Udaipur

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historic city in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, known for its lakes and palaces and once the capital of the Mewar kingdom
2. A city in the Indian state of Rajasthan famed for its lakeside palaces, formerly the seat of the Mewar rulers
3. An Indian city in Rajasthan noted for its lakes and royal palace architecture, once the capital of the princely state of Mewar

Etymology: Udaipur is a city in the southern part of Rajasthan, India, and its name comes from its founder, Maharana Udai Singh II of Mewar, who established it in 1559 as the capital of the Mewar kingdom. The name is built from his personal name, "Udai," combined with "pur," a common Hindi and Sanskrit element meaning "city" or "town." Many Indian place names follow this pattern, pairing a ruler's name with "pur" to mark a settlement he founded. The story behind the founding is the memorable part. Udai Singh had moved the Mewar capital away from Chittorgarh, a fortress that had repeatedly been vulnerable to attack, and the new city grew up around a lake in a more defensible valley. The city's identity is thus bound up in a single ruler's decision to build a new capital, and the name preserves that decision for anyone who asks where it came from.