Sajjangarh Palace

The builder of the Monsoon Palace, Maharana Sajjan Singh, was the 72nd ruler of the Mewar dynasty. After becoming the Rana in 1874, he undertook many projects of civil work in the city of Udaipur, like road and dam constructions, water supply and other developments in infrastructure. Sajjangarh Palace was his most ambitious project that he started during the late years of his reign, but unfortunately he passed away before he could complete it as per his vision of an astronomical observatory. His successor, Fateh Singh completed its construction keeping a palatial hunting lodge in mind. In any case, it is one of the grandest constructions during that era, with a spectacular view from all around.

From the top balconies of the Monsoon Palace, one can get a splendid view of the entire city of Udaipur, all its lakes, palaces and forts, as well as the ancestral home of the Mewars, Chittorgarh. Maybe for this reason this spot was chosen by Maharana Sajjan Singh to have his own palatial observatory. One can also have a direct view the entire stretch of the Fateh Sagar Lake, constructed by Maharana Fateh Singh himself. If you visit the Monsoon Palace anytime during the afternoon, make sure to wait and witness the sunset, which looks stunning from the vast balconies of the heritage building.

Currently the palace is owned by the Forest Department of the state of Rajasthan and has been recently opened for public entry.

The facade of the Monsoon Palace is made of stark white marble, and in true Rajasthani style, it  is characterised by high turrets, multiple pillars, gigantic domes and jharokhas. There is a grand central court with staircases leading up to multiple rooms and chambers on all sides. The pillars which support the entire building have intricate floral motifs on them. The rest of the walls are covered in detailed carvings as well, giving the interiors of the palace an undeniable charm.

The palace housed an underground harvesting structure with a cistern of 195,500 litres capacity. But it still proved to be inadequate given Rajasthan’s arid conditions, and the palace was abandoned eventually.

The Monsoon Palace is surrounded by Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to several native and exotic flora and fauna. The slopes of the hill on top of which the palace stands is covered with thick woods which fall under the sanctuary. These areas were once the favourite huntings grounds of the Mewar royalty, and the palace served as their hunting lodge. Whether you take a safari ride or go for a trek, chances are you will meet some of the wild residents of the forest, like tigers, panthers, jackals, nilgais, sambhar and barking deer, hyenas, wild boars and several species of birds.

Apart from being a grand structure of the Mewari style and a favourite tourist destination of Udaipur, Sajjangarh Palace has also made an appearance in one of the famous movies of the 007 franchise. It poses as the residence of the mail villain in the 1983 Roger Moore starrer Octopussy, and multiple scenes including a battle in the courtyard has been shot inside the palace premises.

The Monsoon Palace is open seven days of the week from 8 AM in the morning to 6 PM in the evening.

The entry fee to the Monsoon Palace is INR 10 for an Indian and INR 80 for a foreigner individual. If you enter riding an auto rickshaw or a car, then you will have to pay INR 20 and INR 65 respectively.

From the foot of the hill, there are minivans, auto rickshaws and taxis which will take you up the winding road to the Monsoon Palace. Rickshaws and taxis charge around INR 200 to ferry passengers up the 4 kilometres road to the gate of the Sajjangarh Sanctuary. To reach till there, you will get multiple public and private transportation from the city of Udaipur, which is only 5 kilometres away.