Sunset Splendor

by Joshua Neiderer

A crumbling ode to the memory of some nearly forgotten Maharana, Udaipur’s Monsoon Palace sits astride a picturesque peak overlooking the old city and the king’s former hunting grounds.

Now a nature preserve, the forest surrounding the palace serves as an effective scam-producing moat of greenery and mammals.

The Palace itself is far smaller than its winter companion, the City Palace. It boasts a museum of the 1960’s sort, with grainy photos and info slides on the indigenous wildlife.

Like many Indian tourist destinations a live and let live sort of atmosphere prevails as tourists, foreign and Indian alike wander around without any direction, free to explore the cavernous interior, a winding stairway up to a turreted second floor or a central courtyard.
Construction is underway to fix the ageing exterior and a newly added restaurant serves sandwiches, snacks and a delicious cold coffee.

The large sweeping terrace offers an impressive panorama of the surrounding terrain. To the South, nestled among man-made lakes and hills are the sprawling bleached buildings of Udaipur. To the West and North rise mountains alive with greenery and dotted with the ruins of forts, palaces and hunting towers.

The best view is to be had at sunset as the sun dips behind a range of small mountains and birds fill the sky. The deck fills fast with travelers for good reason, as the monsoon palace is bathed gold and the shadows of the surrounding hills play off of the lakes and city walls.
The view is nothing short of spectacular.

But be warned, we arrived hoping to see sunset and certainly paid for the experience.
Our group pulled up in a rickety auto expecting a curbside drop-off and maybe a wait-charge. However, pulling up to a gate we found to our dismay that a car is required to expedite the 4-kilometer trip to palace.

Of course, a taxi is waiting to bleed the unsuspecting tourist dry for the generously overpriced ride to the top.

To avoid this arrange your own taxi in town, but expect to pay Rs. 65 for the car’s entrance into the animal sanctuary.

For the best experience arrive just before sunset, enjoy a cold coffee and take in the breathtaking view.