Mewar Living Heritage
The City Palace at Udaipur has gone through generations of change and transformation since its inception as the genius loci of Udaipur in the mid-16th century. Twenty-two generations of custodians from the House of Mewar, who have safeguarded and developed this invaluable resource of Udaipur, have contributed to five distinct phases and styles of architecture that subsequently impacted the urban form of the lake city of Udaipur. This book is a narrative of the multifaceted architectural evolution of this unique palace–fortress type interwoven with contemporaneous sociopolitical changes. The initial section of the volume provides an overview of the exhaustive research and analysis of the palace architecture that was undertaken by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation during the preparation of its Conservation Master Plan with support of the Getty Foundation between 2005–2009, including a thorough study of art, architecture, landscape and built fabric within 57 palace spaces. The concluding section of this book offers an insight into the ongoing initiatives of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation in conservation and planning of these palace spaces and their conversion into a Living Heritage Museum of global significance. This book will be an important resource for all scholars, researchers, travel buffs and museum lovers involved in studying or visiting Udaipur and other areas of erstwhile Mewar. With 165 photographs and 58 plans
