The history of Udaipur itself stretches back far beyond its foundation in the sixteenth century, for the actions and policies of its Sisodia maharanas follow a code of honour laid down by the very first in line, Guhil , who established Mewar in 568 AD. Legend claims that Guhil was of local stock, but he seems at the time to have been fleeing south Gujarat during Muslim invasions. Either way, Guhil dwelt in the forest where he was trained in leadership and devotion by a hermit. His successors set up their capital at Nagda , which now stands in ruins just over 30km north of Udaipur. Chittaurgarh (also known as Chittor) replaced Nagda as capital in the eighth century, and its hilltop fort protected the Sisodia Rajputs for almost eight hundred years.

By the time Udai Singh II inherited the throne of Mewar and the leadership of the Sisodia Rajputs in 1537, it was clear that the magnificent fortress of Chittor was doomed; his mother had sacrificed her life two years previously during its second major sacking. Udai scanned the surrounding countryside for a suitable site for a new capital, and settled for the area beside Lake Pichola, protected on all sides by outcrops of the Aravalli Range. Having laid the foundation stones in 1559, he fled the battlefield when Chittor finally fell to the Moghuls eight years later to his new city of Udaipur . On his death in 1572 Udai was succeeded by his son Pratap , a legendary hero whose refusal to recognize the Moghul Akbar as emperor led to the battle of Haldighati, in which Akbar's forces were outwitted and peace in Udaipur was guaranteed.

As the city prospered, the arts flourished; Mewar's superior school of miniature painting became firmly rooted and the awesome palaces on the lake and its shore were constructed. However, in 1736 Mewar was attacked by the destructive Marathas and by the turn of the century the ensuing pillage had reduced the city to poverty and ruin. The British, whose role in the East India Company had until then been purely commercial, stepped in to pick up the pieces, presenting the maharana with a treaty of "perpetual alliance and friendship" in 1818. Guaranteeing protection from invaders and restoration of all its hereditary territories, this treaty and the support of the British helped to put Udaipur on the road to recovery. Yet the principle of refusing to bow down to a foreign power persisted and the maharanas never allowed the British to displace them.

The promises of "perpetual" protection had of course to be dissolved when Britain withdrew from India in 1947. The maharana of Udaipur spearheaded the movement by the princely states to join the new democratic and independent India, and was later at the forefront of a campaign to persuade Indira Gandhi's Congress government to retain the privy purses that funded the upkeep of Rajputana's historic monuments. Congress was, however, determined to reduce the Rajput princes to the status of normal citizens, and political recognition of royalty came to an end.

Centuries of loyalty between rulers and subjects have been kept alive by songs, stories and paintings; the maharana may now lack political power, but he remains as respected by the people of Udaipur as were his forefathers. His personal funding and income from tourism are invested in the Maharana of Mewar Trust, which subsidizes local hospitals and educational institutions, and supports environmental projects