Monsoon Palace

Sajjangarh was begun in the 1880s by Maharana Sajjan Singh on a hill about 340 metres above Udaipur, intended as an astronomical observatory and a place from which to watch the monsoon build over the plain; the larger plan, for a five-storey astronomical centre, was cancelled when he died young in 1884, and what stands is the smaller white palace with its towers and jharokha balconies. It sits inside the Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary, so the road up passes through forest with sambar, wild boar and peacocks. The view takes in Pichola, Fateh Sagar, the city and the Aravallis, and sunset is the standard visit.

History

The palace was built in 1884 for Maharana Sajjan Singh of Mewar, who planned it as a five-storey astronomical centre, a plan cancelled at his early death that same year. Invested as Maharana in 1876, he was known as an enlightened ruler who built roads, water supply and other works and brought in civil administration and courts, and under him Udaipur became the second municipality in India after Bombay (Wikipedia, Monsoon Palace).

The main sights

• The hilltop palace - white towers and balconies above the city.
• The Udaipur view - the lakes, city and Aravalli hills from the terraces.
• The sanctuary road - forest with sambar, boar and peacocks on the climb.
• The unfinished plan - the larger observatory that was never built.

When to go

October to March; sunset is the popular time and the road up queues then. During the monsoon the point of the building is best appreciated, with cloud building over the plain.

Practical notes

Private vehicles are usually stopped at the sanctuary gate and a paid shuttle takes over. The interior is largely empty. Sunset crowds fill the small terraces.

Nearby

Lake Pichola lies below; the City Palace is on its shore.

Key facts