About Dungarpur

Dungarpur is a district city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Also known as "The City of Hills", it lies in the foothills of the Aravalli range. Mahi and Som are the two rivers irrigating the southwest part of the region making it fertile. The district is divided into five Tehsils and two municipalities. As per the census of 2011, there are 976 villages in the district. Dungarpur is famous about the green marble found here that is found here and shipped globally. It is one of the fastest developing cities in India today and carries a high tourist fame owing to the magnificent architecture of its palaces and royal residences.

Geography of Dungarpur

The district of Dungarpur lies in the southern Rajasthan on the border of Gujarat. With geographical coordinates of 23.84°N 73.72°E, city has an average elevation of 225 m or 738 feet. Roughly triangular in shape, district is bounded on the southeast by the districts of Sabarkantha, Panchmahal and Dahod of the state of Gujarat. The Vatrak River also originates here. The district has an area of 3,770 square KM with a population of 1,388,906 as per census of 2011. The city of Dungarpur is easily accessible by rail, road and air. National Highway No. 8 that runs between Delhi and Mumbai passes through the district while the nearest railway station is just 3 KM from here. One can even choose to hop on a flight to the nearest airport of Udaipur which is 120 KM from here.

Overall, the district has a dry climate and is quite hot during the months of April to June with maximum temperature hovering to 45 °C. The minimum temperature in the area is 10 °C to 12 °C, usually in the month of January. The maximum rainfall in the district occurs in the month of June through September during the monsoon season.

History and Culture of Dungarpur

As early as 4000 BC, the district Dungarpur was occupied by the Bhil people. Bhils continued to be a major ethnic group here during Rajput rule and under the British raj, Bhils formed core of the military and police. The state of Dungarpur was invaded in 1197 by Samant Singh, a Rajput prince from Mewar, however it took some time for Rajputs to take control over the area. It was founded in 1258 AD by Rawal Veer Singh, the eldest son of Karan Singh, after he drove out the local Bhil chieftain named Dungariya. The Rajputs named the region as Bagar or Vargar.

Hindi and Rajasthani are the local languages spoken in the area. The district boasts about a good sex ratio of 990 females for every 1000 males. The population density in the area is 368 inhabitants per square KM with a literacy rate of 60.78%. There are many fairs organized here from time to time and visited by people from far & near. Some of the popular fairs are Ghotia-Amba fair, Vitthaldeo fair, Baneshwar fair, Purnima Garba, Amit Egyaras and ShreeShetrapaljidada fair.

Shopping in Dungarpur

Any travel is incomplete without indulging in shopping and one can indulge in shopping different locally made items when being here. Dungarpur is famous for its indigenous toy industry. Beautiful toys portraying humans and animals are made here from wood and lacquer is used to give them a shiny look. One can easily find these creative toys in fairs and local shops. In addition to this, picture framing by gold and silversmiths is quite popular here. Moreover, the district is known for large scale production of teak, rice, mangoes and dates.

Tourism in Dungarpur

There are many places of tourist interest in Dungarpur that are frequently visited by tourists from all over. The district is known for its palaces, ancient temples, museums, lakes and royal residencies with exceptional architecture. There are also dense forests here where one can plan to go on trekking and see wide variety of wildlife including jackals, jungle cats, foxes, porcupines and mongooses.

Udai Bilas Palace


Named after Maharawal Udai Singh II, the palace has classic Rajput architecture style with detailed designs in balconies. The palace is quite huge and divided into three parts namely Raniwas, Udai Bilas and Krishna Prakash or Ek Thambiya Mahal. The Ek Thambiya Mahal features ornate balconies, bracketed windows, arches and sculptured pillars. There is a beautiful wing that is made of the local bluish grey stone, called Pareva, and overlooks the lake. Today the palace is turned into a heritage hotel and is worth visiting.

Juna Mahal
Juna Mahal is a 13th century seven-storeyed structure that is a popular tourist attraction. Anyone visiting here would be spellbound by the beautiful interiors that include murals, miniature paintings, delicate glass and mirror work. The palace is built on a high platform constructed from Pareva stone and has rugged exteriors to give resemblance to a citadel. At the exteriors, it is well planned with watchtowers, fortified walls, narrow doorways and corridors to delay the enemy as long as possible.

Gaib Sagar Lake


The Gaib Sagar Lake is famous for the shrine of Shrinathji that rests on its banks. There are numerous exquisitely carved temples in the shrine complex along with one core temple, Vijay Rajrajeshwar Temple. It is a Lord Shiva temple and displays the skilled craftsmanship of the famous Dungarpu sculptors. Maharawal Vijay Singh ordered the construction of this temple that was completed in 1923, during the reign of Maharawal Lakshman Singh.
 
Badal Mahal
The Badal Mahal is another splendid palace in Dungarpur that is worth visiting. It is located on the Gaib Sagar Lake and is built using Pareva stone. One can witness fusion of the architectural styles of Rajputs and Mughals here. The monument consists of two stages, three domes and one verandah. In each dome, there is carved a half ripe lotus however in the largest dome there are three.
 
Baneshwar Temple
The Baneshwar Temple is situated on a delta formed at the confluence of Som and Mahi rivers. The most revered Shivlinga of the region can be worshipped here. The Shivalinga is believed to be self-created, stands five feet high and is split broken at the top in five parts. Close to the Baneshwar temple is situated the Vishu Temple that was constructed in 1793 AD by Jankunwari, daughter-in-law of Mavji, a saint who is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is said that at this place Mavji spent his time praying to the God. There is also Lord Brahma temple besides this temple.

Surpur Temple
Located on the banks of the Gangdi River, this is an ancient shrine about 3 KM from Dungarpur. There are many attractions around the temple including Bhulbhalaiya, Madhavrai Temple and Hathiyon ki Agad.

There are many other places of tourist interest in and around Dungarpur including Deo Somnath, Galiakot, Kshetrapal temple, Boreshwar, Shree Jetholeshwar Mahadev Temple, Sarneshwar Mandir, Shri Adinatha Jain Swetamber Temple and Raghunathji Temple.

Hotels in Dungarpur

Anyone visiting Dungarpur can be sure of a comfortable stay with all kinds of modern amenities and services available here. Below is a quick list of some of the common services in Dungarpur.

Hotel Udai Bilas Palace
Address: Dungarpur, Chamanpura, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone:  02964 230 808

Hotel Vaibhav
Address: SH 10, Shastri Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone:  02964 230 244

Hotel Vasundhara
Address: Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 096503 09691

Hotel Nikunj Plaza
Address: Bus Stand to Hospital Rd, Shivaji Nagar, Shivaji Nagar R.H.B., Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 096100 06084

Hotel Dungarpur Palace
Address: NH927A, Shastri Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 075975 18275

Gayatri Hotel
Address: SH 10, Adarsh Nagar, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Restaurants in Dungarpur

Bombay Restaurant
Address: New Hospital Road, Opp. To New Sabji Mandi, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 097849 99547

Jain Fast Food
Address: Adarsh Nagar, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 098290 41329

Hotel Rajhans Restaurant
Address: Opp, New Colony to Bus Stand Road, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 097991 00499

Food Plaza
Address: College Road Shastri Colony, NH927A, Shastri Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Sagar Bhojnalaya
Address: Shastri Marg, Shastri Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Hospitals in Dungarpur

Jeevan Jyoti Hospital
Address: 7 Subhash Nagar, behind New Hospital, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone:  02964 231 814

Puja Surgical Hospital
Address: Ashok Nagar, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone:  02964 230 211

General Hospital
Address: New Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Abhay Eye Clinic
Address: New Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 095304 79170

Family Dental Clinic
Address: Gep Sagar Pal Rd, Adarsh Nagar, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Bhagwan Mahaveer Orthopaedic and General Hospital
Address: New Hospital Road, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 095496 55234

Nehal Hospital
Address: Dungarpur, NH-927A, Udaipur Road, Dungarpur, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 01596 271 199

Chemists in Dungarpur

Swastik Medical and Provisional Store
Address: Pratap Nagar, Dungarpur, Rajasthan
Phone: 094141 04599

Gandhi Dawa Bhandar
Address: New Hospital Choraha ,Dungarpur
Phone:  02964 230 529

Jawahar Medical Store
Address: City Referral Old Hospital, Chamanpura, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone:  02964 230 930

Kamal Medicals
Address: Hospital Road, New Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001

Bhavya Medical Store
Address: New Colony, Dungarpur, Rajasthan 314001
Phone: 081 042 53937