Monsoon Palace and the Aravalli at sunset

Maharana Sajjan Singh began Sajjangarh in 1884 on a hill about 5 km west of the city, to watch the monsoon clouds and as an observatory. He died young and the palace was never fully finished as planned, but its position on the ridge, at around 940 m, makes it the best viewpoint in Udaipur. The hill is inside the Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary.

We drive up in the late afternoon through the sanctuary, where you may see deer, peafowl and wild boar on the slopes. From the palace terraces you look down over Fateh Sagar and Lake Pichola to the city, and west across ridge after ridge of the Aravalli. In the monsoon and just after, the hills are green and clouds move across the view.

The site closes soon after sunset, so we time the drive to arrive about an hour before. On the way down, a stop at Fateh Sagar lake for tea by the water rounds off the evening. Access rules for vehicles in the sanctuary change, so check current status before you travel.