Sajjangarh Palace
¤ The Palace Attractions
In the late 18th century Sajjangarh or the heritage palace of Sajjan
was built by its namesake Maharana Sajjan Singh (1874-1884). About 5km
west of Udaipur City it is at a height of 3100 feet above sea level
and 1100 feet over the Fateh Sagar Lake. The palaces of the fort look
like a tiara on the head of a rocky hill, the one on which the fort
proudly stands. The rocky crag is massive and has an excellent view of
the surrounding hills, pristine lakes and snow-white palaces. The
fortplace is crowned by the Monsoon Palace, which also has a panoramic
view of the lakes and palaces and the city below. The fort was built
by Maharana Sajjan Singh as an observatory to watch the progress of
the monsoon clouds over the surrounding areas. It is said that the
Rana had planned to build a nine storey observatory here but his
dreams remained unfulfilled owing to his untimely death at the age of
26. Towards the left of the Monsoon heritage palace is Shikarbadi or
the Khas Odi, a shooting box that lies at the southern end of the lake
Pichola. It was built by Sir Sajjan Singh between 1874 and 1884 and
now has been converted into a small palace with exquisite surroundings
that can be approached both by car and boat. The boat trip is
recommended more as it gives an extraordinary view from the south end
of the lake.
¤ Ekling Garh or Machla Magra
A little distance away from the Sajjan Niwas Garden is a small fish
shaped hill better known as Ekling Garh or Machla Magra. At a height
of 2,469 feet above sea level, this place is attached to the walls of
Kishan Pol, one of the city gates. Once when the Scindias attacked
Udaipur in 1764, the hill was used as an ordnance dump. There are
still some pieces of cannons left as evidence of the military episode.
Later, guns were fired from this place, a sound that reverberated
through the city and even beyond it. They were fired everyday
precisely at midday and midnight – with no consideration of the
sleep of the subjects. The best thing about this hill is the fact that
it’ll give you an absolutely fabulous views of the Pichola Lake
as well the low-lying Udaipur City. |
