A Living Legacy

Five centuries after its birth, Udaipur is unmatched

- Che Kurrien

The hypnotic lake city of Udaipur, buttressed by imperious palaces and the blue-tinged Aravalli hills, has always been a bolthole for the elite. One could argue that it shot to fame in 1983, with the release of the 007 classic Octopussy, a Hollywood scale promotion shot on location that served as a calling card for the international jet set. Or one could go back further, to 1829, when Colonel James Tod, the East India Company’s first political agent for the region, described Udaipur as “the most romantic spot on the continent of India.” Two centuries earlier, Shah Jahan, fleeing from his father, the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was given refuge by the ruler of Udaipur in his delightful little pleasure palace, Jag Mandir, sitting gracefully in the middle of Lake Pichola. It’s said that when Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, he was inspired by his memories of Jag Mandir. Queen Bey’s performance last month is only the latest in a string of powerhouse artists who have shimmied on the banks of Lake Pichola, a line-up that includes J-Lo, Shakira and Sting.