While other cities in india have become high-tech hot spots, drawing software developers and call center technical specialists, Rajasthan’s Udaipur manages its growth by maintaining its regional heritage and staying true to its historical roots.

Wearing its history proudly, the Udaipur region, unlike the rest of the subcontinent, was never dominated by Mughal rule. The Royal House of Mewar ruled for 1,400 years until Indian independence was attained in 1948. The city, founded as the capital of the former kingdom of Mewar, dates to 1568, when its location on the banks of Lake Pichola surrounded by the Aravalli Hills was said to be divinely inspired. According to legend, after the sacking of the previous Mewar capital, founder Maharana Udai Singh met a hermit meditating on a hill overlooking the lake. Singh asked the holy man where he should build his next capital; the advice was this beautiful location.

Singh went on to build the City Palace that still stands on the east bank. The granite and marble building and its massive gates (five of the city’s original 11 gates remain standing today) overlook the water. Currently the palace houses a museum and a hanging garden. It is a prime example of traditional Rajput architecture, with its detailed mosaics and elaborate cupolas.

Lake Pichola — along with nearby lakes Fateh Sagar, Rana Sagar, Swaroop Sagar and Doodh Talai — provides the inspiration for the city’s nicknames: the City of Lakes and the Venice of the East. Udaipur’s top position among India’s travel destinations and its almost fairy-tale allure stem not only from its numerous lakes, but also from its hilltop forts and its historic palaces, many of which are now luxury resorts. It all adds up to a fast-growing tourism industry, the city’s chief economic driver. Udaipur hosts 1.2 million tourists annually who contribute $450 million to its economy each year.

The city received a public relations boost with the filming of the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy at Lake Pichola’s Lake Palace, a marble citadel constructed in 1746. Now a Taj resort, the Lake Palace spans an entire island and serves as a de facto icon of Udaipur’s tourism industry. Another luxury resort in the region, The Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur, was recently named the world’s best hotel in a Travel + Leisure poll. In the hotel sector, Leela Palaces and Resorts plans to open the new 80-room Leela Kempiski this year under an extended management agreement with Kempiski.

Although tourism ranks as the city’s top industry, Udaipur has also been a popular movie location for films like Ghandi and Heat and Dust. Numerous Hindi movies have also been shot in the picturesque community. As we write, Walt Disney Television International India film crews are in the city shooting the Disney Channel’s first TV film, The Cheetah Girls — One World.

Another successful industry in the region is the mining and processing of marble and granite, encouraged by the creation of a Special Economic Zone. Udaipur’s R.K. Marble tops Guinness’s list of world marble producers. Mining, smelting and processing of lead, zinc, calcite and rock phosphates, as well as the technologies that support these activities, contribute to the economic health and diversity of this region.

Manufacturing also plays an important role. Udaipur is home to Lipi Data, the country’s largest manufacturer of high-speed printers; JK Group, the country’s largest tire manufacturer; and numerous textile companies.

Udaipur is working to improve technical training in emerging technologies. In late 2007, Infosys BPO, the outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys Technologies, announced plans to establish a knowledge center at Udaipur’s Meera College, offering a special training program for 500 students. The city also hopes to be named as the home of one of an e ventual 10 Indian Institute of Technology campuses.

Work is under way to modernize Udaipur’s Dabok airport, also known as Maharana Pratap Airport [UDR]. A public-private partnership aiming to upgrade the airport calls for construction to be completed by 2010; a new $20-million terminal is already in use, with a runway extension to 9,000 feet slated to open in coming months.

Also on the transportation front, Omkareshwar Tradelinks Pvt. Ltd. is constructing a 300-person-per-hour aerial tramway to relieve some of the city’s traffic congestion. In the meantime, feasibility studies for accesscontrolled expressways from Udaipur to Kishangar and from Udaipur to Ahmedabad move forward. The new toll roads would be constructed and operated on a revenue-sharing basis by private contractors and the National Highways Authority of India.

Entry Requirements

A valid passport and visa are necessary for all travel to India. Visas must be obtained before arrival. Three- and six-month as well as five- and 10-year visas are issued to U.S. nationals, with maximum continuous stay not to exceed 180 days.

More Information

Embassy of India

2107 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
tel 202 939 7000
http://www.indianembassy.org

Udaipur Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Chamber Bhawan, Chamber Marg
M.I.A., Udaipur 313001
tel 91 294 2491060
http://www.ucciudaipur.com