Saheliyon ki Bari Udaipur – a King’s Gift to his Queen
We were at Udaipur, finally, at the city of lakes. I was eagerly looking forward to our visit to this exotic city. Udaipur is described as the most diversified and most romantic spot on the continent of India by Colonel James Tod in his Annals and Antiques of Rajasthan (1828).
Unfortunately for me, it rained heavily the day I visited Udaipur. The city was experiencing a spell of extended monsoons much to the relief of the locals there. Broken branches of trees blocked not only the roads but also our plans to visit Lake Palace Hotel. We wanted to take the boat ride to the beautiful and luxurious Lake Palace Hotel in the Pichola Lake.
Lake Palace Udaipur to Saheliyon ki Bari
Change of plans and we set off from Lake Palace Udaipur to Saheliyon ki Bari Udaipur (Garden of Friends) through a long circuitous road. And it turned out that it was one of the most wonderful detours I have ever taken. Imagine landing in the middle of a garden which once was ringing with songs and laughter of a queen and her maidens!
(This Lake Palace Hotel is situated inside the Pichola Lake on a raised land and the water around is not due to rains. Boats are the only means of access.)Saheliyon ki Bari History
It was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh for the royal ladies. His Queen was accompanied by her 48 friends and maids at the time of her marriage as a part of dowry from her parents.
The King designed the garden himself and offered it to his Queen and her friends to provide them with pleasurable moments away from the political complexities of the court. It was called Saheliyon ki bari – home for friends.
Later Maharana Bhopal Singh built a pavilion of rain fountains in the pools which he imported from England. The main pool has four black marble kiosks and a white marble kiosk in the center. The pigeons sculpted at the top of these kiosks were part of the fountain and spurting water in to the pool.
Bath Area in Sahelion ki Bari
A beautifully arched entrance door leads you the private bath area. It has 4 black marbled stands in corners and 1 white marbled kiosk at the center. This was a swimming pool kind of structure where ladies took bath and relaxed.
Just behind the pool is a row of rooms, used as changing rooms then. It is stunning to note that these fountains were made operational at a time when there was no electricity.
Sahelion ki Bari Gardens
Saheliyon ki Bari is popular for its beautifully manicured gardens embedded with lovely sculpted fountains. Many of those fountains are said to have been imported from England. Maids danced to the rhythm of water flow of fountains and kept themselves and their queen entertained. One is reminded of the fact that movies and cricket didn’t exist then!
The evergreen blooming gardens and classic architecture adds to the romantic ambience. It is places like this that has elevated the ranking of Udaipur as a romantic destination in India.
This is the beautiful lotus pool of Sahelion ki bari. Sadly at the time of our visit there was hardly any growing there. But minus the lotus this is an amazing part of the gardens around the complex.
Kamal Talai Fountain – Lotus Pool
Courtyard of the Maidens Udaipur
Seeing the crowd there we could make out, the Saheliyon ki Bari is a pleasure park and a green retreat for the Udaipur dwellers. A small museum in Saheliyon ki Bari houses ancient pictures, artifacts, items of the royal era, and stuffed animals displayed on the walls.
We soon left for Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace from here.
Timings and Tickets to Saheliyon ki Bari
Visiting time to Saheliyon ki Bari is from 9 am to 7 pm daily.
Entry fee is 10INR per person for Indians.
Ticket price for foreigners is 50INR.
Traveler Tips to Visit Saheliyon ki Bari
- Plan your visit between Sept to March when the weather is most pleasant.
- Photography is allowed within the premises.
- Mind your steps as the place is quite slippery.
- Tour time is half an hour if your itinerary for Udaipur is just for a day. Else you can hang around more.
- You can hire a guide to take you around.
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Nice pictures and description
Lovely name for the place.
48 maids?! Now that’s a royal dowry, indeed. 🙂
The fountains are beautiful. How many are there around the grounds?
I want to Rajasthan….more so after reading your posts. Keep them coming.
brought back such nostalgic memories
Awesome Indrani!
and all this built to keep the spouse happy!
This is GREAT! I MUST get to that hotel!
What a great post for MyWorld! That Lake Palace Hotel is awesome!
The Udaipur is in my list of must see places too Indrani, in particular, the Lake Palace. Unfortunate that your plans had to change, but Sahelion ki Bari seems like a nice place too.
That mentioned dowry system sounded interesting :)))
The rose pic is a jewel-in-the-crown.
A hotel in the middle of a lake – how beautiful & different!
thank you for the lovely trip!
I can´t get past that Lake Palace hotel. Such an intriguing building.
That’s quite a nice wedding present, isn’t it? A lovely place to get away from it all.
That’s quite an eye opening flood. We have similar monsoon like rain storms here in south Florida, but nothing compared to what they get in west India.
Hi Indrani! Udaipur and the Lake Palace: one of my dreams; one day… ;))
Meanwhile, you can’t imagine what you’re missing at Blogtrotter now… Lol!!
Have a great week!
What a beautiful spot for a hotel, but was it flooded in this picture, as it looks like it is?! As usual fascinating post.
What a beautiful spot for a hotel, but was it flooded in this picture, as it looks like it is?! As usual fascinating post.
so beautiful photos!
have a nice week 😉
Very beautiful place. Have read of it before.
Beautiful and interesting ! I wished I could visit it !
Such an interesting post and beautiful images.
I always enjoy visiting your blog! It’s not only informative but also very beautiful! I should love to stay in that hotel!! Thanks for sharing!
Lovely snaps !! I like the first one… most…
that flower is so beautiful, just like all the other pics
What a beautiful garden! Not a bad gift, hey? But then again, not everyone gets to be a queen either, lol! Thanks for bringing us along; looking forward to your visit to the Palace on Water!
Greetings from Africa!
Wow these are beautiful photos and i love that water fountain
Fantastic images, Indrani. Thanks for sharing 🙂
So the palace/hotel is supposed to be in the middle of the lake like that? I thought it had simply flooded! How cool!
India has so much to offer. I bet if you can even see all of them in one year’s time.
Happy February.
Wow interesting photo. I thought the palace was submerged in flood. Cool. It is something like a floating palace. Very beautiful. Come visit my chinese dolls. 🙂
as always your post is so informative and the photos beautiful. enjoy each and every one.
have a wonderful week.
erin
I’m sorry the rain interfered with your plans but you got some wonderful shots. I enjoyed this sequence of photographs.
Thanks all!
Yes Thyme, the Lake Palace is like that built inside the lake in a raised portion of land and not because of rains.
“In” the lake is right!! Wow..what a sight. Looks like a beautiful place however…the gardens are beautiful!
Just too beautiful! The fountain, flower, etc.. I would truly enjoy visiting there. 🙂
I love the photo’s! That Lake Palace is supposed to look like that, and it was not because of the rain?
An unexpected detour, and look at the beauty!
The very name itself is so beautiful, and the garden fulfils that promise, no?
I am sorry that you missed the Lake Palace
What beautiful gardens. The hotel in the top picture looks fascinating.
Beautiful and interesting as always. I love that fountain, and the lovely flower in the photo above it.
Better than watching the Travel Channel. Thanks for the lovely post
An Arkie’s Musings
That’s rich! I’m so glad it’s open for public to visit.
That was a worthy detour, wasn’t it?
That rosebud shows such promise!