Jag mandir is an enchanting palace located on Lake Pichola in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Soaked in history, the palace was constructed to provide refuge to the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1626 when he was planning to revolt against his own father, Emperor Jehangir. Rana Karan Singh (1628-1652) initiated its construction which was later completed by Maharana Jagat Singh I. Initially the Emperor Shah Jahan and his followers were given shelter under the roof of the City Palace occupied by Rana Karan Singh. But when they could not manage to follow the Rajput customs the Rana decided to shift them to Jag Mandir. Surprisingly it was this emperor who earlier fought against Rana Amar Singh, the father of Rana Karan Singh, in 1614.
The upper portion of Jag Mandir has a bow shape. Its interiors are characterized by lavish ambiance as it is decorated with inlaid design in precious stones such as Onyx, Jasper and Agate. The pietra dura work in the palace later served as a guide in constructing the stunning Taj Mahal by Shah Jahan. Some of the highlights of the palace are a row of marble elephants, the decorations of Bara Patharon ka Mahal, Kunwar Pada ka Mahal and the Zenana Mahal and the carved Cenatophs in grey and blue stone.
