City Palace Museum has a remarkable collection of ancient sculptures, curios, antiques and inscriptions of the bygone era. Located inside the complex of City Palace, Udaipur this museum is also known as Pratap Museum. As you enter the City Palace, the straight way will take you to this museum of artifacts. The entrance gate of the City Museum is known as Ganesh Deori, which means “Door of Lord Ganesha”.
On entering the door, you will find yourself in a courtyard, which is identified as Rajya Angan (The Royal Courtyard). This is the exact place where Maharana Udai Singh was asked to construct a city by a sage. After crossing the courtyard, you will find the armory museum that exhibits a vast collection of protective gear, weapons including the fatal two-pronged sword. Pratap Museum houses the armor of the chivalrous Maharana Pratap. You can trace the drums and bugles of Rana Sanga too.
The museum has priceless possessions of the former age like antique paintings of Mewar and detailed Rajasthani art. Here, you will find an unusual assortment of coins, sculptures, inscriptions, portraits and wall-paintings. It also displays the turban of Khurram, who was popularly known as Emperor ShahJahan. The turban still depicts the friendship that survived between ShahJahan and Maharana Khazan Singh. City Palace Museum acquires a major part of the City Palace Complex.
In fact, the museum is divided into several pavilions and halls. Every pavilion has a distinct theme of its own. ‘Zenana Mahal’ is the main place where you can see arms and armor, paintings and photographs, majestic insignia, processional accouterments and various other objects that reveals the royal legacy and conventions of the Maharanas of Mewar and Sisodia. Udaipur Tour Packages The museum is a perfect destination to trace the relics of the bygone era.
History
The royal family of Mewar and its mighty kingdom are believed to have descended from the Sun, Suryavanshis as they are called, tracing lineage from Lord Rama through his elder son Lav. Way prior to City Palace Museum Udaipur being selected as the capital, several other flourishing towns served as the capital; Nagda being its oldest. Lying at a distance of twenty kilometres to the north of Udaipur, Nagda (Nagdriha), was proclaimed as capital in 626 CE by Nagaditya (r. 626-646 CE), the fourth ruler of Mewar; it remained likewise up until the early 13th century. At different points of time, the capital shifted to and fro between Nagda and Aghatpur (Ahad).
Rawal Jaitra Singh (r. 1213-53 CE) shifted the capital to Chittor, and constructed the fort wall for the first time. In the 16th century, Chittor faced several invasions; including rulers from Delhi, Malwa and Gujarat who were very ambitious and wanted to acquire Chittor for themselves.
Maharana Udai Singh II (r. 1537-1572 CE) realized that he had to look elsewhere, someplace peaceful to establish his capital. After much wandering and deliberation, he came to this area, today known as Udaipur, named after the Maharana, in 1553 CE. The City Palace, Udaipur grew with successive reigns of the Maharanas, most of whom zealously pursued the architectural constructions and expansions of the established Palace Complex.
In 1947, India stood as an independent, democratic nation, free from the British rule. The titles of the royals were abolished and their states were merged into the Union of India. Out of sheer necessity and to maintain these vast, beautiful and historic buildings, most of the rulers had no choice but to convert their private palaces into either Heritage Hotels or into Museums. The Palace at Udaipur too became a Museum called The City Palace Museum, Udaipur.
Places to visit near the City Palace Museum
The City Palace is flooded with the areas of interest in all directions. Your Udaipur tour is incomplete without visiting these places. The list of top five places goes like this- Lake Pichola, Saheliyon ki Bari, Gulab Bagh, Heritage Walk, and the Sajjan Garh Palace.
• The City Palace is located on the banks of Lake Pichola which is one of the most attractive lakes of Udaipur, the City of Lakes.
• The Garden of Maidens, also known as Saheliyon ki Bari, is located 3.5km away from the City Palace.
• One of the most extensive gardens of Udaipur, Gulab Bagh and zoo is located at a five –minute distance.
• Heritage Walk could be a tremendous fun-filled knowledge gaining session as you get to visit many historical sites.
• Located 7kms away from the City Palace, the hilltop Monsoon Palace, also known as Sajjan Garh Palace, is a treat to watch.
Best Time to visit City Palace
In order to avoid the crowds and the scorching heat, it is advisable to visit the City Palace during the morning and evening hours. The winter season from October to March is considered as the best time to visit City Palace as the weather is quite enjoyable during this time. Check our custom designed all inclusive Udaipur tour packages here..
How to reach the City Palace Museum
The City Palace Museum has an unshakable place in the list of places to visit in Udaipur, making it is easily reachable and connected to almost every mode of transportation.
- The City Palace is located at a distance of 23.8 km away from Dabok airport.
- The City Palace is about 2 Km away from the Udaipur Railway station, you can reach within 3 to 5 minutes via car.
- If you wish to go on a road trip to City Palace, then you should know that Udaipur is 663 Km away from Delhi, 250 Km away from Jodhpur and about 340 Km away from Jaipur.
For commuting within the city of Udaipur, you can also hire a private taxi. We at Udaipur Tourism, have listed the top car rental companies in Udaipur, which offer a safe and hassle-free journey to various sightseeing places in Udaipur.