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The Monsoon Palace, also
known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is a hilltop palatial residence in the
city of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, overlooking the
Fateh Sagar Lake. It is named
Sajjangarh after Maharana Sajjan Singh (1874–1884) of the Mewar Dynasty,
who built it in 1884. The palace offers a panoramic view of the city's
lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside.
It was built chiefly to watch
the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as
Monsoon Palace. It is said that the Maharana built it at the top of the
hill to get a view of his ancestral home, Chittaurgarh. Previously owned
by the Mewar royal family, it is now under the control of the Forest
Department of the Government of Rajasthan and has recently been opened
to the public.
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The palace provides a
beautiful view of the sunset. High in the Aravalli Hills, just outside
Udaipur, the Palace is illuminated in the evenings, giving a golden
orange glow. The palace was used in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy
as the residence of Kamal Khan, an exiled Afghan prince.
The palace, built with white
marble, is located on Bansdara peak of the Aravalli hill range at an
elevation of 944 m (3100 ft) above mean sea level, overlooking
Lake Pichola from the west about 1,100 ft
(340 m) below the palace. The intention of the original planner,
Maharana Sajjan Singh, was to build a nine storey complex, basically as
an astronomical centre and to keep track of the movement of monsoon
clouds in the area surrounding the palace, and also to provide
employment to people. It was also meant to serve as a resort for the
royal family.
A unique water harvesting
structure to collect rainwater in an underground cistern, with a storage
capacity of 195,500 litres, exists in the precincts of the palace. In
spite of this, the water supply was found to be inadequate and the
palace was therefore abandoned.
How to
reach
Nearest airport is
Maharana Pratap Airport
(also known as
Udaipur Airport or
Dabok Airport (IATA:
UDR, ICAO: VAUD)) which is located 22 km (14 mi) east of Udaipur.
The Monsoon Palace is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) west of Udaipur and
overlooks Lake Pichola. The palace can be
accessed by a winding road through the surrounding Sajjan Singh
Sanctuary by taxi or 'auto rickshaw'. The palace and the Sajjan Singh
Sanctuary are major attractions and are open to visitors until sunset. A
boat ride across Lake Pichola in Udaipur
provides excellent views of the palace and allows visitors to enjoy the
scenic beauty of the palace.
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