Overview
- Features: A hilltop palace with views of the city best seen at sunset
- Opening Times: Sunrise to sunset, daily
- Best Time to Visit: Late October to early March
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Travelled By: Private car
- Cost: Indian/foreigner Rs 10/80; car Rs 60
- Address: Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Type: Palace
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Summary
The Monsoon Palace Udaipur is a melancholy, neglected late 19th-century palace constructed by Maharana Sajjan Singh. Perched on top of a distant mountain like a fairy-tale castle, it was originally designed to be an astronomical centre to monitor the monsoon clouds in the area which gave it its name. It is best visited at sunset when the views over the Aravalli hill ranges are spectacular.
Monsoon Palace Udaipur
The Monsoon Palace Udaipur, formerly known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is the former palatial residence of Maharana Sajjan Singh (r. 1874-1884) of the Mewar dynasty. It was built in 1884 to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace. It is said that the Maharana built it on a hill top to get a view of his ancestral home in Chittaurgarh.
It sits on a hilltop high above the city of Udaipur overlooking the lake Fateh Sagar. It offers panoramic views of the city’s lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. The palace also provides a beautiful view of the sunset.
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The Monsoon Palace Udaipur sits on the Bansdara peak of the Aravalli hills at a height of 944m (3100 ft) and overlooks Pichola Lake from the west. Made of white marble Maharana Sajjan Singh intended to build the palace as a nine-storey astronomical centre in order to keep track of the movement of the monsoon clouds in the area surrounding the palace. Also, it was built as a resort for the royal family as well as to provide employment to the people of the region.
Unfortunately, the Maharana died prematurely at the age of 26, which resulted in the shelving of his plans for a period of time. The palace had been partially built at the time of his death, and was subsequently completed by his successor Maharana Fateh Singh who used it to watch the monsoon clouds. The royal family also used this building as a hunting lodge.
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The Monsoon Palace Udaipur showcases fine examples of Rajasthani architecture comprising of domes, fountains and jharokas (balconies). The palace has high turrets and guards regulating each of the towers. Inside the palace, there is a grand central court with a staircase and many rooms and quarters. There are beautiful marble pillars, which have been carved with exquisite motifs of leaves and flowers. The walls are plastered with lime mortar.
A unique water harvesting structure exists in the precincts of the palace. It was built to collect rainwater in an underground cistern with a storage capacity of 195,500 litres. In spite of the water cistern, there wasn’t enough water supply and the palace was therefore abandoned.
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The Monsoon Palace Udaipur was used as a major location for the filming of the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy. It appears as the residence of the principal villain, an exiled Afghan prince named Kamal Khan (played by Louis Jourdan). Sequences shot here include the finale, complete with a battle in the courtyard and a Union Jack hot-air balloon, a night-time visit by a Soviet military helicopter and a full ‘tiger’ hunt on elephants as 007 (played by Roger Moore) escapes from the Palace and is pursued into the jungle.
Other footage in the film was shot at Shiv Niwas Palace and the Lake Palace Hotel. Although a significant part of the film implied that it was shot inside the Monsoon Palace it wasn’t. These include scenes such as Bond eating dinner inside the palace, and skirting between rooms, and features a grand staircase and finally a basement rendezvous for the villains in the film.
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The best time to visit the Monsoon Palace Udaipur is around sunset after which it is closed to the public. Most people come here for the views over the city skyline and to watch the sunset over the Aravalli hill range. The views are spectacular, especially the different shades of the hill ranges that surround the palace with the sun setting behind them.
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As in many places in Rajasthan, there are numerous monkeys hanging around the viewing area. They tend to make a nuisance of themselves by stealing people’s food, as in the case of this monkey who stole a packet of food only to get angry when he found out that it was empty.
Getting to & from Monsoon Palace Udaipur
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The Monsoon Palace Udaipur is located 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) west of Udaipur as the crow flies. However, it is about 9 kilometres (5 miles) by a winding road which leads up the hill to the palace.
At the foot of the hill is the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary established in 1987. The palace overlooks the sanctuary, which is a reserve for reptiles, tigers, nilgai, sambhar, wild boars, hyenas, panthers, and jackals. It is also popular for bird watching.
The sanctuary is well protected with a concrete wall called Kishan Pol surrounding it. The hillside is thickly wooded and the former rulers maintained this area as a royal shooting preserve. When Udaipur was attacked by the Scindias in 1764, the hill was used as an ordnance dump; some cannons still remain in the area.
We visited the Monsoon Palace Udaipur as part of a daily sunset excursion in Taxi No RJ-27-TA 2108, a private mini-van which leaves Gangaur Ghat (near Bagori-ki-Haveli) at 5pm daily. At Rs 200 per person it is an easy and affordable way to get to Monsoon Palace. This does not include the sanctuary fees which is shared by everyone in the van. You can call the driver on 97 8440 0120 to book your seats.
