.
For the answer, wait till the next post 🙂
– Vasudha Jhunjhunwala
Vasudha Jhunjhunwala 
Wow, interesting information!! evoking a lot of interest in me now towards Udaipur and mewari culture 🙂
Waiting for the part 2!
In the meanwhile, i think the significance of the tribal and a king together could be, what i remember Narendra Modi talking during his speech at India Today conclave ’13.
That a transformation (depicted by sun – here) can not be bought alone by a ruler/king.
You need to involve, make heard and make use of the power of numbers, people (praja).
Also tribal could signify the culture, while broadening your vision dont forget to deepen your roots in your culture 🙂
Specially when the culture is as beautiful as ours!
Maybe its depicting Sangachatwam 🙂
It seemed you truly liked the city palace of Udaipur and expressly the brave history and the planned architecture of the palace. I was reading like i was revisiting the palace from your eyes. There is a lot more in the palace which is very attractive 🙂
Anyways you have put up a question to be answered on the emblem of Mewar . well as much as i remember the centre picture is a landscape showing fort Chittorgarh and there are two men standing on the both the sides. One is BHIL by cast and the other is the king of Mewar. Now depiction of a Bhil in the main emblem with the king can be astonishing for anybody especially for the people who don’t know about the story behind it. The story can be mix of lot many warfare stories or in short to conclude, Bhil’s were the one who always with their full honesty and devotion stood shoulder to shoulder to their king for lot many fights, especially in the war with Mughals they stood with MAHARANA PRATAP and it was only them who stayed throughout with Maharana Pratap and made him conquest 🙂 And due to all this the Mewari kings respected BHILS and to owner them they constructed the emblem in way that they represented Bhils with the king in the emblem of MEWAR…
And also in a way indirectly the over al picture portrait that Rajput (King ) and Bhil both will always keep the state safe in come what may any situation …
This is what i know 🙂
JAI GURU DEV