I love plants! Even though I stay in an apartment, I have plenty of pots and greens to keep me company. They add so much freshness to the surroundings. There are times when Ash, my hubby says that there are more pots in the house than furniture. 😉 Imagine if I had a garden of my own! Sigh! Would have added a fountain or two with some amazing garden accessories – just like the Saheliyon Ki Bari.
Or maybe I did! Possibly I was the Udaipur princess for whom Rana Sangram Singh 😉 And maybe Ash and me had a re-birth and were destined to visit the garden of my dreams again 😉
Just Kidding! But how about a pretend-game while I walk you through the lovely Saheliyon ki Bari with the voice of the princess for whom it was built.
Switching over to the Princess’ voice from the 1700s.
Contents
The Birth of Saheliyon ki Bari
My father gave me away at a very young age to Maharana Sangram Singh and once married, I was sent off in a Palanquin to the famed city of Udaipur along with 48 of my maids. The city had several lakes – Pichola Lake and Fatehsagar Lake being my favorite and I loved spending time around them. Rana used to keep me company during my walks along these lakes but could not do so all the time. I used to be quite bored and as a gift for me, Rana commissioned a beautiful garden just for me, by the Fateh Sagar Lake.
The first time I laid my eyes on the gardens, I fell in love with the same. Gorgeous green trees, colorful flowers, birds chirping along and lovely fountains just for me and my maids to enjoy. Rana had outdone any other garden in the neighbourhood and all just for me! Years later my greater grandson Maharana Bhupal Singh added some more of those foreign fountains from Europe and made it even beautiful. Since my maids and I used to spend a lot of time here, the garden got its name Saheliyon ki bari or the Garden of maidens.
Today after years of my rebirth, as I walked through the entrance, the lovely sprinklers greeted me just like the olden days. I remember my friends and I used to run along these sprinklers, playfully throwing water at each other – just like what my present-day princess and her friends were doing.
The entire pathway led up to a new fountain that was added later – one with cherubs to greet and welcome you. This was one of those that imported and I must say that it was quite cute.
The Ras Lila Fountain at Saheliyon ki Bari
I must say that my great great great grandson Bhupal Singh had some really classy taste. Besides the Cherub fountain, he had created another splendid pavilion of showers. The “Ras-Lila” fountain as it seemed to be named, was a romantic addition to my original garden. The center piece of white marble with its lovely maiden statue in a pool of water was quite mesmerizing, especially due to the fountain of water that was spouting from its top.
The rest of the reservoir had four black pavilions on each corner, each one with gorgeous carvings. Atop these pavilions are some statues of birds. They say that these birds spouted water from their beaks to give the entire setting a rain effect. Coupled with the pink bougainvillea hedges, the sound of the flowing water and the light water drops from the sprinklers, the entire setting was perfect for some romance. I was given to understand that this fountain was also an amorous meeting spot for Bhupal – that naughty boy! 😉
This area also, has some relics of the past life. Unfortunately as the museum where these relics were stored was closed and I had to leave without seeing them. I was told that the museum held the prized collection of stuffed animals and some pictures. I would have loved to recall some more of those moments but I guess I will have to return later for them.
Kamal Talai Fountain
Exiting the pavilion, I wandered around taking in the other fountain basins and the greens that covered them. Ranaji had created this paradise just to fulfill my wish. One day unknowing, I mentioned to him that I wished I could dance in the rain, whenever I wanted but since Udaipur did not have much showers, the same was not possible. Ranaji took my words to heart and created this lovely garden where the fountains were such that I could experience the pleasure of rain whenever I wanted, right in the middle of this desert. The walk through the garden was so nostalgic, with memories attached to every corner. I recalled this one fountain where one of my naughty friends chased me around and we ended playing with the water from the fountain. What fun!
I walked on further in search of that Lotus pond or the Kamal Talai, my favorite part of this garden. And Behold! As I turned around Bhupal’s paradise pavilion, there it was. Just as I remembered it! As beautiful as ever, with its central fountain and carved animals and birds on this fountain. The marble elephants made out of a single piece of marble, spouting water through its trunks – made me so proud of the art in our era.
The entire set up was a perfect blend of East meets West, where the Eastern carvings enhance the Western splendor of the fountains.
The marble bench where Ranaji and I used to sit to chit-chat while watching the birds swoop onto the fountain basins to get a drink, the chattering squirrels chasing each other while the glow of the sunset enveloped my paradise with its golden rays. The love and comfort of being with each other in my own Eden is what I will always cherish and associate with this place. Here is a picture of Rana and me in our present births with one of the fountains in the background. 🙂
P.S: While the voice of the princess is fictitious, the history described is as chronicled today in the history books. The description of the gardens is as experienced by me during my visit to the Saheliyon Ki Bari. I totally enjoyed my visit here and found it very charming. Let me know what you thought about it.
How do you get to Saheliyon ki bari?
- Udaipur is easily accessible by road, railways and air from most of the major cities in India.
- Saheliyon Ki Bari is right within the city, near Fateh Sagar Lake. The same can be reached by public transport – specifically the auto rickshaws in Udaipur
Travel Tips:
- Saheliyon Ki Bari is open from 8 am to 8 pm every day. The entrance fee for the gardens is INR 10 for Indians and INR 50 for the foreign tourists.
- Flat shoes and comfortable clothes are advised as the pathways are quite wet owing to the fountains.
My other posts on Udaipur:
Popularly referred to as a Restless Ball of Energy. My Mom refuses to entertain my complaints about my equally restless daughter & assures my husband that I was born with a travel bug.
I am a Post-Graduate in Marketing by qualification and a travel blogger by passion. Besides travel, I enjoy photography and if you don’t find me at my desk, I would be out playing badminton or swimming or just running. I believe in planning for every long weekend through the year. And when I cannot travel physically, I travel virtually through this travel blog. My travel stories have also, got published on various websites and magazines including BBC Travel, Lonely Planet India and Jetwings. I have recently published my first book – When Places Come Alive – a collection of stories that are based on legends, landscapes, art and culture of a place which is available in both ebook and paperback format.
Now that was some place to hang out with friends! The first picture is stellar!
A very well-laid post. 'Twas a great read Ami. 🙂
Good imagination. 🙂
I had visited this place, everything seems to be the same.
Your photos of the fountains are amazing. I would love to go there.
Beautiful pictures Ami … Rajasthan has been on our bucket list for so long now 🙁
https://thetalesofatraveler.com/2016/01/15/kempinski-resort-review-seychelles/
Wow nice imagination. Enjoyed the way you have described. Nice pics.
😀 Well, in my case, they miss me when I am not around. 😀
Beautiful pics..
Thanks Mridula. Saheliyon ki Bari indeed. 😀
Thanks Maitreni
Thanks Indrani. Things have been the same for centuries now 😉
Thanks Kalpanaa. I think you will like it there too.
Am sure you will have fun whenever you head there. Thanks for stopping by
Thanks Arun. Glad you liked it.
Thank you 😀
Lovely pictures……
This garden looks heavenly,I would love to just sit there and enjoy the view. Lucky you 😉
Enjoyed the narrative too 🙂
Beautiful Ami. I liked the representation in the form of story and the photographs are wonderful :).. Thank you 🙂
One of my most favourite places! Its so serene and beautiful! 🙂
Sounds like an amazing garden! Enjoyed reading!
Thank you
Thanks Hargun. The garden is a little dreamy alright. One of the romantic places in Udaipur
Thank you Vinay for the compliment. Glad you enjoyed it
Thanks Tania
Ami, this is exactly why I enjoy reading your posts, as travel bloggers go:) The creative touch. Just loved using a reincarnation theme to describe the wonders of a garden visited. You should have called the post 'A garden of past life memories'.
Beautiful Post..
Well Written !
Hot Pink n Florals
Beautiful post – I loved the photos! xx
Awesome photos.
Saheliyon is Bari is such a pretty place ^_^
Your post reminded me of my visit there.
Beautiful Pictures 🙂
the first two shots are really beautiful 🙂
A lovely way to describe a place – through a princess's voice! 🙂 Udaipur is on my list. Hope I get to visit it this year!
Thank you Divsi
Thank you Ananya
Thanks Lata. I wish I had thought of that heading…it definitely suits the post better. Thanks for the suggestion
Thank you
Thank you Rupam
Thank you…the place definitely would have created memories for you 😀
Thank you Daniel
Thank you Oindrila
How very creative! I love the approach you took to travel writing in this post. Really incredible. And the images were just gorgeous!
Thank you so much. I had fun doing this post 😀
It hadn't previously occurred to me that fountains are a western influence, but then I suppose that does make sense given what I do know about the earliest fountains in Italy/Greece.
Oh yes, my hubby (previous birth) did order then from there 🙂
Nice post on this beautiful place in Udaipur, been there many years ago, would love to visit soon, hopefully this year.
Besides the wonderful place I absolutely enjoyed reading your article.
That first photo is my fave. I think the Lotus Pond would be my favorite part to visit too!
Disclaimer: I jot down thoughts as they appear in my mind and then club them as a comment. For you, I'm keeping them all original and unadulterated.
Woah! First, I loved the angle of Princess' voice from 1700s you used to describe Udaipur. A story retold from the eyes of the princess – cool!
A minor correction – maybe Ash and me (two people, so plural) had a re-birth and was destined – *were* destined
Bah! Another one – my maids and *I* (not me)
I'll shut my mouth now. It's just the editor in me that won't stop poking. *Sorry* 😐
Rebirth! I like it 😀 This is how I felt when I visited Shalimar-Nishaat in Kashmir – strolling and reminiscing like a queen 😛
The naughty boy…ROFL !!!
Looks like I have found a soul sister 🙂
Just why wouldn't it let me comment as myself and not 'unknown (Google)' :/
Okay, I'm Mansi Laus Deo from Twitter (@mansilausdeo)
I really love the way you tell your visit, it's very original and moving ! Where I live, the famous french King Louis XIV get married and I often dream about his visit to the beautiful places I like to go 🙂
Cool…let me know once you have visited it. Do share your experience here
Thanks a ton.
I love the first pic too…the sky just set itself for the pic
Thank you Stephanie. Glad you enjoyed the tour 😀
Thanks Mansi…yes, the grammatical errors did slip my copy check. 😀 Edited now. Glad you liked it .
Beautiful place and extraordinary architecture – looks so peaceful contrary to the busy and hectic Indian cities. It’s a perfect retreat – escape from the heat and noise. Reminds me of summer – you’re lucky to be in India – here in Europe everything’s gray and cold – but not for long fortunately 🙂
The combination of history and nature is quite heady here. That is what makes this place so amazing. Hope you can visit here.
I have spent 3 days in Udaipur and totally missed the Saheliyon Ki Bari! I loved how you told the story through the princesses voice! Rajasthan has such amazing stories!
Thank you Joanna. Rajasthan does have some amazing stories. I do hope you visit again soon.
I visited Udaipur some time ago, and I just loved it. It seems you did as well – nice post!
Udaipur continues to be my favorite city in India….it does charm everyone 🙂
I love plants too! The colors are so vibrant and looks like such an amazing place to relax!
It sure is. And the heritage tales here make it even more lovely.
What an overwhelming place, with such a lush nature and rich culture… would love to visit the Saheliyon ki bari in Udaipur sometime very soon! Of course I would only walk around in flat shoes, I can’t imagine doing it in high heels 🙂
It is a gorgeous landscape here….am sure you will have fun. Hope that you visit soon.
Interesting! Just learned about this place now. The parks and the fountains are gorgeous! Thanks for the tips! 🙂
They sure are. And the history behind it is what makes it special. Glad you liked the post.
I love the way you’ve described this place – great storytelling. Garden wanders are always so lovely and relaxing, and that fountain is just dreamy. I could absolutely pretend to be a princess here too!
Thank you Sam. It sure was fun being a princess here.
Been here last year, but I really think it was a bit disappointing in my opinion. I don’t know why when I went it didn’t look as radiant as it does in your pictures!
I personally, loved this place…the combination of nature and heritage is what made it amazing for me. I suppose it might not appeal to all.
Hahaha!!! Ami, I like how you’re shifting your way of writing. First we had a good chat with Bajrang the tiger, now here with Princess!!! Interesting!!! 🙂
This was my flashback :D. It was fun imagining it all while I was at this place.
I like how you described the garden from the perspective of the princess. It made the article more interesting to read. And the photos are absolutely stunning! I also would want to pretend I was a princess while walking through here!
This place does make you feel like a princess. Not too hard to imagine. I hope you get to imagine it yourself too. 🙂
I’d love to go there it looks really pretty! I like the Princess’ voice 🙂
Thank you Miriam. The Princess says Thanks.
I love your writing style. The first person account as a princess was a breath of fresh air to read 🙂
Thank you Mrunmaiy