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rrahulvverma@gmail.com | Udaipur, Rajasthan, India | Dec, 2023 : This video starts just as we are entering into the premises of the massive and very historic City Palace of Jaipur. This grand building is built on top of a hill in the Aravalli ranges and spans multiple stories and multiple courtyards and multiple small sections and palaces within it.
But we do not start the day with City Palace. Instead we walk right past the City Palace and reach Lake Pichola where our boat for the morning is waiting. We take this boat ride in Lake Pichola while catching amazing views of The City Palace. We ride the boat further away from City Palace though because our destination for the morning is the smaller but equally impressive palace built in the middle of the Lake Pichola - The Jag Mandir Palace.
We alight at the beautiful Jag Mandir Palace which is built on a natural Island in the middle of an artificial lake. Jag Mandir Palace was built in the 1600s and was also used as a refuge for the Mughal Prince Khurram or Shah Jahan as he is popularly known. Today the Jag Mandir Palace is converted into a chic high end hotel and also houses a few restaurants and cafes for the visitors. We spend quite some time exploring and walking and talking about the history of this place, a history that is a interesting mix of Mughal, Mewar, as well as British Indian history. We also spend some time relaxing over a cup of coffee here at Jag Mandir Palace.
From Jag Mandir we once get on our boat and this time ride away from the majestic Jag Mandir Palace towards the massive City Palace. We start off at the Manek Chowk area of the palace which is a an area where royal functions and rich weddings are hosted even today. From here we start our exciting exploration of this unique palace. We ascend multiple flights of stairs along the way and explore a rich and diverse mix of courtyards and rooms and passages and mini palaces all built inside this giant complex of the City Palace. We take time exploring the beauty and diversity that City Palace has to offer and also feel a little tired with all the climbing and walking that it requires.
Finally descend and get down to the ground level of the City Palace and walk right past the magical Zenana Mahal that looks almost unreal with its majestic, almost transparent dome. From the Zenana Mahal we walk out towards the Manek Chowk through a famous gate called the Toran Pol. We revisit the beautiful views and experiences as we walk along Manek Chowk towards the northen end of the City Palace complex. Here at the north end we walk through another famous gate of City Palace called the Tripolia Gate that is actually a set of 3 beautifully carved gates.
We spend a few minutes relaxing and reminiscing here at the North end before the day and our video ends right by this Tripolia Gate.