Udaipur is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. 

It was founded in 1559 by Raja Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, when he shifted his capital from the city of Chittorgarh to Udaipur, after the former was invaded by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when it became a British princely state. The Mewar province subsequently became a part of the State of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947. Dubbed "the most romantic spot on the continent of India" by British administrator James Tod, it has also been called the “Venice of the East” on account of its multiple lakes.