Monsoon Palace (Sajjangarh), Udaipur

The Monsoon Palace is the Udaipur attraction for sunset: a hilltop palace above the lakes, reached through the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Monsoon Palace, or Sajjangarh, stands on the Bansdara hill in the Aravallis west of the city, overlooking Fateh Sagar. It was built in 1884 for Maharana Sajjan Singh, who intended it as a five-storey astronomical centre; the plan was dropped after his early death and the building became a monsoon retreat and hunting lodge. Tradition says the site was chosen so the Maharana could see his ancestral Chittorgarh.

The palace was later owned by the Mewar royal family and is now under the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan. It appeared as Kamal Khan's residence in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. From its terraces the whole of Udaipur's lake country is laid out below, and the palace is floodlit in the evening, when its orange glow is visible from the city.

Rajasthan's official booking portal lists entry, vehicle and camera fees for the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary on these hills, but does not say whether the palace has a separate ticket. The road climbs steeply up the hill, so most visitors go by car or taxi. Plan to arrive an hour before sunset, since the listed sanctuary hours end at 6:00 pm.