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Places to Visit

Chunda Palace Café: The Hunger Savior at Sajjangarh

Overlooking the city and also famous for its beautiful picturesque atmosphere, Sajjangarh Fort has always topped the traveler’s bucket list. The expedition to the lakecity is incomplete if one hasn’t explored this fort. The magnificent view from the best and the highest point around the city is unforgettable.

The only thing that was being missed by the tourists, as well as the local public, was a proper food junction.

The Chunda Palace Café:

We are glad to share the good news with you that this magnificent place now also has a café reloaded with new cold beverages. The cafeteria is managed by the grand Chunda Palace so the legacy of the hotel follows the café too. It caters to the needs of local public and tourists which makes sure that there is an increase in the graph of positive reviews.

This café is the new addition to everyone’s go-to list as one can enjoy peaceful evenings with delicious food at a single place. The café is loaded with many irresistible delicacies which can be enjoyed amidst the breathtaking view of the city.

Customer satisfaction has always been the motivation for the café owners. Keeping in mind the upcoming summer season, the café has introduced many delicious smoothies, mocktails, Ice teas and shakes as well making this café a perfect place to hang out with your friends, family and loved ones. The new menu makes the place more happening than ever.

So what are you waiting for?

Go out and capture the essence of this city with your DSLR’s in one hand a cold refreshing drink in the other only at the CHUNDA PALACE CAFÉ.

For any queries, Call at : 0294-2430252

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Places to Visit

Sajjangarh Fort – The Past and Present

SajjanGarh Fort

sajjangarh fort

The numbers may change, the pages may turn…

But the palatial forts still stand firm echoing the history of Mewar Kingdom…

Perched on a high summit of Banasdara mountain of Aravalli hill range, just like a bejeweled tiara stands the glorious Sajjangarh fort. It is a white marble palace. The fort is situated 5km (2 miles) to the west of Udaipur city at an altitude of 944m (3100 ft) above sea level. The latitudinal and longitudinal of fort are 23.260 and 74.289 respectively. It was built in 1884, by seventy-second ruler of Mewar dynasty, Maharana Sajjan Singh. He was considered as a renowned ruler and a “Man of Vision” and was also honourerd with the title of “Grand Commander of the Star of India” in 1881.Having deep passion for astronomy, Maharan Sajjan Singh intended to construct a nine- storey astronomical centre that could facilitate the tracking of monsoon clouds and diagnose the weather conditions. Hence popularly known as monsoon palace. The other reason that added to building up of the fort was to serve a holiday home and hunting lodge to royal family and also to give Maharana a view of his ancestral home in Chittaurgarh.Due to untimely demise at the age of 26 , his dream remained unfulfilled with shelving of his plans by construction of partial three-storey building. But during his reign (1874-1884) Udaipur was recognized as the second Municipality in India after Bombay. The construction of Sajjangarh is considered as the most ambitious project which Maharana undertook during the span of his rule.

beautiful sajjangarh

Looming at a great height, the fort offers an exhilarating bird eye view of Udaipur city overlooking the two lakes – The Pichola & Fatehsagar. Previously the palace was owned by the royal family of Mewar but now it is controlled by the Forest department of Rajasthan Government. The importance of the fort lies in it’s unique location to give it’s visitors an astounding and charismatic view of the city. The road leading to the fort is hilly, steep, twisting with several blind turns. The best time to visit the place is at the time of rainy season because the picturesque and the scenic view of the scenery around is seen like heaven with the palace seeming as cocooned within the clouds. Rather than monsoons, from way down the city , the White Palace  renders a visual treat with a constraining attraction of pulling a visitor up to see the breathtaking spectacle of the setting sun with a colourful sky.

sajjangarh fort 2

The palace consist of a grand central court with a staircase, rooms, a huge bronze statue of Maharana Pratap, Fountains, Domes jharokhas, Marble pillars with floral carvings reflecting the vibrant art and architecture of culture of Rajasthan and royal quarters which are subdivided into Mardana Mahal(quarter for men), Zanana Mahal (quarter for females), the Diwan-e-Aam(hall for public audience) and the Diwan-e-Khaas(hall for private audience). The walls of the fort are plastered by lime mortar. The tall turrets with guards regulating each tower can be viewed from a distance. At night the illuminated palace seems like a fairytale castle floating free in the sky. The ground floor of palace is a museum with a collection of pictures, paintings and maps of the entire palace and the design of the palace that Maharana Sajjan Singh intended to construct. There is also an ingenious rainwater collection system in which 195,500 litres of water can be stored and it seems to be an innovative way of collecting rain water where dry desert conditions exists. Some cannons too still remain there, since the time Udaipur was attacked by Schindias in 1764, when the hill was used as ordnance dump. A boat ride across the lake Pichola provides a mesmerizing view of the palace.

The palace is enveloped by Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1987 which covers an area of 5.17 sq km. It is regarded as a reserve for reptiles, wild boars, blue bulls, hyenas, panthers, sambhars, jackals, spotted deers, peacocks, wild rabbits and many migratory birds. The entire hillock has been well protected with concrete wall and fences to improve the flora and fauna of the sanctuary area. To the left of the fort lies Shikarbadi or the Khas-Odi and at the northwest lies an artificial lake known as “Badi Lake”or“Tiger Lake. The adventure freak people can also make their way to the fort by trekking from the lake. On the western side of the hill lies the “ Jhar Water Hole”, a small perennial source of water encircled by numerous Mahua trees adding tranquility to the place along with a small temple of lord Shiva.

sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary

The backside of the palace gives the spectacular view of valley covered with dense, thick forest and lush greenery all around it. The place is not commercialized so no shops, no vendors etc lending a peaceful, quite and calm atmosphere. At the palace, a restaurant is operated by The Lalit Groups providing lunch, breakfast, tea, coffee etc. The fort is regarded as best sightseeing point of Udaipur and remains a popular tourist destination with an entry fee of just INR 10 for Indian, INR 80 for foreigner and INR2 for students.

Despite of being a tourist point the fort is not serving as a well maintained heritage. The interiors are ruined and the walls too are covered in graffiti by the young lads proclaiming their fascinations of their girl or vice-versa. It’s a high time for the authorized people to wake up and take effective measures to improve the conditions of the Palace.

Article and Photo Courtesy : Deepankshi Chittora

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Places to Visit

Hangout at Sajjangarh – Awesome plan for a happening Weekend

Goooooooodddd Morrrrrrrrnnniiiiiiingggg Udaipur..!!! 🙂

It’s a cool, lovely day wrapped in a soft breeze making these pre-monsoon days even more charming and wonderful. Doesn’t this breeze tempt you for a long bike ride or for a family picnic or for a hangout with friends or for a hot cup of tea in your balcony?? They do tempt me a lot, and even more when I’m on my way to college or when I peep outside from the window of Lecture Hall. So today let this temptation take over you and drive you crazy with these wild winds. After all its weekend Udaipies!! 😉

Sajjangarh - By saurabh
Sajjangarh – By saurabh

As we wait to get soaked in monsoon, how about visiting The Monsoon Palace today?? It is also named as Sajjangarh after Maharaja Sajjan Singh, a young Mewar ruler who built this fort in 1884 to study the monsoon clouds and later used it as hunting lodge. This Fort, perched at a peak Bansdora Mountain, enchants every eye with the view it offers of lush green Aravalli Hills and blue waters of Lake Pichola.

When you look at the “Sajjangarh Fort” from the city, it creates an impression of the king’s palace about which we have heard or read in fairy tales; standing at a height of 944m above the sea level and circled by forest and mountain from all around. The road up the hill to the fort twists and turns like a drunken man and driving on it is a sort of mini adventure in itself. Standing in the courtyard of the fort, you will feel the strong wind engulfing your mind and soul with its power and dynamism. Capture the scenic beauty of our own Udaipur and its lakes from the fort and you will once again fall in love with its allure. When the sky gets painted in orange and yellow hue at the time of sunset, then for a minute your eyes won’t blink and the colors won’t leave your mind for a couple of days.

 

Sajjangarh - By Kumar Veetrag
Sajjangarh – By Kumar Veetrag

Surrounding the fort is a forest blessed with rich flora and fauna. Earlier it was a hunting ground for Maharanas, but later, in 1987, the Forest Department of Government of Rajasthan made it “Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary”. It is a reserve for many wild animals like Chital, Wild boar, Sambar, Panther, Hare, Jackal, Blue Bull, etc. You can also see a wide variety of reptiles and hear the melodious chirps of lovely birds. If you are an adventure freak then you can also trek from Gorilla viewpoint to the Bari Lake where you get another chance to capture the beauty of Aravalli ranges and enjoy the thrill of wildlife diversity of the area.

There is a small perennial source of water, “The Jhar Water Hole”, on the western side of Hill. Numerous Mahua trees encircling it provide an amazing place to sit and enjoy the calmness and placidity of the place. A small temple of Lord Shiva situated close to it adds to its serenity.

If you want to add one more flavor in the weekend, then a drive around FS or a few minutes at its Pal will do the needful. At the end of the day, dinner at a restaurant while recollecting all those moments that left you awestruck will make a perfect ending of a perfect day.

Happyy Weekend Udaipiess..!! 😉 Go crazy with the winds, enjoy to the fullest and stay safe during any adventure… 🙂 Don’t forget to share your happy moments with your UdaipurBlog. 🙂

Sajjangarh Picture - Prateek
Sajjangarh Picture – Prateek