Places Covered: Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Ranakpur, Kumbhalgarh, Mount Abu, Ambaji (Gujrat)
Covered six places around Udaipur and Mount Abu in eight days, it was a memorable and experience-rich journey for us.
Reena and I, traveled together for the first time, marking the beginning of many more interesting trips. Reaching Udaipur from our home towns, Delhi and Indore, in the morning around 9 am, we were ready to explore the new city.
Day 1: Checked in, rested and we were out by 12 with the aim of covering most of the touristy points.
Started with the best meal of the coming week – Rajathani/Gujrati Thali at Natraj restaurant. It was full of flavors and diversity, like the week ahead.
Many things are close by in Udaipur and we decided to roam around in an auto rickshaw from here. Keeping in mind that we are left with half a day, our driver helped us plan the route in a way we could cover most of the places of our interest. Research on the place helped us at this point, as we were fine with skipping some of the gardens.
Day’s plan: Fateh Sagar Lake — Saheliyon ki Baadi, Maharana Pratap Smarak — Nehru Garden* — Sukhadiya Circle, Mohan Lal Sukhadiya Statue — Kumbha Kala Krati Folk Dance* — Lok Dharohar Folk Dance — City Palace, City Palace Museum, Crystal Gallery* — Jagdish Temple, Banke Bihari Temple, Street market — Ghanghor Ghat, Bagode ki Haveli* — Sun n Moon Cafe
(* are the places we decided to skip or were closed by the time we reached)
The closing time of tickets to the City Palace is 4:30 pm and with the help of our driver, we reached there by 4:15. We asked him to leave us at the gates of City Palace as that takes time and the rest of the places are within walking distance.
With memories of diverse flavors of food and dances; and beautiful local temples of the city, we ended the day with a smile at the Ghanghor Ghat of Lake Pichola and light dinner at a rooftop cafe.
Day 2: We hired a cab for the day to cover the mentioned places. The day’s travel was around 108 km. The advantages of traveling in the monsoon are greenery and beautiful weather round the clock.
Day’s Plan: Ekling ji Temple — Naath Dwara — Haldi Ghati, Haldi Ghati Museum* — Ghasiyar Temple* — Ahar Archeological Park — Vintage Car Museum* — Dudh Talai — Lake Pichola Boating — Mancha Puran Karni Mata Temple
Light showers in the way, we were lucky to not be obstructed. Most temples don’t allow cameras and phones so required arrangements are to be kept in mind. It is suggested to wear easy slippers too.
Ended the day’s trip with Jodpur’s famous pyaaz/dal kachoris and chai.
Day3 : Another long day, to Chittorgarh Fort and Seth Sawaliya/Sawariya Temple. Travel of 204km throughout the day and both the places were grand and mesmerizing.
Car and guide are strongly suggested for the day as Chittorgarh Fort, is one of the largest forts in India and has been strategically the most important fort of Mewar, as the ruler of the fort was considered the ruler of Mewar. It has a history of centuries from Mauryas, Meera Bai, Alauddin Khilji, Akbar’s invasion, to stories of Mewar.
The complex includes many attractions – Rana Kumbh Palace, Vijay Stambh, Fateh Jheel, Kumb Shaam Temple, Sama Dhishwar Temple, Padmini Palace, Meera Temple, Kirti Stambh, and Sangram Singh Palace to name a few.
Shree Sawariya Seth Mandir, at a distance of 40km is surely not to be missed if you are nearby. The temple is dedicated to and has a mesmerizing statue of Lord Krishna, with beautiful carvings throughout the place.
Day 4 : We then traveled to Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh, covering a distance of 144 km.
Day’s Plan: Ranakpur — Kumbhalgarh — Hamerpal Fish Point — Hathipole market — Delhi Gate
The route to Ranakpur is a sight of its own with hills, rivers, and forests; the place is known for the marble Jain temple, built with exquisite art and splendid architecture.
Kumbhalgarh Fort, known as the Great Wall of India, is the birthplace of Maharana Pratap. The architecture of this fort is built in such a unique way, that this fort of 662 acres is not visible to the eye till we reach its main gate.
Hamerpal Fishpoint, an unexplored spot, is a house to catfishes on the scenic edges of the lake Hamerpal. On returning to Udaipur, we decided to see the famous Hathipole market and have dinner at Delhi Gate.
Day 5, 6 and 7 : After long days of travel, we went to Mount Abu by bus which is around 4 hours from Udaipur. The only hill station in Rajasthan, Mount Abu was pleasant and crowded at the same time.
The local sightseeing can be easily done in a day with shared jeeps and the important points to be covered are – Guru Shikhar, the top most point of Mount Abu at a height of 5650 ft; Delwara Jain Temple, made of marble and one of the most important temples of the country; Amba Devi/ Arbuda Devi Temple; and Shankar Matha, which places a 9ft tall Shivlinga carved out of a single stone.
Some things are to be covered on foot like Toad’s rock, and walk around / boating in Nakki Lake.
Mount Abu is a small hill station, a place to rest, enjoy the weather, food, and company.
Day 8: Our last destination for the trip was Ambaji in Gujrat. Located at the border of Gujrat and Rajasthan, it is about 50 km from Mount Abu.
The temple is a beauty in architecture, with fantastic arrangements. Three kilometers from the place, Gabbar Hill is a must-go, which is believed to house the original temple at the top, and can be reached by a ropeway or climbing 1000 stairs.
Rajasthan, like any other big Indian state, is home to diversity. This trip covered its small southwest corner, and we were entertained by varied cultures, where you can enjoy six different forms of dances in an hour; spicy/sweet flavors of Rajasthan and Gujrat; hills, lakes, rivers, forts, and forests together within 50 km; and rich heritage of temples of Lord Krishna, Shiva and Jainism alongside.
Cheers to the warm welcome by young teenagers who helped us with luggage on their two-wheelers, accommodating drivers who helped us customize our trip with ideas to cover more n more places in a limited time, and a new friendship that grew strong to stay for years to come…
Disha 