Udaipur Historical Places List:-2

Lake Palace :-Marvelously built on Lake Pichola, Lake Palace is one of the most visited places in Udaipur. Situated on Jagniwas Island it is now run by the Taj group and is popularly known as Taj Lake Palace. With the Aravalli Hills in the background, Lake Palace makes one of the most romantic places in Rajasthan. Even if one cannot afford to stay here, one should definitely consider taking a heritage walk of this hotel. Built by Maharaja Jagat Singh II, the palace is an exemplary of exquisite architecture that comprises gilt moldings, fretwork screens and sculpted marbles. At Lake Palace, romance gets redefined!

Jag Mandir:-A 17^th century structure that stands gloriously amidst Lake Pichola on the Jagmandir Island, Jag Mandir is an excellent place to visit on Udaipur tour. Jagmandir is an impressive set of structures with the central building being called Jagmandir, which can be recognized by the marble-made elephants positioned outside. It is a three-storied structure and includes sections like Gul Mahal, an elegant façade, a Garden Courtyard and the Darikhana on its northern side, the Bara Patharon ka Mahal (palace of the 12 stones), the Zenana Mahal – a southern extension to the Gul Mahal and the Kunwar Pada ka Mahal. During the boat ride on Lake Pichola, a lot of tourists make sure that they visit this beautiful place.

Udaipur Historical Places List

Udaipur casts its spell and everyone gets mesmerized by it! It wouldn’t be incorrect if we label Udaipur as one of the most romantic places in India. Proffering a perfect mélange of culture, history and traditions, the gorgeous city makes for the perfect honeymoon destination, cultural centre and face of Rajasthan. I believe what gives Udaipur its pretty face is the brilliant architecture and the Mewars should be given the credit for it. These wise rulers literally created an oasis amid the desert, thanks to their love for leisure and passion for creation. There is so much that one can see in Udaipur and most of these attractions have been built and created by the Maharanas. Check out this list of tourist places that we have prepared for you, so that you do not miss out on the best that Udaipur has to offer:

City Palace:-The true reflection of the grandeur of Rajasthan, City Palace is amongst the top places to visit in Udaipur. It is conglomeration of several buildings and towers and is better recognized as a Palace Complex. Belonging to the royal Mewar family, City Palace has a number of features that greatly attract tourist. Needless to say that the architecture is exquisite; there are a few structures that leave the visitor awestruck. The crystal gallery, the vintage car museum, Daawat-i-Aam, Daawat-i-Khas, Maharani Palace and the view of the city and Lake Pichola are the major attractions of City Palace. Visitors also like to stay up late for the Mewar Light and Sound Show that is organized every evening here. City Palace is the identity of the city, and it indeed adds to the exoticism of Udaipur

Lake Pichola :-Just about everybody knows about the gorgeous Lake Pichola; it’s like another vital identity of Udaipur. It is a 4kms long man-made lake and is believed to be one of the most beautiful ones as well. Visitors to Udaipur cannot miss out on taking a boat ride on Lake Pichola which starts from Rameshwar Ghat in the City Palace. The lake has two famed islands namely Jagniwas and Jagmandir. At Jagniwas Island one has the opportunity to witness another famous place in Udaipur – the Lake Palace (Now known as Taj Lake Palace), whereas on Jagmandir Island, one can visit the popular Jag Mandir, the palace.

Ballaleshwar Pali

The original wooden temple was renovated in 1760 to make way for a new stone temple designed by Shri Fadnis. Built in the shape of the letter Shri, it was made by mixing lead with the cement during construction. The east-facing temple was carefully positioned so that, as the sun rises, sun rays fall directly on the murti during worship. The temple contains a bell that was brought back by Chimaji Appa after his defeat of the Portuguese in Vasai and Sasti.

The temple complex encircles two lakes and is tiled throughout. There are two sanctums in the temple, an inner and an outer sanctum. The inner canctum is 15 feet (4.6 m) high, while the outer sanctum is only 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The outer sanctum contains a murti in the shape of a rat, holding modak in its hands while facing Ganesha. The main hall of the temple is 40 feet (12 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and contains eight pillars resembling cyprus trees.

The murti of Vinayaka sits on a stone throne, facing east with its trunk turned left and sitting against a background of silver which displays Riddhi and Siddhi waving chamaras. The murti's eyes and navel contain diamonds.

Legend

In the village of Pali lived a successful businessman named Kalyan with his wife, Indumati. Their son, Ballal, and the other children in the village used to play puja, using stones in place of murtis. Once, the children, going to the outskirts of the village, saw a very large stone. At the insistence of Ballal, the children worshiped the stone as Ganesha. Led by Ballal, the children became so engrossed in their worship that they forgot about hunger and thirst; day and night.

Meanwhile, the parents of the village anxiously waited for their children to come home. When the children did not return on time, they all went to Kalyan's house and complained about his son Ballal. Kalyan, flying into a rage, took a stick and went in search of the children. Eventually, he found the children listening to the Ganesha Purana. In his fury, he destroyed the small temples built by the children, who fled away in terror, leaving Ballal by himself. Ballal, completely submerged in devotion to Ganesha, was grabbed by his father and beaten until blood drenched his clothes. His father proceeded to tie him to a tree and trampled on all the puja materials collected by the children. Lifting the large stone which the children had treated as Ganesha, he threw it to the ground, breaking it into pieces. He taunted Ballal, "Now we shall see which God protects you!" Going home, he left his own son bound to the tree to die.

Still bound to the tree, Ballal cursed his father for having insulted Ganesha, "May he become blind, deaf, dumb, and hunchbacked for his disrespect to the son of Parvati!" Though filled with pain, hunger, and thirst, he continued chanting the name of Ganesha until, exhausted, he fainted. On waking, Ballal entreated Ganesha to come to his aid. Lord Ganesha, moved by the child's devotion, appeared in the form of a sadhu before Ballal and untied him from the tree. On seeing Ganesha, Ballal's thirst and hunger vanished; his wounds were healed and he was completely invigorated. He prostrated before the sadhu, recognizing him as Ganesha, and worshipped him. Ganesha told Ballal he would bless him with whatever he asked for as a reward for his devotion. Ballal entreated, "May I be your unshakeable devotee, and may you always stay in this place and remove the miseries of the people who seek refuge in you." Ganesha said, "I shall ever remain here, and will take your name before mine, being worshiped as Ballal's Lord (BallalEshwar)." He embraced Ballal and vanished into the nearby stone. The stone's cracks disappeared and was made whole again.

That stone statue is called Ballaleshwar. The stone idol which Kalyan threw to the ground is also known as Dhundi Vinayak. This is a swayambhu murti and is worshiped before Ballaleshwar is worshiped.

Pali Somnath Temples

Somnath Temple is a famous Lord Shiva temple in the Pali city. Temple shrine was constructed by the King of Gujarat Kumarpal Solanki in the Vikram Samvat 1209.

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Located in the main market of Pali, Somnath mandir has marvelous shilp art. Known for its rich history, Somnath temple has intricate carvings on the Shikar and pinnacle of the temple. Inside the Somnath mandir, there is a Shivling inside the Temple along with the idols of Parvati, Ganesha, and Nandi. Raj Kumar Pal Solanki brought this Shiva Linga from the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.http://www.rajasthandirect.com/tourism/temples/somnath-temple-pali