City Palace

City Palace Review

The sprawling maharana's palace—the largest in Rajasthan—stands on a ridge overlooking the lake. Begun by Udai Singh and extended by subsequent maharanas, the sand-color City Palace rises five stories, with a series of balconies. Cupolas crown its octagonal towers, which are connected by a maze of narrow passageways. The City Palace is one of a complex of palaces—two have been converted to hotels and one houses the current titular maharana, Arvind Singh of Mewar. Part of the palace is also a museum; the museum's entrance is near the Jagdish Mandir and the entrance to the City Palace Hotel is at the bottom of the hill, to the south. The rooms inside the City Palace Museum contain decorative art: beautiful paintings, colorful enamel, inlay glasswork, and antique furniture. This is one place to have a full-fledged site publication (buy one in the book shop) or a guide (hire one at the gate, for no more than Rs. 100).