Jag Mandir

Jag Mandir, also called the Lake Garden Palace, occupies an island in Lake Pichola in Udaipur. Its construction began in the early 1600s and was carried on by three Maharanas of the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar. It served the royal family as a summer retreat and as a setting for celebrations, and its gardens look out over the water to the hills.

The buildings combine Hindu and Mughal features, with domes, arches, carved stonework and jali screens. Prince Khurram, later the emperor Shah Jahan, sheltered here during his rebellion, and a popular story holds that the palace influenced the design of the Taj Mahal. During the uprising of 1857, Maharana Swaroop Singh gave refuge on the island to European families. Paintings, sculpture and other objects are on display, and guided tours explain its history.