The house that never bowed
An ancient line: the rulers of Mewar belong to the Guhil line, one of the oldest ruling families in the world.
Bappa Rawal: counted among their ancestors, he by tradition took Chittor in the eighth century.
Regents of Shiva: the kings saw themselves as regents of Eklingji, whose temple stands in the hills north of Udaipur. The head of the family is still spoken of as the god's diwan, his chief minister.
- Line
- Guhil, Sisodia branch
- Chittor taken
- 8th century, Bappa Rawal by tradition
- Udaipur founded
- 1559, by Udai Singh II
- Haldighati
- 1576
- Peace with Mughals
- 1615
- Joined Rajasthan
- 1948
- The Sisodias: in the fourteenth century Rana Hammir of the Sisodia branch recovered Chittor, and the Sisodias ruled Mewar from then on.
- Title and motto: they were styled Maharana, and their motto speaks of the god protecting those who hold firm to their duty.
- Three sieges of Chittor: to Alauddin Khalji in 1303, to Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535 and to Akbar in the winter of 1567-68.
- Jauhar: each time, the chronicles say, the women of the fort committed jauhar and the men rode out to die.
- Rani Padmini: the most famous story of all, told in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's sixteenth-century Padmavat.
- The golden age: Rana Kumbha built Kumbhalgarh and the Tower of Victory at Chittor.
- Rana Sanga: fought Babur at Khanwa in 1527.
- Udaipur: Udai Singh II founded it in 1559 on Lake Pichola, and after Chittor fell the court moved there for good.
- Maharana Pratap: fought Akbar's army at Haldighati in 1576 and spent the rest of his life fighting from the hills, refusing to submit.
- No Mughal marriages: of the great Rajput houses, Mewar alone never gave a daughter in marriage to the Mughal emperors.
- Peace on its own terms: Amar Singh I made peace with Jahangir in 1615 on unusually honourable terms.
- Into India: Mewar joined the new Rajasthan in 1948, and Maharana Bhupal Singh became honorary Maharajpramukh when the state was enlarged the next year.
- The family today: it still lives in the City Palace. The headship has been disputed since 2024-25, so we name no current Maharana. Read about the Mewar royal family.
Green hills and man-made lakes
The southern Aravallis: here the range is at its highest and most wooded.
Early rain: the monsoon reaches Mewar before the rest of the state.
Where rivers begin: streams run east to the Chambal and west to the Gulf of Khambhat.
- A city of lakes: the Maharanas dammed valleys, and Udaipur alone has Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Swaroop Sagar and others, joined by channels.
- The great reservoirs: Jaisamand and Rajsamand were built by seventeenth-century kings, with marble pavilions on their embankments.
- Wildlife: leopards, sloth bears, wolves and four-horned antelope, especially in the Kumbhalgarh and Mount Abu sanctuaries.
- Vagad: to the south, the land drops into the greener country of Dungarpur and Banswara, with the Mahi river and its backwaters.
- The Bhils: this is their country, one of the oldest communities of India.
- Mount Abu: in the far south-west the Aravallis lift to the highest ground between the Himalaya and the Nilgiris.
Mewari speech, painted towns and the Bhil hills
Mewari: close to Marwari but softer. In the south the Bhils and other communities speak Vagdi.
Court manners: the courtesy of Udaipur's court has spread into everyday speech.
- Painted doorways: village houses are painted with elephants, horses and guards, especially for weddings, and Udaipur's walls often carry white and coloured designs.
- Women's dress: wide ghaghras and odhnis with heavy silver jewellery. Bhil women in the south wear distinctive bead and silver ornaments.
- The pagri: the Mewari turban, wound differently from the Jodhpuri safa.
- Miniature painting: Mewar developed one of the great schools of Rajput miniatures.
- Pichwai: Nathdwara gave its name to the painted cloths hung behind the image of Shrinathji. Our page on pichwai painting explains how they are made.
The places of Mewar, from the lakes to the hills
Udaipur, the city of lakes
The City Palace: white terraces rising from Lake Pichola, added to by Maharanas for more than four centuries.
- Jag Mandir: where the young Prince Khurram, later Shah Jahan, was sheltered in the 1620s.
- The Lake Palace: built in 1746, now a hotel.
- Allow three nights: a boat on Pichola at sunset, the Jagdish temple at dawn, and evenings at Bagore ki Haveli and Fateh Sagar.
Kumbhalgarh
Rana Kumbha's fortress: about two hours north of Udaipur, its walls run for about 36 kilometres over the hills.
- Inside: hundreds of temples, and the Badal Mahal, the palace of the clouds, looking into Marwar.
- Pratap's birthplace: Maharana Pratap is believed to have been born here.
- Protected twice: part of the UNESCO Hill Forts listing, and ringed by a wildlife sanctuary.
Ranakpur
The builders: the merchant Dharna Shah in the fifteenth century, with Rana Kumbha's patronage and the architect Depaka.
- The pillars: dedicated to Adinath, a forest of carved marble pillars traditionally counted at 1,444, no two alike.
- The light: it moves across them all morning.
- Which kingdom: Ranakpur lies in Pali district on the Marwar side, but it belongs in spirit to Kumbha's Mewar.
Chittorgarh
The first capital: two hours north-east of Udaipur, on a long rock plateau above the plain, and one of the largest forts in India.
- Inside the walls: the palaces of Rana Kumbha and Padmini, the temple associated with Meera Bai, the nine-storeyed Tower of Victory and the older Jain Tower of Fame.
- Hire a good guide: the stories make the ruins.
Nathdwara
Shrinathji: an hour north of Udaipur, the town grew around this child form of Krishna, brought from Govardhan near Mathura in 1672 to protect it during Aurangzeb's reign.
- Pushtimarg: the deity is shown at set times through the day, each with its own dress and offerings.
- A living pilgrimage: crowded, devout, and the lanes are full of pichwai painters.
Deogarh
The Chundawat Rawats: one of the sixteen great noble houses of Mewar, on its northern edge about two and a half hours from Udaipur.
- History: the estate dates from the late seventeenth century, and in the eighteenth its painters developed their own lively miniature style.
- Today: the hilltop palace is a hotel, still run by the family.
Narlai
The village: between Ranakpur and Jodhpur, at the foot of a granite hill with a white elephant statue at its summit.
- The rawla: a seventeenth-century hunting lodge of the Jodhpur royal family, now a small hotel.
- Which kingdom: technically Marwar, but we travel it with Mewar.
- The evening: climb the hill for sunset, then eat dinner at a candlelit stepwell nearby.
Dungarpur
The senior branch: two hours south of Udaipur, ruled by the Rawals of Vagad, the senior branch of the Guhil family.
- Udai Bilas Palace: on Gaib Sagar lake, with a wing in the blue-grey local stone called pareva.
- Juna Mahal: seven storeys of painted and mirrored rooms, one of Rajasthan's most beautiful palace interiors and almost unknown.
Banswara
Founded: in the sixteenth century by Jagmal Singh, a prince of the Dungarpur house.
- A hundred islands: named for the islets scattered across the Mahi backwaters.
- Tripura Sundari: the goddess temple at Umrai near Talwara is an important shrine in this green, hilly Bhil country.
- Its charm: few travellers come here.
Mount Abu
Sirohi, not Mewar: it belonged to the Deora Chauhans, but we travel it from Udaipur, about three hours away.
- The hill station: Rajasthan's only one, once the British summer headquarters in Rajputana.
- Sights: the Dilwara temples, among India's finest marble carving, and Nakki Lake at the centre of town.
- Guru Shikhar: at about 1,722 metres, the highest point of the Aravallis.
Temples of Mewar
Jain patrons: the merchants of Mewar and its neighbours built on a grand scale. Ranakpur is the largest of their temples.
Dilwara: the Dilwara temples on Mount Abu are even more delicate.
- Vimal Vasahi
- 11th century
- Luna Vasahi
- 1230
- Nagda temples
- 10th or 11th century
- Dress code
- Modest, no leather
- Vimal Vasahi: built in the eleventh century by Vimal Shah, a minister of the Solanki kings of Gujarat.
- Luna Vasahi: built in 1230 by the brothers Vastupal and Tejpal. Its ceilings are carved so finely the marble looks almost translucent.
- Eklingji: north of Udaipur, the family temple of the Maharanas.
- Nagda: the Saas-Bahu temples nearby are carved from the tenth or eleventh century.
- Nathdwara: draws pilgrims from all over western India, especially at Janmashtami.
- Visiting well: our guide to temple etiquette explains each one.
What Mewar eats
Maize country: maize bread with green garlic and white butter in winter.
Makki ki raab and makki ka dhokla: warm maize porridge, and steamed maize cakes.
- Dal baati churma: cooked for every festival. Each village bakes its baati in cow-dung coals until the crust cracks.
- Nathdwara's temple kitchen: famous for vegetarian offerings that pilgrims carry home as blessed food.
- Eating with a view: Udaipur's rooftop restaurants look over Pichola to the City Palace and Lake Palace. See the best rooftop restaurants in Udaipur.
- Private dinners: we arrange them on a boat, in a palace courtyard or on the island of Jag Mandir.
- The full list: our food of Udaipur guide.
Crafts of the southern hills
Miniatures: Udaipur keeps the Mewar school alive, with painters still using squirrel-hair brushes and natural pigments.
Pichwai: Nathdwara is its home.
Molela terracotta: potters near Nathdwara make plaques of gods and heroes for village shrines.
- Kavad of Bassi: near Chittorgarh, painted wooden shrines that open like a book to tell a story.
- Dabu of Akola: a mud-resist print.
- Thewa of Pratapgarh: gold worked onto coloured glass.
- Few makers: most of these crafts are made by a few families in a few villages, so buying from the makers matters.
- Shilpgram: in late December, Udaipur's crafts fair gathers artisans from all over western India.
- Read more: miniature painting and our textile and craft trail.
The Mewar year
- Gangaur
- March or April
- Janmashtami
- August or September
- Baneshwar Fair
- January or February
- Shilpgram fair
- Late December
Gangaur and the Mewar Festival
- The goddess on the ghats: women carry images of Gauri to the ghats of Pichola.
- The city joins in: processions, music and boats lit on the lake.
Holi at the City Palace
- The bonfire: on the eve of Holi, the royal family lights the Holika fire at the palace.
- Colour: the next day the city plays. Our journal on Holi in Udaipur explains how to enjoy it calmly.
Janmashtami in Nathdwara
- Krishna's birthday: the great day of the year at Shrinathji, with celebrations through the night.
The Baneshwar Fair
- Where: near the confluence of the Som and Mahi rivers in Dungarpur district.
- Who: the Bhils and other communities gather for one of India's largest tribal fairs.
Kumbhalgarh and Mount Abu in winter
- Kumbhalgarh: a festival of music and dance against the fort walls.
- Mount Abu: its winter festival falls around the end of the year.
Where to stay in Mewar
In Udaipur
On the water: the Taj Lake Palace sits on its own island.
Inside the City Palace: Shiv Niwas Palace and Fateh Prakash Palace.
- Across the lake: The Oberoi Udaivilas and The Leela Palace face the city.
- Its own island: Raffles Udaipur, on Udai Sagar.
- Compare them: our guide to luxury hotels in Udaipur.
In the countryside
RAAS Devigarh: an eighteenth-century palace near Eklingji, restored in a cool, modern style.
Old families: Deogarh Mahal and Rawla Narlai.
- For Chittorgarh: Castle Bijaipur is a quiet base.
- Dungarpur: Udai Bilas Palace is the royal family's lakeside home.
- The hills: our guide to palace stays in Mount Abu.
How we'd travel Mewar
Udaipur first: three or four nights, with Nathdwara, Eklingji and Nagda as half-day trips.
Then the country: a night at Kumbhalgarh or Ranakpur, one at Deogarh or Narlai, and one near Chittorgarh.
The southern loop: Dungarpur and Banswara, for those with time.
- Nathdwara
- About an hour
- Kumbhalgarh
- About two hours
- Chittorgarh
- About two hours north-east
- Deogarh
- About two and a half hours
- Banswara
- About three hours
- Mount Abu
- About three hours west
- Towards Gujarat: Mount Abu fits on the way.
- Our journey: Mewar Lakes and Temples follows this shape, and Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur covers the region's most beautiful drive.
- Flights and trains: Udaipur's airport has direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and other cities, and trains link it with Delhi and Jaipur.
- Ranakpur: about an hour beyond Kumbhalgarh.
- Dungarpur: about two hours south.
- Abu by rail: the nearest station to Mount Abu is Abu Road.
When to come to Mewar
The main season: warm days and cool nights.
After a good monsoon: September and October are wonderful, with full lakes and glowing countryside.
- Main season
- October to March
- Lakes full
- September and October
- Hot months
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September
- Chilly dawns: December and January, especially at Kumbhalgarh and Mount Abu.
- February: perfect for being outdoors.
- Summer: hot, though Mount Abu stays cooler and has always been where Rajasthan goes for the summer.
- Monsoon in Udaipur: the most romantic time, with rain on the lakes, mist on the hills and the Monsoon Palace living up to its name.
- Plan around it: our Monsoon in Mewar journey, and our best time to visit Udaipur guide month by month.
What we tell our cousins going south
Pichola in the late afternoon: not at noon. The palace turns gold as the sun drops.
Nathdwara darshan: times shift with seasons and festivals, and crowds surge when the doors open. Go with a guide who knows the temple, and leave cameras and phones behind.
- Ranakpur and Dilwara: leather belts and bags stay outside. Signs at the gates set out each temple's own rules of entry, and we follow them.
- Walk the Kumbhalgarh wall: at least part of it, in the cool of the morning. It's the best way to feel its scale.
- Read Padmini first: in Chittorgarh the ruins make much more sense if you know the story.
- Bhil villages: go with a local guide and ask before taking photographs.