Udaipur – The Royal Abode of Lakes Settlement Study

Anuj Khandelwal, Manik Gupta, Saudamini Chattopadhyay, Sushant JainB.Arch. 3rd Yr. Sec.B

Udaipur is a beautiful city, set amidst the Aravalli Ranges of Rajasthan, India. Known for its picturesque lakes, Udaipur also called 'the city of lakes'. The elevated hills and the beautiful lakes make a picture-perfect backdrop to the Udaipur city. Udaipur is regarded as one of the most romantic cities of the World and subsequently, also known as the 'Venice of East'.Udaipur is famous for its captivating lakes, but the city has many more attractions that catch the attention of the tourists with their charm. Lake Palace of Udaipur has been accredited for being one of the most romantic places all across the globe. The massive forts of Udaipur, grab the interest of people with their sheer structure and architecture. The beautiful temples create a sense of aestheticism with their spiritual ecstasy. Udaipur also boasts of various museums, palaces, gardens, monuments and colorful festivals that allure tourists to visit the city for once.

Panoramic view of the two major lakes of Udaipur

UDAIPUR

Udaipur city had been the capital of Mewar rulers for centuries. Maharana Udai Singh laid the foundation for the city in the fertile valley well-protected by the elevated Aravalli Hills, in 1557 A.D . After this he set up a palace for him in Udaipur .In 1568 A.D, when the Mughal emperor Akbar captured Chittor,Udai Singh permanently moved the capital, which became the city of Udaipur. He constructed the lake Udai Sagar along with the city.From then Udaipur remained the capital of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar ruled by Ranawats. As the Mughal empire weakened, the Sisodia ranas, and later maharanas, reasserted their independence and recaptured most of Mewar region except the fort of Chittor.Udaipur remained the capital of the state, which became a princely state of British India in 1818. After India‘s Independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Udaipur acceded to the Government of India, and Mewar was integrated into Rajasthan state.

History

HISTORICAL MAP OR CURRENT RAJASTHAN- MEWAR

Urban Sprawl in 1964Urban Sprawl in 1947

MAP: Urban Sprawl and Direction of Growth

Urban Sprawl in 2022Urban Sprawl in 1997

Urban Sprawl in 1947

Urban Sprawl in 1964

Urban Sprawl in 1997

Urban Sprawl in 2022 (Proposed)

MAP: Growth of Udaipur Municipal Area

MAP: Growth of Udaipur Municipal Area

Growth of Udaipur Municipal Area

• The city’s growth direction generally is towards the East, North – East and South – East.• The city didn’t grow in the west and North – west mainly due to the presence of Aravalli hills.• The city has grown from 17.17 sq.km to 64.1 sq.km in the period of 1946 – 1997 .• Sudden rise in the developmental activities in the city has given rise to so many problems like lack of good infrastructural facilities, rise in migration, growth of slums, all of this leading to the deterioration of the lake system.

Trends of the Development (1946-2005)Udaipur City Growth

LAND USE PATTERN, 1972-73

Use Area in Acres %age of Developed Area %age of Urban Area

Residential 1585 41.0 37.3

Commercial 115 3.0 2.6

Industrial 170 4.5 3.9

Governmental 75 2.0 1.6

Recreational 365 9.5 8.5

Public and Semi-Public 1010 26.0 23.4

Circulation 540 14.0 12.5

DEVELOPED AREA 3860 100.0 89.8

GovernmentReserved

130 - 3.0

Water Bodies 85 - 2.0

Agriculture 75 - 1.7

Other vacant landUndeveloped land

150 - 3.5

URBAN AREA 4300 100% 100.0

Land Use 1972- 1973

URBAN RESIDENTIAL AREASOTHER RESIDENTIAL AREASSLUM AREAS

SHOPPING MARKET AREASWHOLESALE MARKETSTORES AND GODOWNSDISTRICT/COMMUNITY CENTRES

LARGE SCALE INDUSTRIESSMALL SCALE INDUSTRIESCOTTAGE INDUSTRIES

GOVERNMENT OFFICESGOVERNMENT ACQUIRED LAND

PARKS, OPEN SPACES & PLAY GROUNDSSEMI PUBLIC RECREATIONAL SPACES

SCHOOL, COLLEGE, INSTITUTEHOSPITALS, DISPENSARIES, VETENARIESRELIGIOUS, HISTORICAL MONUMENTSOTHER COMMUNITIY SERVICESCREMATORIUMS AND CEMATARIESPUBLIC SERVICES

NURSERIES AND ORCHARDSRESERVED FOREST AREAS/ GREEN BELTAGRICULTURAL LANDCO-OPRATIVE FAMR LAND

RALWAY STN./ YARDROAD TRANSPORT DEPOT BUS AND TRUCK TERMINAL

OPEN LANDRIVERS, SEWER, WATER BODIESRURAL POPULATIONMUNICIPAL CORPORATION LIMITSCANALS

LAND USE PATTERN, 1997-CURRENT

Udaipur City Map (Current)

Important Sites andRoad Connectivity

Type of commercial activity Area in acres

Central Business Area 130Sub- city Centre 40Community centres 25Other small shopping centers 20Specialized and Wholesale Markets 90Warehouses and Godowns 100Hotels 110Total 515

Distribution of total commercial area- 1997

CLIMATE AND RAINFALL

Climate of Udaipur is semi – arid. It has hot dry summerand bracing cold season. The temperature variesbetween a maximum of 42.3°C and a minimum of28.8°C during summers. Winter is generally fromNovember to February. Winters are colder with the maximum temperature rising to 28.8°C and the minimum dipping to 2.5°C. The city receives most of its rainfall during the south west monsoon (June – September) with an average Annual Rainfall of 641.63 mm. The city experiences 42.92 annual mean rainy days. The annual rainfall recorded from 1990– 2005 is given in the fig.

ECONOMY

Economy of Udaipur city is based on tertiary sector. Tourism is the major contributor of the city’s economy. 93% of the total workers are main workers. Percentage distribution of workers employed in different sectors of occupation is given in fig 5. According to census, work force participation has increased to 32% in 2001 from28.1% in 1981.

Breakup Of Workers

Northeast part of Udaipur has plain area so secondary and tertiary activities are increasing in this direction. located in north/northeast direction of Udaipur have small-scale industries and maximum minerals activities. Udaipur is essentially developing along NH8 to Ahmedabad and NH76 to Chittorgarh.

YEAR 1971 1981 1991

OCCUPATION Persons %age of Total Workers

Persons %age of Total Workers

Persons %age of Total Workers

Agriculture 2194 5.0 2693 4.50 2874 3.13

Mining, Quarrying and allied activities

507 1.2 1678 2.60 3559 3.88

Industry 8465 19.3 13167 20.10 19055 20.79

Construction 1556 3.5 4170 6.40 4674 5.10

Trade and Commerce 8903 20.3 13318 20.40 22182 24.20

Transport and Communication 4440 10.1 6123 9.40 9586 10.46

Other Services 17845 40.6 23941 23.60 29724 32.44

TOTAL: 43910 100% 65360 100% 91654 100%

Occupation Structure

As per 2001 Census, the population of Udaipur city was3.89 lakhs with an average density of 35 persons per acre.The administrative boundary of Udaipur municipal areaspreads over 64.1 sq km.

According to 1991 census, 50 % of the city’s populationresides in the walled city which is 515 acres ( 8% of thetotal area). There was sudden rise in population during1970 - 80 as there was a lot of industrial development inthe city.

Foreign tourist has increased over a period of time, it was 79896 in the year 1992 and it has gone up in the year 2004 which is 199547. Growth rate of total tourist inflow has increased from 3.77% in 1992 to 13.05% in 2004..

Floating population:

The city has a huge inflow of domestic and foreign tourists. Tourist in flow has increased recently, but there was a decrease of tourist between 2001 – 2003 as the lakes got dried up due to less rainfall.

Fig : Decadal Population of Udaipur city Source: Census

Population Growth

Year Population Variation %age Variation

1881 38214 - -

1891 48580 10266 26.88

1901 45976 -2604 -5.36

1911 33229 -12747 -27.73

1921 34789 +1560 +4.69

1931 44035 +9246 +26.58

1941 59648 +15613 +35.46

1951 89621 +29973 +50.25

1961 111139 +21518 +24.01

1971 161278 +50139 +45.11

1981 232588 +71310 +44.22

1991 308571 +75988 + 32.67

2001 389317 +80800 +26.18

2011* 599000 +209683 +53.85

2022* 830000 +231000 +38.56

Population Growth Rate

*estimated

Proposed Land use distributionThe master plan (2001) is proposed a land use pattern for 2022. Out of the total developed area, 37.42% was allocated for residential use, 18.8 % under circulation, 12.3% as public and semi public, 10.5% as industrial, 3.82% as commercial, 25.41% as recreational and 1.2% as Governmental. The 1976-96 master plan was subsequently revised and new masters plan till 2001.

Land use pattern in 2007 Land use pattern in 2022 (proposed)

1971 1988 1997Use Area in AcresResidential 1585 2565 4988Commercial 115 295 548Industrial 170 910 1152Governmental 75 92 96Recreational 365 302 358Public and Semi-Public

1010 1615 1632

Circulation 540 995 1105DEVELOPED AREA 3860 6774 9879

GovernmentReserved

130 800 865

Water Bodies 85 255 285

Agriculture 75 135 1900Other vacant land 150 531 9672

URBAN AREA 4300 8495 22601

Land Use Comparison over the years

Land use pattern in 1946 Land use pattern in 1997

Proposed Land use pattern for 2022

In the pre independence period, the majority of land was used for agriculture. But with changing time, the land usage has shifted towards residential use which now occupies almost half the area of the city. Also with the increasing needs, the road network and market facilities have been improved.

Strengths• Picturesque and congenial natural setting. Topographic profile, with surrounding hills containing water bodies, provides a natural water collection set up for city.• Attracts 15 percent of state’s foreign tourists (diverse tourist attraction like lakes, heritage, religious places and gardens).• Ten percent of total large and medium industries in state (Mineral stone and textile industries – largest revenue generator)/• Market Center for surrounding region.• Seat of Administrative Power in District and Division/• Presence of Large number of education institutions in city of population only 5 lakh.• In comparison to other urban areas has highest percentage of literate population in the state (87.90 percent).

Foreign tourist has increased over a period of time, it was 79896 in the year 1992 and it has gone up in the year 2004 which is 199547. Growth rate of total tourist inflow has increased from 3.77% in 1992 to 13.05% in 2004.

Annual tourist inflow 1992-2004

CITY VIEW FROM THE CITY PALACE

Weaknesses• Absence of broad gauge connectivity to the city affecting industrial as well as commercial growth.• Infrastructure facilities like sewerage, drainage and solid waste management coverage less than 50 percent.• Insufficient heritage management;• Lack of civic awareness on heritage and conservation.• Concentration of major commercial activities in old city area, causing severe congestion; and• Absence of efficient mass transportation facility within city.

Poorly managed parts of monumental buildings

Opportunities

• Protection, restoration and overall environmental improvement of lakes to attract tourist activities.• Comprehensive traffic planning and a transport system management plan for whole city.• Developing a tourist circuit connecting places of tourist interest, which would involve development of related infrastructure.• Prioritizing sewage and sanitation systems, which would reduce ground water and surface, water pollution.

Threats

• Traditional houses in the walled city risk demolition by their owners due to high maintenance and repair required for these buildings.• Depleting resources like marble and other minerals due to lack of resource management and overuse.• Increasing levels of water and air pollution due to inefficient drainage / sanitation and increasing traffic respectively.• Competing investment in tourism infrastructure in other cities both in Rajasthan and other states.

The majestic white City Palace located in the heart of Udaipur, was originally built by Maharana Udai Singh of the Sisodia Rajput clan. Built in granite and marble and surrounded by crenellated fort walls, the largest palace complex in  Rajasthan stands on a crest overlooking the Pichola Lake. 

CITY PALACE

(L)MAP SHOWING POSITION OF CITY PALACE. (R) PICTURE OF CITY PALACE

ENTRANCE GATEWAY TO THE PALACE

1. Toran Pol2. Surya Gokhada3. Pitam Niwas4. Nagina Badi5. Sabah Shiromani Ka Darikhana6. Verandah Outside Mor Chowk7. Surya Prakash8. Pagda Ki Hathni9. Moti Mahal10. Shiv Vilas Chini Ki Chitrashali11. Vani Vilas12. Chitram Ki Burj

13. Naharo Ka Darikhana14. Saleh Khana15. Dilkhushal Mahal16. Kaanch ki Burj17. Yash Mandir18. Badi Mahal19. Mukut Mandir20. Hathi ki Aagad21. Hawa Mahal22. Tripolia23. Amar Mahal24. Manak Mahal

FRONT ELEVATION OF CITY PALACE, UDAIPUR

The City Palace is placed on top of a mountain. From various points in the Palace, different views of the city are available which show the grandeur of the city and also the view of magnificent Lake Palace.

CITY PALACE

VIEWING THE CITY, THE PALACE PARKING AND THE LAKECPALACE FROM THE CITY PALACE

Situated on the picturesque bank of Picchola Lake, Bagore ki Haveli was built by Amarchand Badava, Chief-Minister of the former Bagore thikaana in the 18th cent. This palatial building reportedly has 138 rooms, balconies, terraces , courtyards and corridors. What was once upon a time a living centre of nobility of Udaipur lay in darkness and ruined for nearly half a century till when it was handed over to the West-Zone Cultural Centre.Right from the beginning, the WZCC thought it appropriate to convert the haveli into a museum. Originally the idea was to represent the culture of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan, the West Zone States, in the proposed museum. On second thoughts, it was felt that the haveli had very typical and charming architectural style and a unique character- it was a veritable architectural museum by itself and therefore it would not be appropriate to bring into it features of Goan or Maharashtrian culture, which would be ill-at-ease in an unrelated environment like the Haveli. It was then decided in 1992, that the Haveli should be restored and preserved as a museum of Mewar’s aristocratic culture as it may be imagined to have existed in the 18th and 19th century. The idea was not to realistically reconstruct the past but to symbolically invoke the spirit of by-gone culture by means of few selected objects displayed in a context that would defy the conventional notion of a museum and save itself from arduous task of artificial reconstruction of history under the name of ‘aunthenticity’.

Bagore ki Haveli

The Haveli was restored, primarily using local, traditional materials and skills. Several murals done in araish technique in 18th and 19th century, which were lying covered behind the layers of subsequent white-washes, were uncovered during restoration and doors, windows and perforated screens were repaired or replaced.A few rooms and passages have been brought to a kind of imaginery lived in condition of the Haveli, as it were, in its heyday, by display of floor-coverings, low tables, hookahs, paan-boxes, nut-crackers, hand-fans, rose-water sprinklers and several such household objects of everyday life.

A conscious attempt has been made here to avoid a romantic reconstruction of the culture that was. It is essentially a museum which tries to reinterpret architecture, lifestyle and cultural ethos of days of yore from the vantage point of present. Currently, a few spaces such as the women’s private chamber, a dressing room, a shrine of domestic worship, and a recreation room have been restored and displayed.

Bagore ki Haveli

Bagore ki Haveli

The Bagore Ki Haveli is placed along the lake Picchola on the Gangaur ghat with a huge gateway to the ghat.

Musical fountain gardenAravalli vatika

Park on hill

GARDENS IN UDAIPURRecreational area covers about 9.5% of the total developed area, which is higher because of the fact that Udaipur has many big and small public gardens.