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The Monsoon Palace

Roshan kumarPhotomylife, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Attraction · Udaipur

The Monsoon Palace

A white palace on the ridge above Udaipur, built to watch the monsoon arrive — and it still gives you the whole lake system in twenty minutes of climbing.

Built1884
Also calledSajjangarh
Time neededAn hour, plus the drive
Best forSunset over the lakes
About

Built to watch the rain come

Maharana Sajjan Singh put it on the highest ridge west of the city in 1884, and the usual account is that it was intended for watching the monsoon clouds gather over the Aravallis. The more ambitious plan behind it — an astronomical observatory — was never finished.

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What to See

What is there

Come for the position rather than the rooms. The building is largely empty and the view is the entire reason.

The view

  • The whole lake system — Pichola, Fateh Sagar and the smaller water beyond — laid out below with the city between them and the Aravallis behind. It is the only place you see how Udaipur is actually arranged.

The building

  • White marble over the local stone, with turrets, domed chhatris and tall pillared halls. The interiors are bare, which is honest — it was never really lived in.

The sanctuary

  • The palace stands inside the Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary, and the road up runs through it. Sambar, wild boar and peafowl are all commonly seen from the vehicle.

Sunset

  • This is the sunset spot in Udaipur and everybody knows it. It is crowded, it is still worth it, and going up an hour early gets you the better position.
Getting There

Getting there

The last stretch is inside a sanctuary and is not driven in your own vehicle.

From the city

  • About twenty minutes to the sanctuary gate on the ridge west of Udaipur.

The last climb

  • From the gate, the ascent is made in the sanctuary's own shuttle vehicles rather than a private car. Build that into the timing, especially near sunset when the queue is longest.

Walking

  • The road up can be walked and it takes a good hour uphill. Most people take the shuttle, and in the heat that is the sensible choice.
Best Time

When to go

A viewpoint, so visibility decides everything.

Season

  • October to March for clear air. Just after the monsoon the hills are green and the visibility is at its best of the year.

Hour

  • Late afternoon into sunset, which is what it is for. Arrive an hour before to get up the hill and find a place at the parapet.

How long

  • An hour at the top, plus the drive and the shuttle either way. Allow two and a half hours end to end from the city.
Visitor Intelligence

Worth knowing

Mostly about the last twenty minutes of the journey.

The shuttle queue

  • At sunset it is long, and people miss the sunset in it. Going up early and waiting at the top is the whole trick.

The rooms are empty

  • If you want furnished interiors, this is not that. It is a viewpoint with a very good building on it.

It gets cold and windy

  • The ridge is exposed and the temperature drops quickly after sundown, even in a warm month. Take a layer.

Combining it

  • Saheliyon ki Bari on the way out and the Monsoon Palace for sunset makes a well-shaped Udaipur afternoon.
Nearby

Nearby

West of the city.

Saheliyon ki Bari
The fountain garden below · 20 min
Lake Pichola
The water you are looking down on
Udaipur
The city guide
Good to Know

Frequently asked

Because it was built on the highest ridge west of Udaipur in 1884 to watch the monsoon clouds come in over the Aravallis. Maharana Sajjan Singh's larger intention was an astronomical observatory, which was never completed after his early death — so what stands is a very well-sited building with almost no interior purpose.
Only to the sanctuary gate. The final climb through the Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary is made in the sanctuary's own shuttle vehicles. At sunset that queue is long and is the single most common reason people arrive at the top after the sun has gone — go up an hour earlier than feels necessary.
Yes, because it shows you something different. From the water you see the palaces; from the ridge you see how the whole system of lakes, city and hills fits together, which is not apparent from anywhere else. The two views are complementary rather than repetitive.
Not really — the rooms are largely bare and the palace was never properly occupied. Go for the position, the architecture from outside and the view. Anyone expecting furnished state rooms will be disappointed, and it is better to know that going up.
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