A quiet figure greets you first—a life-size mannequin draped in a vibrant Rajput poshak, standing sentinel at the threshold. She is the dholi bearer, the message woman, a gatekeeper to the zenana—the women’s quarters of the royal household. As you pass her, the veil lifts. You’re inside Life in Zenana, a permanent exhibition at Udaipur’s City Palace Museum that invites you to see, hear, and feel the lives once lived behind palace walls by the royal women of Mewar. Set within the historic Zenana Mahal, the 1,600 sqft exhibition—crafted over four years—is a layered fusion of archival research, rare artefacts, and immersive design.
Step into the ‘Shringar Kaksh’, or room of adornment. Glass-topped cases display antique silver-capped perfume flasks, intricately carved jewellery boxes, and copper warm-water vessels. This was a place of transformation, of intimacy, of strength drawn from tradition.
Turn a corner and you’re among women gathered in quiet conversation. Mannequins in bright lehengas sit around low diwans and game boards of Chaupar, their expressions mid-laugh, mid-thought. Vintage armchairs, reading desks, and rare literary manuscripts hint at a parallel world of learning.
One room glows with reverence. Here, devotion takes form in 200-year-old wooden Gangaur idols, ceremonial cradles for baby Krishna, and gilded lamps lit for Chauth Mata, protector of women. It’s a quiet but powerful reminder: faith was not ornamental—it was armour. And then, a mirror-lined chamber gleams. This is the Queen’s Durbar, inspired by the opulent Badal Mahal. Here, power wore silk, and command echoed from soft voices. This reconstruction invites you to imagine royal women not in retreat—but in leadership, holding court, settling disputes, engaging in governance.
Look closely: among the silks and scriptures lie arms and armour, storage chests with built-in compartments for daggers, and garments designed for movement. These were not cloistered lives—they were lives of resilience, of battle-readiness, of quiet authority. The women of Mewar were guardians of tradition, but also shapers of change.
Behind the beauty lies a feat of scholarship. Curators pored over Mewar School wall paintings, handwritten ‘Zenani Deodhi’ records, and oral histories passed down over generations. Architectural maps guided the restoration of each space, ensuring that every room’s story aligned with historical truths.
“For too long, princely states have been cast in clichés,” says Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation. “This exhibition restores nuance to our heritage.” Life in Zenana isn’t just an exhibition. It’s an invitation—to see royal women not behind the veil, but at the heart of history.